Author: Axel Kleidon

I am a scientist working at the Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany.

New paper: How much wind energy is there in Germany? We estimate the efficiency losses and impacts of wind energy expansion at 200 GW in Germany using a simple, physical approach.

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The expansion of wind energy plays a central role in the energy transition. But how much can actually be used, and how strongly is the atmosphere affected? I am currently receiving a number of inquiries about this, e.g., based on a video which uses earlier work (Kleidon 2019, Kleidon 2021). Conveniently, a new paper has just been published in Physik in unserer Zeit, which answers exactly these questions.

Continue reading “New paper: How much wind energy is there in Germany? We estimate the efficiency losses and impacts of wind energy expansion at 200 GW in Germany using a simple, physical approach.” →
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Neuer Artikel: Wieviel Windenergie gibt es in Deutschland? Wir schätzen die Effizienzeinbußen und Auswirkungen des Ausbaus der Windenergie auf 200 GW in Deutschland mit einem einfachen physikalischen Ansatz ab.

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Im Rahmen der Energiewende spielt der Ausbau der Windenergie eine zentrale Rolle. Aber wieviel lässt sich eigentlich nutzen, und wie stark wird die Atmosphäre beeinflusst? Dazu erhalte ich gerade eine ganze Reihe von Anfragen, auch aufgrund eines Videos, welches sich auf frühere Arbeiten von mir (Kleidon 2019; Kleidon 2021) bezieht. Praktischerweise ist dazu gerade ein neuer Artikel von mir in Physik in unserer Zeit erschienen, der genau diese Fragen beantwortet.

Continue reading “Neuer Artikel: Wieviel Windenergie gibt es in Deutschland? Wir schätzen die Effizienzeinbußen und Auswirkungen des Ausbaus der Windenergie auf 200 GW in Deutschland mit einem einfachen physikalischen Ansatz ab.” →

Working at the limit: How thermodynamics shapes the Earth system – A series of talks in India 2023 – Here is the link to slides and more material.

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We just completed a series of lectures in India on the central importance of thermodynamics and limits in Earth system science, with examples from climatology, global warming, life, sustainability and renewable energy. Here is the link to the slides and some background material, in case you missed it, want to check or are interested in more information.

Continue reading “Working at the limit: How thermodynamics shapes the Earth system – A series of talks in India 2023 – Here is the link to slides and more material.” →

New Book Chapter:  Understanding the Earth as a Whole System: From the Gaia Hypothesis to Thermodynamic Optimality and Human Societies

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“The whole is more than the sum of its parts” – this has been said by smart people throughout human history, from Aristotle to Gibbs.  But how does it apply to the vastly complex Earth system?  In the book chapter just published I describe how this focus on the whole combined with a thermodynamic formulation of the Earth system including life helps us to understand that the whole is more, and simpler, than the sum of its parts.  This is because complex, natural systems appear to work at their thermodynamic limit.  The emergent functioning may then very well share characteristics similar to those postulated by the controversial Gaia hypothesis of James Lovelock, which states that life regulates the Earth for its own benefit.

Continue reading “New Book Chapter:  Understanding the Earth as a Whole System: From the Gaia Hypothesis to Thermodynamic Optimality and Human Societies” →

New Blogpost: How much energy will I consume to keep our home warm this winter? A simple estimate, utilizing climate data, gas meter readings, and past gas bills. And yes, the second law comes into play as well.

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Winter is coming, snow is falling, and here in Jena we will need gas to heat our homes. Gas prices are at their all-time high, so how much heat do I need and how can I reduce it? I describe a simple, physical way to estimate how much energy I should need to heat our home, and how this can help to find out how effective measures are to reduce energy consumption.

Continue reading “New Blogpost: How much energy will I consume to keep our home warm this winter? A simple estimate, utilizing climate data, gas meter readings, and past gas bills. And yes, the second law comes into play as well.” →

New Paper: Estimating #offshore #windpower in the German bight. It describes the depletion effects of the #windenergy resource and its implications for the 70 GW target in an accessible way, based on our Agora Energiewende study. https://doi.org/10.1002/piuz.202201654 https://export.arxiv.org/pdf/2301.01043

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Offshore wind energy is rapidly growing, but what happens when more and more wind turbines deplete the regional wind energy resource?

Continue reading “New Paper: Estimating #offshore #windpower in the German bight. It describes the depletion effects of the #windenergy resource and its implications for the 70 GW target in an accessible way, based on our Agora Energiewende study. https://doi.org/10.1002/piuz.202201654 https://export.arxiv.org/pdf/2301.01043” →

Short course on „Thermodynamics and Optimality in the Earth system“ – live in Florence and accessible online. If you ever wanted to know why the second law is so important, come and join!

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How does the second law of thermodynamics apply to the Earth system and why is it so important? As it turns out, it dominantly shapes natural Earth system functioning, from the climate system to hydrologic cycling, the biosphere, and renewable energy resources, yielding simple, emergent functioning as a consequence of systems operating at their thermodynamic limits. This short course provides the basics to understand why entropy is so important and how it shapes Earth system functioning.

Continue reading “Short course on „Thermodynamics and Optimality in the Earth system“ – live in Florence and accessible online. If you ever wanted to know why the second law is so important, come and join!” →

How much does evaporation affect temperature variations during the day?  That’s what we looked at in a paper just published online in the Journal of Climate.  @annuPanwar_sci @ametsoc @MPI_BGC

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Over land, there is a marked variation in surface and air temperature during day and night, with the amplitude described by the diurnal temperature range.  What are the main factors that determine its magnitude across regions and how much is it shaped by evaporation?  This is what Annu Panwar looked at in her last part of her PhD using FluxNet observations and the ERA 5 reanalysis products, with the results just published online in the Journal of Climate. What this analysis shows is that energy balances go a long way to explain the main influences and that evaporation does not have quite such a strong effect as one may think.

Continue reading “How much does evaporation affect temperature variations during the day?  That’s what we looked at in a paper just published online in the Journal of Climate.  @annuPanwar_sci @ametsoc @MPI_BGC” →

We’ll be at #EGU22, showing how radiation and maximum power shape temperatures, their extremes, the atmospheric circulation and the wind energy resource. @akleidon @s_ghausi @yinglin_tian

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Corona is still around, also in Vienna, but the EGU General Assembly will nevertheless happen again, in a hybrid form. We are thrilled to be there physically, giving our 6 minute short talks on our work, and look forward to seeing and talking to you there!

Continue reading “We’ll be at #EGU22, showing how radiation and maximum power shape temperatures, their extremes, the atmospheric circulation and the wind energy resource. @akleidon @s_ghausi @yinglin_tian” →

“Thermodynamics and Optimality of the Biosphere” – online lecture, today, Friday, March 25, at 17:00 Jena time (CET) or 10:00 in Mexico. Interested? You can join too, if you like, here’s the link and background material.

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Thermodynamics, entropy and life — does this sound intriguing but also confusing to you? As part of the virtual Spring School on Physics and Mathematics applied to Ecology, organized by Oliver Lopez Corona, I give a lecture where I will cover how thermodynamics applies to the biosphere and the planetary environment, and how it connects to concepts such as the Gaia hypothesis or planetary boundaries. Hopefully, after the lecture, it is clearer to you what entropy is, how it applies to the Earth system, its biosphere, and their interactions. And why it is so important! If you are interested to learn more, this blogpost provides some links to literature mentioned in the lecture.

Continue reading ““Thermodynamics and Optimality of the Biosphere” – online lecture, today, Friday, March 25, at 17:00 Jena time (CET) or 10:00 in Mexico. Interested? You can join too, if you like, here’s the link and background material.” →