How offshore wind farms and clouds interact (Part 1)

As offshore wind farms grow larger, they begin to change the atmosphere near them, especially the marine boundary layer - the lowest kilometre of air directly influenced by the sea surface. Over many ocean regions this layer is capped by low stratocumulus clouds that strongly affect surface winds and Earth’s energy balance. Understanding how turbine wakes and added turbulence interact with these clounds is essential both for predicting wind-farm performance and for assessing possible impact on local climate 2. Figure 1: Wind farms and clouds interact [1]