Life cycle energy and greenhouse emissions analysis of wind turbines and the effect of size on energy yield

Crawford, Robert H.

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2009.07.008

Cited by 257 publications

(123 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Similar observations were made by one study [15] that noted an improvement in the environmental performance of wind electricity generation systems with increasing installed electricity generation capacity, the reason being attributed to the effect of scaling (decreased material consumption per kWh of electricity produced). The use of large scale wind turbines also benefits by reducing the required footprint area per unit of rated output [26]. The mean life cycle GHG emissions were noted to be higher in the case of onshore wind electricity generation systems than the offshore wind electricity generation systems (refer to Fig.…”

Section: Statistical Evaluation Of Wind Lca Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The coastal wind electricity generation systems produced less GHGs than the inland wind electricity generation systems [25]. There is no significant difference in the energy yield between the use of small and large scale wind turbines [26]. There are several other studies [19,[27][28][29][30][31][32][33] that quantified the GHGs by performing the LCA of real-world wind electricity generation systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Characterization of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from wind electricity generation systems

Kadiyala

Kommalapati

Huque

2016

Int J Energy Environ Eng

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This study characterized and evaluated the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from different wind electricity generation systems by (a) performing a comprehensive review of the wind electricity generation system life cycle assessment (LCA) studies and (b) statistically evaluating the life cycle GHG emissions (expressed in grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt hour, gCO 2 e/kWh). A categorization index (with unique category codes, formatted as 'axis of rotation-installed location-power generation capacity') was adopted for use in this study to characterize the reviewed wind electricity generation systems. The unique category codes were labeled by integrating the names from the three wind power sub-classifications, i.e., the axis of rotation of the wind turbine 38.67, 11.75, 15.98, 12.9, and 46.4 gCO 2 e/kWh, respectively. The HAWT-ON-I wind electricity generation systems produced the minimum life cycle GHGs than other wind electricity generation systems.

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Section: Statistical Evaluation Of Wind Lca Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from wind electricity generation systems

Kadiyala

Kommalapati

Huque

2016

Int J Energy Environ Eng

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“…LCA studies either neglect replacement of parts (e.g., [37,40]) or variably assume that certain shares of components must be replaced (e.g., [27] assumes 50% gearbox replacement during lifetime, [36] one blade and 15% generator replacement, and [35] 5% complete wind turbine replacement). One study develops a high-maintenance scenario in which 1 generator, 1 gearbox and 1 set of blades requires replacement [32].…”

Section: Transportation On-site Construction and Operation And Mainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the life cycle environmental impacts of wind power: A review of present knowledge and research needs

Arvesen

Hertwich

2012

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

164

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We critically review present knowledge of the life cycle environmental impacts of wind power.We find that the current body of life cycle assessments (LCA) of wind power provides a fairly good overall understanding of fossil energy use and associated pollution; our survey of results that appear in existing literature give mean values (± standard deviation) of, e.g., 0.060 (±0.058) kWh energy used and 19 (±13) g CO 2 e emitted per kWh electricity, suggesting good environmental performance vis-à-vis fossil-based power. Total emissions of onshore and offshore wind farms are comparable. The bulk of emissions generally occur in the production of components; onshore, the wind turbine dominates, while offshore, the substructure becomes relatively more important. Strong positive effects of scale are present in the lower end of the turbine size spectrum, but there is no clear evidence for such effects for MW-sized units. We identify weaknesses and gaps in knowledge that future research may address. This includes poorly understood impacts in categories of toxicity and resource depletion, lack of empirical basis for assumptions about replacement of parts, and apparent lack of detailed considerations of offshore operations for wind farms in ocean waters. We argue that applications of the avoided burden method to model recycling benefits generally lack transparency and may be inconsistent.Assumed capacity factor values are generally higher than current mean realized values. Finally, we discuss the need for LCA research to move beyond unit-based assessments in order to address temporal aspects and the scale of impacts.

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“…In case of bio-fuels it varies between 25g/kWh and 93 g/kWh, depending on the type of bio-mass used (Parliamentary office post note, 2006). Wind energy shows the least value of 6 g/kWh (Crawford, 2009). Based from the above data, GHG saving percent of different types of OE device, as determined from equation 3 are shown in Table 8 and Fig.…”

Section: Comparative Study On Co 2 Saving Percentagementioning

confidence: 96%

An overview on green house gas emission characteristics and energy evaluation of ocean energy systems from life cycle assessment and energy accounting studies

Banerjee

Duckers

Blanchard

2013

JANS

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An analysis has been made as regards emission characteristics of ocean energy systems from life cycle assessment and scope of energy availability from energy accounting studies. Assessment tools developed and standardized were the indices like scope of Green house gases (GHG) emission per kWh power generation, percentage of CO2 saved compared to coal fired power station and the energy payback period. Emission characteristics of ocean energy systems were also compared with that from solar power, bio-fuels and wind energy systems. Four case studies were made comprising of wave energy converters, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) system and tidal energy. It could be observed that CO2 emission percentage saved from ocean energy schemes were more than 95 per cent; and energy payback period varied between one year and a little higher than two years, depending on the type of the device.

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Life cycle energy and greenhouse emissions analysis of wind turbines and the effect of size on energy yield

Cited by 257 publications

References 10 publications

Characterization of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from wind electricity generation systems

Characterization of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from wind electricity generation systems

Assessing the life cycle environmental impacts of wind power: A review of present knowledge and research needs

An overview on green house gas emission characteristics and energy evaluation of ocean energy systems from life cycle assessment and energy accounting studies

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