Comparative life-cycle assessment of a small wind turbine for residential off-grid use
Comparative life-cycle assessment of a small wind turbine for residential off-grid use
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DOI：
10.1016/j.renene.2009.06.016
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发表时间：
2009-12
期刊：
影响因子：
8.7
通讯作者：
B. Fleck;Marc Huot
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
B. Fleck;Marc Huot
随着可再生能源系统的普及，小型风力涡轮机正在成为离网家庭电力的常见选择。然而，这类系统相对于传统内燃系统的真正好处尚不清楚。本研究采用生命周期评估方法，直接比较两个系统的环境影响、净能量投入和生命周期成本：独立的小型风力涡轮机系统和单户柴油发电系统。调查的主要焦点是包括二氧化碳、甲烷和N2O在内的温室气体(GHG)的排放。这些排放量是在两个系统的生命周期内计算的，这两个系统在20年的时间里为一个小的离网家庭提供相同数量的能源。结果表明，小型风电具有可观的环境效益。与柴油系统相比，风力发电系统减少了93%的温室气体排放。此外，柴油发电机的净能量输入超过200兆瓦，而风力系统产生的电能输出大于其净能量输入。在经济上，结论就不那么清晰了。假设未来20年的柴油成本是以2008年5月的价格为基础的，只与通货膨胀成比例增长。因此，风力涡轮机系统的当前净成本比柴油系统高出14%。不过，较大型号的风力涡轮机可能会受益于“规模经济”的影响，从而在经济和环境方面都能产生优异的效果。
As the popularity of renewable energy systems grows, small wind turbines are becoming a common choice for off-grid household power. However, the true benefits of such systems over the traditional internal combustion systems are unclear. This study employs a life-cycle assessment methodology in order to directly compare the environmental impacts, net-energy inputs, and life-cycle cost of two systems: a stand-alone small wind turbine system and a single-home diesel generator system. The primary focus for the investigation is the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) including CO2, CH4, and N2O. These emissions are calculated over the life-cycle of the two systems which provide the same amount of energy to a small off-grid home over a twenty-year period. The results show a considerable environmental benefit for small-scale wind power. The wind generator system offered a 93% reduction of GHG emissions when compared to the diesel system. Furthermore, the diesel generator net-energy input was over 200 MW, while the wind system produced an electrical energy output greater than its net-energy input. Economically, the conclusions were less clear. The assumption was made that diesel fuel cost over the next twenty years was based on May 2008 prices, increasing only in proportion to inflation. As such, the net-present cost of the wind turbine system was 14% greater than the diesel system. However, a larger model wind turbine would likely benefit from the effects of the ‘economy of scale,’ producing superior results both economically and environmentally.