Together with solar energy, wind power will become the core pillar of renewable global energy supply.
Wind power is not only carbon-neutral but can also be used to make hydrogen and other synthetic fuels in a climate-friendly manner.
Wind is so abundant because it is powered by the sun that it can supply all of the world’s energy needs a few times. This will be crucial for the energy transformation.
But what about the negatives of wind turbines? How much wind turbines can be recycled? What about the impact on wildlife, especially birds? What is the lifetime carbon impact of wind power?
Wind’s footprint – It’s all relative
Wind turbine construction is an energy-intensive task, especially for the production of the steel towers as well as the concrete foundations.
According to the German Environment Agency, Umweltbundesamt (UBA), wind power plants can take between 2.5 to 11 months to generate the required amount of energy for their construction.
Wind turbines last on average 25 years. They produce 40 times more energy than the energy required to operate, maintain, and dispose of a wind power station.
These upstream emissions are mainly from the production of carbon-intensive steel or cement and are included in the overall carbon balance for a wind turbine’s lifetime.
According to the UBA, an offshore wind turbine that has just been built today produces approximately nine grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour (kWh). A new offshore plant emits seven grams CO2 per kWh.
Wind power is a more efficient technology in terms of carbon emission than other technologies. Solar power plants, on the other hand, emit 33 grams CO2 per kWh. For comparison, power generated from natural gases emits 442g CO2 per kWh, while power from hard coke emits 864g and power from brown coal emits 1034g.
According to A studyWISE, a global anti-nuclear group, commissioned this study. Nuclear energy accounts for approximately 117 grams CO2 per kWh. This is despite the fact that uranium mining, construction, and operation of nuclear reactors, are both major sources of emissions.
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Wind power: The fascination
Windsurfing is the way to win
Windsurfers can travel over water at speeds up to 90 km per hour. This requires skill, technique, great equipment, and lots of wind. Kiran Badloe, a Dutch windsurfer, wins the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
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Wind power: The fascination
Skiing with a sail
The conditions for snowkiting, also known as kite ski, are ideal in Russia’s Novosibirsk. The wind blows hard and large areas of frozen ground are available in the winter. A stunt kite can travel at speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour.
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The fascination with wind power
Maximum speed of 200 km/h
Land sailing, also known by sand yachting is done in another wind-powered vehicle. It can go very fast. Richard Jenkins, a landsailer, reached 203 km/h in Salt Lake, Nevada in 2009. Precursors are believed to have existed in China’s windy north in the 6th century, and in Europe starting in the 17th century.
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The fascination with wind power
Carbon-free travel
Greta Thunberg raced the emissions-free racing yacht Malizia across the Atlantic in 2019. The journey of more than 5,300 km from Plymouth, England to New York took Thunberg, then 16, 14 days. This was a pioneering example of CO2-free travel, according to the climate activist. The “Malizia”, powered by solar panels and underwater turbines, generates electrical energy.
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Wind power: The fascination
Don Quixote’s battle against windmills
There were hundreds of such mills in Spain during the 16th century, in windy Castilla La Mancha. The blades were covered with canvas to make a sail that could be propelled by wind. These Spanish windmills are famously depicted in the novel Don Quixote, where the confused title character fights with the towers that he believes to be giants.
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The fascination with wind power
Wind waterpumps
These windmills, located near Rotterdam in the Netherlands, are a masterpiece of engineering from the 18th Century. Built to pump water from lowlands, the resulting swamp could be turned into agriculture. This led to greater prosperity for the region. Today, the wind pump is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Wind power: The fascination
Fascinated and fascinated by wind technology
Modern power generation with winds began in 1980 in Palm Springs, California. Thousands of three-blade turbines were installed. Today, the oldest turbines are a tourist site. Their output of 25 kilowatts is far less than modern turbines that produce 500 times as much. Denmark and Germany were also pioneers in modern wind technology, especially offshore wind.
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Wind power: The fascination
Joy over Progress
Two headdressed women take a selfie in front a modern wind turbine in Rong’an County in China. China has made a huge push for wind power in recent times. In 2020, 53 gigawatts of turbines were installed. This is equivalent to 53 nuclear power plants’ annual output.
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The fascination with wind power
Future model
Floating wind technology is the subject of much research. This model turbine, which has two rotors, is 18 meters tall and is currently being tested in Baltic Sea. The actual turbine will be 180m high and produce 15,000 kilowatts. EnBW, a German energy company, is investing heavily in the turbines. The first large-scale turbine will be tested off the Chinese coast in 2022.
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The fascination with wind power
Stunt kite makes electricity
Stunt kitses can pull ships and athletes. This one generates electricity in northern Germany. During the climb, the rope pulls on an electric generator-powered winch. Once at the top, it is pulled on a winch with a generator. This technology is being developed in collaboration with RWE, Europe’s largest coal company.
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The fascination with wind power
Ende und Aufbruch
Germany’s new coalition has made a commitment to eliminate coal power by 2030. Wind-generated electricity will soon be the largest source of power, along with solar. This trend will continue in other countries.
Author: Gero Rueter
What can be reused?
Wind power has seen an exponential growth over the past three decades. Germany had 50 wind turbines that could generate 100 kilowatts of power in 1991. 2001 saw the addition of 2000 more turbines to the grid, each with a 1300 kilowatt capacity.
These small-scale plants can last for over 30 years if they are well maintained and can be found in many countries.
Because of their long life span, very few plants have been deconstructed or shut down. However, wind power technology will be replacing up to 50,000 plants by 2050.
This will involve the removal of large amounts of concrete, steel in tower and gear box, and a mixture of plastic with glass-or carbon fiber used for the rotor blades.
Concrete can be crushed and used for road construction. Recycled precious steel can be made into new steel. You can also reuse other valuable metals such as aluminum and copper.
Recycling rotor blades made out of plastic composites is more difficult. The US has so far not accepted old rotor blades. End up in disposal sites. They have been used mainly in Europe as an alternate fuel in cement incinerators and cement kilns.
Denmark is currently producing the first recyclable rotorblades for large offshore plants. Siemens Gamesa, the plant builder, plans to sell only recycled rotorblades starting in 2030. The company’s wind power plants will also be completely carbon neutral by 2040.
Is wind power a good option for species protection?
A rapid expansion of wind power will reduce CO2 emissions and help to slow global warming.
However, environmentalists insist that wind power plants should not be placed in natural reserves or at migratory bird stopover locations in order to not endanger wildlife.
An increasing number of large-scale wind energy plants are equipped with software and cameras that can detect birds and switch off turbines to reduce the risk of collisions.
When foundations for offshore wind farms are being built, noises on the seabed have also caused havoc with fish, seals, and whales.
This problem was solved technicaly by a ring of small air bubbles, which are used during construction activities to dampen noise by around 90%.
Offshore wind plants can also have a positive effect upon sea animals because the area cannot be used for trawlfishery. This allows for fish stocks to recover. Additionally, sea crea colonizes the plants’ foundations.
Moussels are another example of tures.
Global warming causing less wind?
While summers can be windy, many places are windy during winter and colder months.
But this doesn’t mean that wind power will be affected by climate change. Researchers believe that rising temperatures won’t cause significant changes in wind power. Global wind power is decreasing.
Global warming slows down the jet stream eight to twelve kilometers above the sea level, but this does not affect the year round energy yield of wind power stations.
In the end, wind capacity will be offset by rising temperatures. Summers will be more breezy, while future winters will be windier.
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The future of wind power
There was a time when it was different
Since ancient times, wind power has been utilized. It pumps water and grinds grain to make sailboats. In Europe, wind turbines were numbering in the hundreds of thousands by the end of 19th century. They were mainly used by the Dutch to drain marshes. Today, wind power generates electricity clean and is crucial to meeting climate goals.
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The future of wind power
Wind beats coal
Wind turbines are often the most affordable source of energy. Today, electricity generated from new coal or nuclear power plants costs up to three-times as much. Wind power produced on land is especially cheap. Forecasts predict that wind power costs will drop to 0.03$0.04 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) by 2030 in good winds locations.
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The future of wind power
20 times more electricity
A large wind turbine located near Wilhelmshaven, northern Germany, generates 6,000 kilowatts and provides enough electricity for 10,000 households. Older models, dating back 25 years ago, only produced 500 kilowatts sufficient to power approximately 500 people. Modern turbines can reach up to 180 meters in the sky. The higher they are, the more wind they capture.
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The future of wind power
Giants at sea
The wind is strong and reliable at sea. Offshore parks such as this one off the Dutch coast account for about 5% of the world’s wind power. These turbines can produce up to 10,000 kilowatts. Their output is expected to increase to 15,000 Kilowatts in 2025, and provide electricity for more people than 40,000.
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The future of wind power
China leads the way
China is home to half of all new wind farms worldwide. China alone built 52 gigawatts worth of wind turbines in 2020. This is equivalent in output to 50 nuclear power plants. Germany and Denmark are the pioneers of wind expansion. Denmark has already covered about half of its electricity needs by wind power, while Germany covers 25%.
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The future of wind power
Wind power creates more jobs
The wind industry employs approximately 1.3 million people worldwide. 550,000 of these people are in China, while 110,000 are in the USA, 90,000.00 in Germany, 45,000 each in India, and 40,000 in Brazil. Wind turbines are more expensive than coal-fired power so more people are looking for work.
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The future of wind power
Citizens want to be successful
Wind power is often opposed in densely populated areas. This can change if citizens become involved in local projects. Many people in Starkenburg near Frankfurt, Germany, support the expansion of wind energy. They are investing in new turbines, and making a profit from the sale.
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The future of wind power
Sails save diesel
Sailing ships used to transport freight around the globe, but diesel engines replaced them. Modern sails are now back in play. The energy consumption of freighters can drop by as much as 30% with additional wind propulsion. Green hydrogen will also be an option for ships in the future.
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The future of wind power
Floating wind farms
There is enough sea space for wind power. However, the water is often too deep to support a foundation in the seabed. Floating turbines attached to buoys are an alternative. They are attached to the seabed using long chains. Floating wind farms are already in existence in Japan and Europe. They can withstand storms and remain stable.
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The future of wind power
Wind power for homes
The 147-meter high Strata SE1 skyscraper is a sight to behold in London. It boasts futuristic wind turbines. These rooftop installations are often not economically viable because the wind in cities tends to be too weak. Photovoltaic systems installed on roofs are almost always a better alternative.
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The future of wind power
Most environmentally-friendly energy
Wind turbines produce the energy they need within three to eleven months. While they don’t emit any CO2 during electricity generation, they do have an impact on the environment. They still score well in the environmental balance sheet, even though they are not as efficient as other energy sources. According to Germany’s Federal Environment Agency, their environmental costs are 70 times lower that those of coal-fired power.
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The future of wind power
Where to place wind power?
Together, solar and wind power plants can supply the world’s energy requirements. Wind turbines can generate electricity at wind speeds up to 10 km/h. Photovoltaics can be the most affordable energy source in areas with lots of sunlight. It is usually a combination of wind and solar power. Wind power can be the most important source for energy in windy areas.
Author: Gero Rueter
