Journal of Water and Land Development

Abstract

The impact of wind power plants on the environmental components is assessed taking into account a number of their parameters, in particular the technical characteristics of wind turbines, the characteristics of networks, engineering and other structures. To do this the life cycle of the wind power plants is described taking into account (by way of inventory) all the necessary materials and resources. Waste management scenarios have been developed, the use of which will make it possible to reduce the harmful impact on the environment. Based on the inventory and input data on the wind farm under study, a diagram is generated -a tree of life cycle processes of the wind power plant -to determine the potential environmental impacts. A list of impact categories that represent the load on the environment caused by the wind power plant is defined; also, the relative contribution of harmful factors is determined for each category, taking into account possible scenarios of waste management. Ecological profiles have been built for all potential impacts on the environment. After normalisation and determination of significance, individual estimates of all indicators and their distribution in three categories of lesions were obtained: human health, ecosystem quality and resources, as well as four stages of the wind farm life cycle: production, dismantling and disposal, operation, transportation and installation. The obtained profiles made it possible to determine individual indicators and eco-indicators, expressed in eco-points that characterise the wind farm under study.