Abstract
The last decade witnessed a quantum increase in wind energy contribution to the U.S. renewable electricity mix. Although the overall environmental impact of wind energy is miniscule in comparison to fossil-fuel energy, the early stages of the wind energy life cycle have potential for a higher environmental impact. This study attempts to quantify the relative contribution of individual stages toward life cycle impacts by conducting a life cycle assessment with SimaPro® and the Impact 2002+ impact assessment method. A comparative analysis of individual stages at three locations, onshore, shallow-water, and deep-water, in Texas and the gulf coast indicates that material extraction/processing would be the dominant stage with an average impact contribution of 72% for onshore, 58% for shallow-water, and 82% for deep-water across the 15 midpoint impact categories. The payback times for CO2 and energy consumption range from 6 to 14 and 6 to 17 months, respectively, with onshore farms having shorter payback times. The greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) were in the range of 5–7 gCO2eq/kWh for the onshore location, 6–9 CO2eq/kWh for the shallow-water location, and 6–8 CO2eq/kWh for the deep-water location. A sensitivity analysis of the material extraction/processing stage to the electricity sourcing stage indicates that replacement of lignite coal with natural gas or wind would lead to marginal improvements in midpoint impact categories.
Highlights
Wind energy accounts for 39% of the total amount of renewable electricity generated in 2017 in the U.S [1]
Results from previous Life cycle assessment (LCA) studies show that the emissions and the energy consumption during the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) phase are very low with an average of 2% [11,12,13,15,44,45,46]
The material extraction/processing stage is the highest contributor toward the life cycle impact for all locations
Summary
Wind energy accounts for 39% of the total amount of renewable electricity generated in 2017 in the U.S [1]. The decade from 2007 to 2017 witnessed a quantum increase in installed wind capacity from 34.5 to 246 billion kWh [2]. The carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from electricity generation decreased by 15 percent below 2005 levels, around 830 million metric tons due to the increased share of electricity generated from renewable sources [3]. Wind energy offers an alternative to fossil fuels by lowering air pollutant and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and dampens the pace of the depletion of natural resources, such as fresh water and fertile land/forests [4]. Texas is the leading state in installed wind capacity, with a share of 12.63% of all in-state electricity production in 2016 [5].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
