IMPACT OF MATERIALS SELECTION ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF WIND ENERGY

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy released a national feasibility study on using wind power to produce 20% of the U.S. electricity supply in 2030. To reach this goal, a projection of over 290GW of new wind turbines will be needed, requiring an average linear manufacturing rate of over eight thousand 1.6MW turbines per year until 2030. Wind turbine materials include composite blade structures, steel support towers, other metallic components in the nacelle, and copper and semiconductor components. All of these components require an energy and carbon investment (i.e. CO2 production during manufacturing). The economic and environmental benefits of wind power are well researched, yet the effect of materials performance on sustainability of wind power requires more study. This paper will address the environmental impact of materials in wind turbines, including the ROI from a carbon perspective, or the "ROCI" (Return on Carbon Investment) arising from the energy and raw materials inputs. The effect of increasing the lifetime of materials on ROCI will be examined.