An eye-opening study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand examines how onshore wind farms can limit their negative environmental impact and improve efficiency. Interestingly, the report highlights that today”s system can offset their emissions in as little as two years. Here’s what you need to know.
Research Into Sustainability of Wind Farms
The peer-reviewed study examined the life cycle of these devices. The team considered all aspects of wind turbines including manufacturing, delivery, installation, maintenance, and decommissioning of these units. The goal was to determine the inefficiencies and see how they could be reduced if not eliminated in the future.
The study took place at Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand at the Harapaki onshore wind farm. This location was ideal because its setup is similar to most onshore operations globally. As such, it enabled researchers to get the most relevant data from their efforts.
Source – Power Technology
Harapaki wind farm has 41 onshore wind turbines in operation. These units were found to generate all the energy needed for their entire life cycle in around 6 months. Additionally, the research demonstrated that the average wind farm has a carbon footprint of 10.8 gCO2eq/kWh. The results indicate that wind farms can offset their lifespans’ carbon footprint in 2 years. Interestingly, combined gas turbine units were found to accomplish the task in 1.7 years.
Manufacturing
Delving into the data reveals that manufacturing is one of the main contributors to onshore wind farms’ carbon footprint. It’s a labor and material-intensive process to create today’s high-efficiency onshore wind farm components. These devices require specially built machinery and can utilize cutting-edge composites to lower weight. These factors add to the costs and environmental impact these devices accrue.
Installation
It can be surprising to learn that transportation of wind farms to their location is one of the biggest expenses. Specifically, the report found that getting these large components to their final location can consume +10% of the device’s total carbon emissions. The process of bringing large wind farms to their location involves large trucks and cranes that aren’t geared towards sustainability.
Decommissioning Wind Farms
Decommissioning large wind turbines is another costly and environmentally taxing task that was examined. The researchers found that decommissioning wind farms often drove the carbon footprint higher. Notably, in the Harapaki, 41 units were decommissioned but the usable blades were refurbished.
Refurbishing the blades using mechanical and chemical methods cut the manufacturing emissions down considerably. Researchers predict that this simple adjustment has the potential to lower emissions from 10.8 gCO2eq to a potential 9.7.
Researchers
The researchers behind this report include lead author Isabella Pimentel Pincelli from the Sustainable Energy Systems research group, Wellington Faculty of Engineering, at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. Additionally, Professor Alan Brent, Chair in Sustainable Energy Systems at Wellington Co-authored the research paper.
Wind Takes the Lead as the Smartest Renewable Energy Option
Wind farms are now seen by many as the ideal renewable energy solution. These devices can provide 24/7 power when located in a windy environment. Additionally, they can be stationed on or offshore, and even in urban environments atop buildings.
Wind Farms Provide Higher Efficiency
The rise of wind farms is not an accident. There have been numerous studies conducted over the last few years highlighting wind framing advantages. For example, wind farms outproduce solar farms in efficiency by as high as 20%. Studies found that the best solar panels produce 23% usable electricity while wind farm turbines can hit 40% energy production.
Battery Solutions Improving Wind Farms
Batteries are another crucial component of the renewable sector that is often overlooked. The introduction of faster charging, more reliable, and affordable batteries has helped to drive renewables adoption up. It also helps to reduce overall operating costs.
More efficient batteries could reduce the workload for wind turbines. They could also enable more smart networks. These systems have the capability to take stored energy and trade it, sell it, or apply it as needed to improve stability.
Wind Power isn’t Perfect
There is no perfect solution to the world’s energy demands. Wind power, alongside other sustainable energy options, can provide some assistance but is not at the point where it can completely replace fossil fuels power generation.
Notably, one roadblock to large-scale wind farm adoption is maintenance costs. The average person is unaware of the damage that the end of a wind turbine propeller receives. The wind can erode the edge of these propellers, making them far less efficient. Sadly, it’s not cheap to replace these units and when you count in delivery and installation times, a wind turbine could be down for months to fix a single propeller.
Wind power is a good solution for communities but it hasn’t found the right niche within the single home markets. These units are not cost-effective enough for a homeowner to invest in one for their property. As such, there has been little research or products for small-scale wind farming.
Animals Suffer
Wind turbines can interfere with local ecosystems and wildlife as well. These large wind-capturing units can produce strong gusts that can cause birds to go off course and even crash into the propellers. Studies revealed hundreds of bird fatalities yearly at each major wind farm.
Additionally, the noise created by these large mechanical devices can cause discomfort to the environment. Aside from human complaints, bats can find their echolocation capabilities compromised, leaving these animals lost and unable to find their home. As such, there is a strong movement to try and resolve these concerns.
Other Breakthroughs in Wind Farming Tech
Wind farming has seen some considerable advancement that has helped it become the premier renewable energy production option. AI computer modeling and other tech breakthroughs continue to drive efficiency and production.
Curved Blades
The innovative team from Knight and Carver’s Wind Blade Division in National City, California, collaborated with researchers at the Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories to improve propeller design and enhance performance. The Sweep Twist Adaptive Rotor (STAR) blade has been shown to improve efficiency by 12%. The secret to its enhanced performance is a slightly curved tip. The researchers used computer modeling to create the curve perfectly to maximize energy generation.
Simulators
Computer simulations are playing an increasingly important role in the development and deployment of wind farms. These systems allow engineers to pressure test new concepts without the need to create the units directly. This strategy lowers costs and allows engineers to take their creations to their performance limits.
Smart Power Grids
Smart power grids are one technology that has renewable engineers excited. These systems can monitor and transfer energy and data in real-time to drive efficiency. Today’s most advanced power grid solutions leverage AI options to provide the best results possible. In the future, these solutions will make it even easier to share your unused energy and secure rewards.
Top Wind Farm Companies
The wind farm market has seen substantial growth over the last decade. Advancements in composite materials and propeller design have made it more efficient and cost-effective to produce these devices. Here are a few top wind farm manufacturers worth watching.
NextEra Energy 
NextEra Energy is regarded as one of the top-producing renewable wind generation platforms. The company has an extensive portfolio of renewable energy products spanning the entire market including wind and solar operations.
NextEra can generate 21,900 megawatts of electricity in the United States and Canada. This power is created using clean renewable options which makes the company a pioneering force in the sustainability sector. As part of this strategy, the firm worked hard to ensure interoperability.
NEE is a popular stock that has seen a considerable rebound from losses earlier in the year. It’s a strong buy and a valuable addition to any portfolio. NEE has a market cap of $156.80B that is projected to rise alongside the growing solar and wind industries.
Brookfield Renewable Corp. 
Canadian-based renewables manufacturer Brookfield Renewable is based out of New York and was founded in September 2019. This company has various renewable stations that utilize wind, solar, and geothermal energy to power their respective communities.
BEPC stock has a market cap of $7.5B and is showing a 3.92% 1-year trailing return. This stock is a smart addition to your portfolio as the firm showed $4.75B in revenue in its latest financials. There is a lot of upside potential as Brookfield Renewable Corp expands its network internationally.
Wind Farms are a Smart Solution
Wind farms can eliminate people’s reliance on fossil fuels. These helpful devices produce energy efficiently and can be placed anywhere that meets wind requirements. These factors, plus recent improvements in their manufacturing process, have helped wind farms become more enticing. In the future, these units might power your home or business.
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