Page 207 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

Life-Cycle Assessment of Wind Energy

E. Martínez Cámara, E. Jiménez Macías and J. Blanco Fernández

Abstract This chapter looks at wind power from the viewpoint of life-cycle
assessment (LCA). Such analyses have, of course, been conducted at various times
throughout the development of wind power, and their results have varied as the
designs and main characteristics of wind turbines have evolved. For that reason,
modern double-fed induction generator (DFIG) multimegawatt turbines are con-
sidered here, as this is the most frequently used type on wind farms. On that basis,
a comprehensive LCA is conducted on a wind turbine, covering all phases from its
manufacture to its decommissioning and the processing of waste at the end of its
useful lifetime.

1 Introduction

The idea of using wind power to produce electricity dates back to the nineteenth
century. The field is generally considered to have been pioneered by Charles F.
Brush, an outstanding inventor, thinker, and entrepreneur of the time, known
mainly for his dynamo and his arc lights. He registered over 50 patents and
founded the Brush Electric Company, which after subsequent sales and mergers
eventually became General Electric, now one of the world’s biggest power com-
panies. Brush was the first man to install and operate a wind turbine to generate
electricity (in 1888, in order to charge the batteries at his home in Cleveland,
Ohio). It stood 60 ft (18.29 m) high, measured 56 ft (17.07 m) in diameter and

E. Martínez Cámara (&) J. Blanco Fernández
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of La Rioja, Logroño,
La Rioja, Spain
e-mail: eduardo.martinezc@unirioja.es
E. Jiménez Macías
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of La Rioja, Logroño,
La Rioja, Spain

A. Singh et al. (eds.), Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Energy Sources, 195
Green Energy and Technology, DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4471-5364-1_9,
Ó Springer-Verlag London 2013