Potential of wind turbines on the alteration of carbon dioxide concentration

Abstract

Anthropogenic carbondioxide (CO2) emissions are a major factor in global warming, requiring significant cuts to combat climate change. A crucial technology to reduce global CO2 concentration is direct air capture (DAC) of CO2. However, existing DAC techniques are expensive because of low CO2 concentrations, and they frequently rely on fossil fuel-based energy. In this article, we investigate how wind turbines can influence local CO2 levels and potentially collaborate with DAC and other technologies. To explore this idea, we performed large-eddy simulations using two 5 MW commercial-scale wind turbines. We incorporated realistic CO2 profiles collected from 13 different global locations across different seasons. The simulations were performed under neutral atmospheric boundary layer conditions. The results demonstrate that the wake recovery mechanism of a wind turbine promotes rapid mixing of CO2 both above and below the turbine blade tips in the wind turbine wake. In cases where the initial concentrations of CO2 were elevated above the turbine, downward entrainment of CO2 occurred. Conversely, when high concentrations of CO2 were present in the lower atmosphere, wind turbines facilitated a decrease in concentration at that layer by up to 138 kg/m within the intermediate wake (within 7 diameters) of the second turbine, T2. These discoveries inspire further investigation into the potential synergies between wind turbines and DAC devices or local CO2 pollutant diverters, depending on the prevailing CO2 profile. Consequently, this article marks the initial showcase of wind turbines' capability to influence CO2 levels by creating an entrainment and removal effect.