Efforts to harness the energy potential of Earth’s ocean winds could soon gain an important new tool: global satellite maps from NASA. Scientists have been creating maps using nearly a decade of data from NASA’s QuikSCAT satellite that reveal ocean areas where winds could produce wind energy.
Wind energy has the potential to provide 10 to 15 percent of future world energy requirements, according to NASA research. If ocean areas with high winds were tapped for wind energy, they could potentially generate 500 to 800 watts of energy per square meter. which is slightly less than solar energy (which generates about one kilowatt of energy per square meter).  Wind power can be converted to electricity more efficiently than solar energy and at a lower cost per watt of electricity produced. Like solar power, wind energy is green energy.
The new QuikSCAT maps, which add to previous generations of QuikSCAT wind atlases, also will be beneficial to the shipping industry by highlighting areas of the ocean where high winds could be hazardous to ships, allowing them to steer clear of these areas.
Scientists use the QuikSCAT data to examine how ocean winds affect weather and climate, by driving ocean currents, mixing ocean waters, and affecting the carbon, heat and water interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere.
