scholarly journals A comparative life-cycle analysis of tall onshore steel wind-turbine towers

Clean Energy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Stavridou ◽  
E Koltsakis ◽  
C C Baniotopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Life Cycle Analysis ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Cycle Performance ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Onshore Wind ◽  
Wind Turbine Towers

Abstract Earth has lately been suffering from unforeseen catastrophic phenomena related to the consequences of the greenhouse effect. It is therefore essential not only that sustainability criteria be incorporated into the everyday lifestyle, but also that energy-saving procedures be enhanced. According to the number of wind farms installed annually, wind energy is among the most promising sustainable-energy sources. Taking into account the last statement for energy-saving methods, it is essential to value the contribution of wind energy not only in eliminating CO2 emissions when producing electricity from wind, but also in assessing the total environmental impact associated with the entire lifetime of all the processes related with this energy-production chain. In order to quantify such environmental impacts, life-cycle analysis (LCA) is performed. As a matter of fact, there are a very limited number of studies devoted to LCA of onshore wind-energy-converter supporting towers—a fact that constitutes a first-class opportunity to perform high-end research. In the present work, the life-cycle performance of two types of tall onshore wind-turbine towers has been investigated: a lattice tower and a tubular one. For comparison reasons, both tower configurations have been designed to sustain the same loads, although they have been manufactured by different production methods, different amounts of material were used and different mounting procedures have been applied; all the aforementioned items diversify in their overall life-cycle performance as well as their performance in all LCA phases examined separately. The life-cycle performance of the two different wind-turbine-tower systems is calculated with the use of efficient open LCA software and valuable conclusions have been drawn when combining structural and LCA results in terms of comparing alternative configurations of the supporting systems for wind-energy converters.

scholarly journals Foundation Types for Land and Offshore Sustainable Wind Energy Turbine Towers

2020 ◽  
Vol 184 ◽  
pp. 01094
Author(s):  
C Lavanya ◽  
Nandyala Darga Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Offshore Wind Farms ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Deep Waters ◽  
Wind Turbine Towers

Wind energy is the renewable sources of energy and it is used to generate electricity. The wind farms can be constructed on land and offshore where higher wind speeds are prevailing. Most offshore wind farms employ fixed-foundation wind turbines in relatively shallow water. In deep waters floating wind turbines have gained popularity and are recent development. This paper discusses the various types of foundations which are in practice for use in wind turbine towers installed on land and offshore. The applicability of foundations based on depth of seabed and distance of wind farm from the shore are discussed. Also, discussed the improvement methods of weak or soft soils for the foundations of wind turbine towers.

Simulation of Flow Field on a Large Scale Wind Turbine

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Janajreh ◽  
C. Ghenai
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Capital Costs

Large scale wind turbines and wind farms continue to evolve mounting 94.1GW of the electrical grid capacity in 2007 and expected to reach 160.0GW in 2010 according to World Wind Energy Association. They commence to play a vital role in the quest for renewable and sustainable energy. They are impressive structures of human responsiveness to, and awareness of, the depleting fossil fuel resources. Early generation wind turbines (windmills) were used as kinetic energy transformers and today generate 1/5 of the Denmark’s electricity and planned to double the current German grid capacity by reaching 12.5% by year 2010. Wind energy is plentiful (72 TW is estimated to be commercially viable) and clean while their intensive capital costs and maintenance fees still bar their widespread deployment in the developing world. Additionally, there are technological challenges in the rotor operating characteristics, fatigue load, and noise in meeting reliability and safety standards. Newer inventions, e.g., downstream wind turbines and flapping rotor blades, are sought to absorb a larger portion of the cost attributable to unrestrained lower cost yaw mechanisms, reduction in the moving parts, and noise reduction thereby reducing maintenance. In this work, numerical analysis of the downstream wind turbine blade is conducted. In particular, the interaction between the tower and the rotor passage is investigated. Circular cross sectional tower and aerofoil shapes are considered in a staggered configuration and under cross-stream motion. The resulting blade static pressure and aerodynamic forces are investigated at different incident wind angles and wind speeds. Comparison of the flow field results against the conventional upstream wind turbine is also conducted. The wind flow is considered to be transient, incompressible, viscous Navier-Stokes and turbulent. The k-ε model is utilized as the turbulence closure. The passage of the rotor blade is governed by ALE and is represented numerically as a sliding mesh against the upstream fixed tower domain. Both the blade and tower cross sections are padded with a boundary layer mesh to accurately capture the viscous forces while several levels of refinement were implemented throughout the domain to assess and avoid the mesh dependence.

scholarly journals Inter-annual variability of wind climates and wind turbine annual energy production

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara C. Pryor ◽  
Tristan J. Shepherd ◽  
Rebecca J. Barthelmie
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Annual Variability ◽  
Eastern Usa

Abstract. Inter-annual variability (IAV) of expected annual energy production (AEP) from proposed wind farms plays a key role in dictating project financing. IAV in pre-construction projected AEP and the difference in 50th and 90th percentile (P50 and P90) AEP derives in part from variability in wind climates. However, the magnitude of IAV in wind speeds at/close to wind turbine hub-heights is poorly constrained and maybe overestimated by the 6 % standard deviation of annual mean wind speeds that is widely applied within the wind energy industry. Thus there is a need for improved understanding of the long-term wind resource and the inter-annual variability therein in order to generate more robust predictions of the financial value of a wind energy project. Long-term simulations of wind speeds near typical wind turbine hub-heights over the eastern USA indicate median gross capacity factors (computed using 10-minute wind speeds close to wind turbine hub-heights and the power curve of the most common wind turbine deployed in the region) that are in good agreement with values derived from operational wind farms. The IAV of annual mean wind speeds at/near to typical wind turbine hub-heights in these simulations is lower than is implied by assuming a standard deviation of 6 %. Indeed, rather than in 9 in 10 years exhibiting AEP within 0.9 and 1.1 times the long-term mean AEP, results presented herein indicate that over 90 % of the area in the eastern USA that currently has operating wind turbines simulated AEP lies within 0.94 and 1.06 of the long-term average. Further, IAV of estimated AEP is not substantially larger than IAV in mean wind speeds. These results indicate it may be appropriate to reduce the IAV applied to pre-construction AEP estimates to account for variability in wind climates, which would decrease the cost of capital for wind farm developments.

Wind Energy Perspectives in Myanmar

2020 ◽  
pp. 181-210
Author(s):  
Evgenii Ignatev ◽  
Galina Deryugina ◽  
Htet Myat Htoon ◽  
Mikhail Tyagunov
Keyword(s):  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Optimal Composition ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Offshore Wind Farms ◽  
Installed Capacity ◽  
Energy Shortage

One of Myanmar's problems is energy shortage. Partially, energy shortage can possibly be decreased by the construction of sizeable grid-connected offshore wind farms. Eight prospective construction sites were selected and wind turbine models chosen. This chapter describes the method for determining the optimal composition of the wind farms complex, consisting of several offshore wind farms located at a considerable distance from each other in areas with significant wind regime asynchrony. To illustrate this method, the optimal composition with an installed capacity of 47.6 MW and located off Myanmar's west coast is defined.

scholarly journals Study of the Bearing Capacity of Stiffened Tall Offshore Wind Turbine Towers during the Erection Phase

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 5102
Author(s):  
Yu Hu ◽  
Jian Yang ◽  
Charalampos Baniotopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Wind Energy ◽  
Bearing Capacity ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Structural Response ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Offshore Wind Turbine ◽  
Nonlinear Buckling ◽  
Wind Turbine Towers ◽  
Nonlinear Buckling Analysis

Offshore wind energy is a rapidly maturing renewable energy technology that is poised to play an important role in future energy systems. The respective advances refer among others to the monopile foundation that is frequently used to support wind turbines in the marine environment. In the present research paper, the structural response of tall wind energy converters with various stiffening schemes is studied during the erection phase as the latter are manufactured in modules that are assembled in situ. Rings, vertical stiffeners, T-shaped stiffeners and orthogonal stiffeners are considered efficient stiffening schemes to strengthen the tower structures. The loading bearing capacity of offshore monopile wind turbine towers with the four types of stiffeners were modeled numerically by means of finite elements. Applying a nonlinear buckling analysis, the ultimate bearing capacity of wind turbine towers with four standard stiffening schemes were compared in order to obtain the optimum stiffening option.

Overview of Wind Turbine Field Failure Databases: A Discussion of the Requirements for an Analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roozbeh Bakhshi ◽  
Peter Sandborn
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Onshore Wind ◽  
Failure Times ◽  
Reliability Parameters ◽  
Failure Data ◽  
Offshore Installations ◽  
Field Failure

With renewable energy and wind energy in particular becoming mainstream means of energy production, the reliability aspect of wind turbines and their sub-assemblies has become a topic of interest for owners and manufacturers of wind turbines. Operation and Maintenance (O&M) costs account for more than 25% of total costs of onshore wind projects and these costs are even higher for offshore installations. Effective management of O&M costs depends on accurate failure prediction for turbine sub-assemblies. There are numerous models that predict failure times and O&M costs of wind farms. All these models have inputs in the form of reliability parameters. These parameters are usually generated by researchers using field failure data. There are several databases that report the failure data of operating wind turbines and researches use these failure data to generate the reliability parameters through various methods of statistical analysis. However, in order to perform the statistical analysis or use the results of the analysis, one must understand the underlying assumptions of the database along with information about the wind turbine population in the database such as their power rating, age, etc. In this work, we analyze the relevant assumptions and discuss what information is required from a database in order to improve the statistical analysis on wind turbines’ failure data.

scholarly journals Optimization of Wind Turbine Interconnections in an Offshore Wind Farm Using Metaheuristic Algorithms

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 5761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chakib El Mokhi ◽  
Adnane Addaim
Keyword(s):  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Optimization Methods ◽  
Network Routing ◽  
Metaheuristic Algorithms ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Offshore Wind Farms

Wind energy is currently one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources in the world. For this reason, research on methods to render wind farms more energy efficient is reasonable. The optimization of wind turbine positions within wind farms makes the exploitation of wind energy more efficient and the wind farms more competitive with other energy resources. The investment costs alone for substation and electrical infrastructure for offshore wind farms run around 15–30% of the total investment costs of the project, which are considered high. Optimizing the substation location can reduce these costs, which also minimizes the overall cable length within the wind farm. In parallel, optimizing the cable routing can provide an additional benefit by finding the optimal grid network routing. In this article, the authors show the procedure on how to create an optimized wind farm already in the design phase using metaheuristic algorithms. Besides the optimization of wind turbine positions for more energy efficiency, the optimization methods of the substation location and the cable routing for the collector system to avoid cable losses are also presented.

scholarly journals Impact of key factors on expected development of onshore wind energy sector in Poland and development scenarios

2018 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 01017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Izabela Wielewska ◽  
Karol Tucki ◽  
Anna Bączyk ◽  
Magda Trzaska
Keyword(s):  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Power ◽  
National Level ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Power Market ◽  
Energy Sector ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Onshore Wind ◽  
Development Scenarios ◽  
Current State

The aim of the paper was to analyse the wind power market in Poland by reviewing the factors that shape and influence its current state and the possible development prospects. The paper was focused on legislative, environmental, manufacturing, sociocultural and economic factors. Barriers to the development of onshore wind power market and the expected development of wind energy in Poland in the years 2017-2020 were identified and measured based on a survey. The review of individual factors and the study performed present that legislative barriers and the introduction of the ‘distance act’ are factors with the biggest influence on the current stagnation of onshore wind energy sector. A review of the recommendations concerning the distance (from protected areas and housing) required to build wind farms set forth in literature shows that Poland is the only country with such harsh restrictions. With its good environmental conditions and technical capacities, Poland can become a European leader in the production of energy from wind. The only barrier is the legislative environment and political instability on the national level. Without improvements in this sector, there is no chance for new wind projects, as these factors are crucial for development of this type of energy.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Analysis of a Game-Based Solution for Domestic Energy Saving

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6699
Author(s):  
Marta Gangolells ◽  
Miquel Casals ◽  
Núria Forcada ◽  
Marcel Macarulla
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Life Cycle Analysis ◽  
Comprehensive Analysis ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Domestic Energy ◽  
The Eu

ICT-based solutions are seen to be almost totally environmentally friendly, but game-based solutions for energy saving have not been explored yet. This paper describes a comprehensive analysis and an in-depth interpretation of the life cycle environmental impact of a game-based solution for domestic energy saving, developed and validated within the EU-funded Horizon 2020 project EnerGAware—Energy Game for Awareness of energy efficiency in social housing communities. Life cycle impacts were calculated with SimaPRO 8.5.2.0 using the ReCiPe 2016 v1.02 midpoint and endpoint methods and information contained within the Ecoinvent v3.4 database. Although the pre-competitive solution, directly arising from the research project, was found to have a relatively high environmental impact, its future exploitation, which mostly relies on existing infrastructure, was found to be highly competitive from an environmental perspective. The game will help reduce the life cycle impact of domestic energy consumption on damage to human health (3.68%), ecosystem quality (3.87%), and resource availability (4.81%). Most of the environmental impact of the market solution was found in the manufacturing phase (77.96–80.12%). Transport (8.86–7.57%), use (3.86–5.82%), and maintenance (7.24–7.54%) phases were found to contribute little to environmental impact. This research provides a useful reference for decision-making as it contributes to the environmental benchmarking of competing energy-saving strategies.

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