Local warming in Spain

THEY have made Spain the fourth biggest producer of wind energy in the world – but now it seems wind turbines could actually be changing the country’s weather.

At least locally, that is.

According to a new study, the turbines can make temperatures cooler by up to four degrees during the day and the opposite at night.

The effect is caused by the blades scooping warm air away from the ground and pushing cooler air downwards, claims professor Somnath Roy, who based his research on a wind farm in California.

Spain leads the way in turbine innovation, with 20 per cent of its energy produced by wind – producing electricity for 10 million households and employing over 30,000 people.