Ecological and economic cost-benefit analysis of offshore wind energy

Snyder, Brian F.; Kaiser, Mark J.

doi:10.1016/j.renene.2008.11.015

Cited by 343 publications

(175 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

166

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…There is, however, little tradition for including such impact categories in LCA, and they are more frequently assessed using other environmental impact assessment methods (e.g., cost-benefit analysis, as in [75]). Table 3 summarizes our overall judgments of the current knowledge about potential environmental burdens associated with four life cycle phases of wind power systems.…”

Section: Impact Category Coveragementioning

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

178

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

Section: Impact Category Coveragementioning

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

178

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Though the development of the first offshore wind farm in the U.S. has been delayed, a large number of studies and discussions regarding resource assessment, economic cost and environmental impact have already been conducted [4][5][6][7][8][9]. Conversely, the China.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other (%) the percentage of investment costs 10% [7,16] Note: empirical data from European reference are modified according to actual prices of equipments and labor force in China. 10 …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Offshore wind energy potential in China: Under technical, spatial and economic constraints

Hong

Möller

2011

Energy

159

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper investigates available offshore wind energy resources in China's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) with the aid of a Geographical Information System (GIS), which allows the influence of technical, spatial and economic constraints on offshore wind resources being reflected in a continuous space. Geospatial supply curves and spatial distribution of levelised production cost (LPC) are developed, which provide information on the available potential of offshore wind energy at or below a given cost, and its corresponding geographical locations. The GIS-based models also reflect the impacts of each spatial constraint as well as various scenarios of spatial constraints on marginal production costs of offshore wind energy. Furthermore, the impacts of differing Feed-in-tariff (FIT) standards on the economic potential are calculated. It confirms that economic potential of offshore wind energy can contribute  Corresponding author. Tel: +45 99403658 Fax: +45 98153788 E-mail address: lixuan@plan.aau.dk 2 to 42%, 30% and 29% of the coastal regions' total electricity demands in 2010, 2020 and 2030. The shallow waters along the coasts of Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu and northern Guangdong are identified as suitable areas for developing offshore wind energy in terms of wind resources and economic costs. However, the influence of tropical cyclone risks on these regions and detailed assessments at regional or local scale are worth of further discussions. Nevertheless, the models and results provide a foundation for a more comprehensive regional framework that would address additional infrastructure, planning and policy issues.

show abstract

“…As with most renewable energy technologies, MCEDs require access to a reliable power grid near the site, so that the electricity generated can be fed in [51]. Renewable energy technologies, especially MCEDs, offer an ideal base-load supplier.…”

Section: Grid Connectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine current energy devices: Current status and possible future applications in Ireland

Rourke¹,

Boyle²,

Reynolds³

2010

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

193

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is a growing demand for the use of renewable energy technologies to generate electricity due to concerns over climate change. The oceans provide a huge potential resource of energy. Energy extraction using marine current energy devices (MCEDs) offers a sustainable alternative to conventional sources and a predictable alternative to other renewable energy technologies. A MCED utilises the kinetic energy of the tides as opposed to the potential energy which is utilised by a tidal barrage. Over the past decade MCEDs have become an increasingly popular method of energy extraction. However, marine current energy technology is still not economically viable on a large scale due to its current stage of development. Ireland has an excellent marine current energy resource as it is an island nation and experiences excellent marine current flows. This paper reviews marine current energy devices, including a detailed up-to-date description of the current status of development. Issues such as network integration, economics, and environmental implications are addressed as well as the application and costs of MCEDs in Ireland.

show abstract

Ecological and economic cost-benefit analysis of offshore wind energy

Cited by 343 publications

References 20 publications

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

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

Offshore wind energy potential in China: Under technical, spatial and economic constraints

Marine current energy devices: Current status and possible future applications in Ireland

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About