![]() ![]() This will be vital for the energy transition.īut what about the negatives? How much of a wind turbine can be recycled? And what about the impact on species, and especially bird life? What is the lifetime carbon footprint of wind power? Wind's footprint: It's all relativeīuilding wind turbines is a very energy-intensive process, especially the production of the steel towers and the concrete foundations.Īccording to the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA), wind power plants take between 2 1/2 to 11 months to generate the amount of energy that was needed for their construction. With the sun, wind is so abundant that it has the potential to supply the entire global energy demand a few times over. Generating power from wind is not only carbon neutral, it can also be used to produce hydrogen and synthetic fuels like kerosene and diesel in a climate-friendly way. Ansgar, Iowa.Īs of the 2022 Carbon Footprint calculation, Luther’s purchases of RECs from both wind installation reduce Luther’s peak carbon footprint by approximately 18 percent.Together with solar power, wind power is set to become the key pillar of the global renewable energy supply. In April, 2022, Luther entered into an agreement with Buffalo Center Wind LLC to purchase additional Renewable Energy Credits from a wind turbine, also near St. Luther uses the related RECs to offset greenhouse gas emissions associated with the same volume of electricity purchases. On average, the wind turbine generates around 1.8 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year. The 750 kW wind turbine generates power that is consumed locally. Luther began purchasing the RECs in 2009 as one of several tangible steps it took to implement its obligations under the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment, and also in conjunction with meeting LEED standards associated with the construction of the Sampson-Hoffland Laboratories. The turbine is located 65 miles away in St. Luther College purchases all of the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from a single turbine community wind project owned by WindVision, LLC. Veolia will process the blades for use as a raw material for cement, utilizing a cement kiln co-processing technology.Ĭommunity Wind Renewable Energy Certificates GE Renewable Energy has signed a multi-year agreement with Veolia North America to recycle blades removed from its U.S.-based onshore turbines during upgrades and repowering efforts.In addition, a student/faculty collaborative research project at Luther is actively studying bat mortality caused by Luther’s wind turbine.For an excellent overview of the impact wind turbines have on wildlife, see the following study by the American Wind Wildlife Institute.This is a small fraction compared with the estimated 6.8 million annual deaths caused by collisions with cell and radio towers and the 1.4 to 3.7 billion fatalities from cats. According to a study, wind turbines in the US are responsible for an estimated 214,000 to 368,000 bird deaths each year.Wind turbines pose unique dangers to birds and bats. All forms of electricity generation have environmental impacts.The foundation consists of 400 cubic yards of concrete, or 50 truck loads.It took 11 trucks to ship the blades, the tower segments, and other key turbine components and one week to erect the turbine.It took 12 trucks to ship the crane and one week to assemble it.The height to the tip of the blade (when pointing directly up) is 398′.The nacelle is the size of a mobile home (12′ x 30′).The blades rotate between 9-18 rpm, with a maximum tip speed of 172 mph. ![]()
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