A review of life cycle assessments on wind energy systems

Davidsson, Simon; Höök, Mikael; Wall, Göran

doi:10.1007/s11367-012-0397-8

Cited by 86 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Kubiszewski et al (2010) presents a meta-analysis of 119 different turbines from 50 different analyses between 1977 and 2006, where a vast majority assumed a 20-year life span. Davidsson et al (2012) looked at ten more recent LCAs of wind turbines and found similar tendencies. Dolan and Heath (2012) reviewed and harmonized 72 LCAs on wind turbines and concluded that 20 years was the most commonly cited lifetime estimate as well as a common design life for modern wind turbines.…”

Section: Wind Turbine Service Lifementioning

confidence: 82%

“…While some expect that the recycling rates for metals used in electricity generation technologies will be higher due to expected high collection rates (Elshkaki and Graedel, 2013), others mentions different situations that could lead to materials not being recycled (Davidsson et al, 2012).…”

Section: Assessing Natural Resource Constraintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although it appears somewhat uncertain how much, it is evident that energy resources is also used to construct technologies like wind turbines (Davidsson et al, 2012). As pointed out by Dale and Benson (2013), this can potentially limit the growth, since an industry growing too fast can mean that the industry consumes more energy than it produces on an annual basis.…”

Section: Assessing Natural Resource Constraintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Growth curves and sustained commissioning modelling of renewable energy: Investigating resource constraints for wind energy

et al. 2014

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PostprintThis is the accepted version of a paper published in Energy Policy. This paper has been peer-reviewed but does not include the final publisher proof-corrections or journal pagination.Citation for the original published paper (version of record): AbstractSeveral recent studies have proposed fast transitions to energy systems based on renewable energy technology. Many of them dismiss potential physical constraints and issues with natural resource supply, and do not consider the growth rates of the individual technologies needed or how the energy systems are to be sustained over longer time frames. A case study is presented modelling potential growth rates of the wind energy required to reach installed capacities proposed in other studies, taking into account the expected service life of wind turbines. A sustained commissioning model is proposed as a theoretical foundation for analysing reasonable growth patterns for technologies that can be sustained in the future. The annual installation and related resource requirements to reach proposed wind capacity are quantified and it is concluded that these factors should be considered when assessing the feasibility, and even the sustainability, of fast energy transitions. Even a sustained commissioning scenario would require significant resource flows, for the transition as well as for sustaining the system, indefinitely. Recent studies that claim there are no potential natural resource barriers or other physical constraints to fast transitions to renewable energy appear inadequate in ruling out these concerns.

show abstract

Section: Wind Turbine Service Lifementioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Assessing Natural Resource Constraintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Assessing Natural Resource Constraintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Growth curves and sustained commissioning modelling of renewable energy: Investigating resource constraints for wind energy

et al. 2014

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Apart from the different rated capacities and designs used in the Vestas studies, the major reason for the difference in results is the fact that recycling of materials in the decommissioning stage is not considered in this study. According to Davidsson et al (2012), the environmental impacts embodied in a wind turbine are reduced by approximately half through end-of-life recycling. This is highlighted in Tremeac andMeunier (2009) andChen et al (2011) where a 26-27% reduction in total environmental indicator values is observed.…”

Section: Comparison Of Results With the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative LCA of technology improvement opportunities for a 1.5-MW wind turbine in the context of an onshore wind farm

Ozoemena

Cheung

Hasan

2017

Clean Techn Environ Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper presents life cycle assessment (LCA) results of design variations for a 1.5-MW wind turbine due to the potential for advances in technology to improve their performance. Five LCAs have been conducted for design variants of a 1.5-MW wind turbine. The objective is to evaluate potential environmental impacts per kilowatt hour of electricity generated for a 114-MW onshore wind farm. Results for the baseline turbine show that higher contributions to impacts were obtained in the categories of ozone depletion potential, marine aquatic eco-toxicity potential, human toxicity potential and terrestrial eco-toxicity potential compared to technology improvement opportunities (TIOs) 1-4. Compared to the baseline turbine, TIO 1 with advanced rotors and reduced tower mass showed increased impact contributions to abiotic depletion potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, global warming potential and photochemical ozone creation potential, and TIO 2 with a new tower concept involving improved tower height showed an increase in contributions to abiotic depletion potential, acidification potential and global warming potential. Additionally, lower contributions to all the environmental categories were observed for TIO 3 with drivetrain improvements using permanent magnet generators while increased contributions towards abiotic depletion potential and global warming potential were noted for TIO 4 which combines TIO 1, TIO 2 and TIO 3. A comparative LCA study of wind turbine design variations for a particular power rating has not been explored in the literature. This study presents new insight into the environmental implications related with projected wind turbine design advancements.

show abstract

“…Wind power improves energy diversity and safeguards against fossil fuel price unpredictability, thus stabilizing electricity generation costs in the long term [2]. All energy systems for converting energy into usable forms have environmental impacts associated with them [3][4][5][6]. The production of renewable energy sources involves the consumption of energy and natural resources as well as the release of pollutants like every other production process [7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving uncertainty analysis of embodied energy and embodied carbon in wind turbine design

Ozoemena

Cheung

Hasan

2017

Int J Adv Manuf Technol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper, a method for improving uncertainty estimates of embodied carbon and embodied energy is presented and discussed. Embodied energy and embodied carbon results are the focus of this analysis due to the fact that, at the conceptual design stage, these two are the most important quantities for decision making in life cycle assessment (LCA) studies. The use of renewable and new energy sources and the development of cleaner and more efficient energy technologies will play a major role in the sustainable development of a future energy strategy. Environmental protection, economic and social cohesion and diversification and security of energy supply are highlighted by the International Energy Agency as a high priority for the development of cleaner and more efficient energy systems and promotion of renewable energy sources. In the case studies presented, better results for the baseline turbine were observed compared to turbines with the proposed technology improvement opportunities. Embodied energy and embodied carbon results for the baseline turbine show an about 50 % probability that the turbine manufacturer may have lost the chance to reduce carbon emissions and 85 % probability that the turbine manufacturer may have lost the chance to reduce the primary energy consumed during its manufacture. The proposed approach is therefore a feasible alternative when more reliable results are desired for LCA-based design decision making.

show abstract

A review of life cycle assessments on wind energy systems

Cited by 86 publications

References 40 publications

Growth curves and sustained commissioning modelling of renewable energy: Investigating resource constraints for wind energy

Growth curves and sustained commissioning modelling of renewable energy: Investigating resource constraints for wind energy

Comparative LCA of technology improvement opportunities for a 1.5-MW wind turbine in the context of an onshore wind farm

Improving uncertainty analysis of embodied energy and embodied carbon in wind turbine design

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About