Trend in environmental impact of the energy produced and distributed by wind power systems

Wind turbine (WT) manufacturers are focusing on reducing the cost of energy produced by new models; however, the same consideration has not been given to their environmental consequences, nor the academic literature. For these reasons, the case study focuses on the environmental performance of the energy generated and distributed by the models launched from 2010 to 2018 by a world-leading manufacturer. It has been shown that, in relation to the year of release, the impacts per kWh of electricity generated and distributed increase on annual average in the four categories of environmental impact analysed: acidification potential, 11.3%; eutrophication potential, 34.5%; global warming potential, 7.8%; and photochemical ozone, 3.2%. The “Raw material acquisition and WT manufacturing” phase accounts for 49% to 74% of the global impacts generated, depending on the model and the category analysed. This is mainly due to energy consumption in the manufacturing of blades and consumption of electrical and electronic components in cabinets and converter. In the “Construction of wind farms” phase, impacts vary between 21 and 41%. Transport, steel and concrete in the foundations and metals in the transmission network are the most critical aspects. In the “Operation and Maintenance” phase, impacts vary between 3.5 and 27%, but it is the phase with the highest growth in impact, mainly due to the replacement of larger blades. Finally, the “End-of-Life” phase generates the lowest impact (between 0.3 and 4%). The research highlights the need to control the environmental impacts of all energy sources, including renewable energies.