Sustainable Design of Onshore Wind Turbine Foundations

Abstract

In recent times, wind power has emerged as a prominent contributor to electricity production. Minimizing the costs and maximizing sustainability of wind energy is required to improve its competitiveness against other non-renewable energy sources. This communication offers a practical approach to assess the sustainability of wind turbine generator foundations from a 3-dimensional holistic point of view. Specifically, the main goal of this study is to analyse the life cycle impacts of one shallow foundation design comparing three different concrete alternatives: conventional concrete, concrete with 66-80% of blast furnace slags and concrete with 20% fly ash, and then to apply a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making model based on TOPSIS method to evaluate and compare the resulting sustainability of each alternative considered. The study results in a methodology for quantifying sustainability rather than simply qualifying it. Therefore, this methodology can be employed for design optimization, such as geometry and materials, with a sustainable perspective in mind. Specifically in this study, concrete with blast furnace slags emerges as the top-ranked sustainable alternative, followed by conventional concrete in second place, and fly ash option in third position.