Wind generator energetically pays off in 5-7 months

Opponents of alternative energy sometimes cite the argument that energy returns on energy never come to solar panels. The solar panel during its operation is allegedly unable to produce as much energy as was spent on its manufacture.

To put it mildly, this is a very dubious statement, not supported by facts. In fact, manufacturers of solar panels are asking a slightly different question: how to compete for investments with manufacturers of wind turbines? Those have achieved exceptional profitability of their power plants, even without using state subsidies.

The School of Technical and Industrial Engineering of the University of Oregon conducted a comparative analysis of the energy recoupment (life cycle assessment) of two wind turbine models with a capacity of 2 MW with a stated service life of 20 years.

The researchers conducted a life cycle assessment using the standard ReCiPe 2008 assessment method. When calculating the payback period, we took into account energy costs for mining, parts, delivery of wind generator parts from different plants, installation on site, maintenance throughout the period (lubricants for 20 years will be spent from 273 to 546 tons, depending on the model) and, eventually, its utilization with partial processing at the end of its service life.
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It turned out that 78% of energy in the entire 20-year life cycle of a wind turbine is consumed at the production stage, mainly in the manufacture of parts from steel, copper, fiberglass, plastic and other materials. Concrete and steel are also spent on filling the foundation.


Given the estimated wind power capacity in the northwestern United States (6.12 GWh per year with a load of 35%), the researchers estimated the payback period for the two wind turbine models at 0.43 years and 0.53 years, respectively. During this time, not only the costs of production, but also operating costs for the entire 20-year service life are paid off.

The authors of the scientific work say that all methods of power generation use natural resources. The only question is how effectively we spend them and how it affects the environment.

The article "Comparative life cycle assessment of 2.0 MW wind turbines" was published in the journal "International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing" (Vol. 3, No. 2, 2014, pp. 170-185), mirror .