Life cycle assessment of wind turbines in Iran

Wind turbines are one of the most environmentally friendly sources of generating electricity. despite having various sites suitable for wind farms, the share of wind energy in Iran’s power sector is insignificant. Wind turbines are manufactured in various models with different, power ratings, heights, diameters and blades. These differences heavily impact their carbon intensity and payback periods. In this study the carbon intensity of Iran’s power sector was calculated and was used to measure the carbon intensity of ۵۰ different types of wind turbines rated between ۰.۳ kWh and ۶۶۰۰ kWh. The carbon intensity of Iran’s power sector was measured as ۵۶۶.۲۰ gCO۲/kWh and the wind turbines were ranked based on their carbon intensity. The result of analyzing the wind turbines indicated that it seems beneficial to use higher power rated turbines with higher load factors as they tend to have lower carbon intensity and payback periods.

Keywords:

Wind turbines , Carbon intensity , Life cycle assessment , Embodied energy