Thread: Windmills over crops offer them frost protection.

I'm surprised the idea that the additional mixing of windmills over crops could offer some frost protection wasn't thought of earlier.

Wind Turbines May Help Crops on Farms, Research Says

I'm pretty sure this is just a case of people not paying attention outside their own narrow specialty. I thought it was well accepted practice for citrus growers to use huge fans to protect trees from frost.

http://epanote2.epa.vic.gov.au/EPA/p...$FILE/1043.pdf

There is a big difference between a fan and a wind turbine. A fan makes the air move, but the wind is what makes the turbine move. It's hard to see what a turbine is going to do on a windless, frosty night.

Originally Posted by Harold14370

It's hard to see what a turbine is going to do on a windless, frosty night.

Not as far fetched as it might seems, often the frost is associated with a very shallow inversion meaning it above freezing only a few tens of meters above the ground and there's a breeze a few hundred meters up... Those wind turbine could delay the the formation of the inversion as long as even their top is penetrating above that inversion layer. I found an illustration that's above freezing but shows a pretty typical depth and range of temperature from a radiation inversion.