Evaluating the Environmental Impacts and Energy Performance of a Wind Farm System Utilizing the Life-Cycle Assessment Method: A Practical Case Study

Mohamed R. Gomaa, Hegazy Rezk, Ramadan J. Mustafa and Mujahed Al-Dhaifallah
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Mohamed R. Gomaa: Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Benha University, Benha 13512, Egypt
Hegazy Rezk: College of Engineering at Wadi Addawaser, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Wadi Addawaser 11991, Saudi Arabia
Ramadan J. Mustafa: Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Mutah University, Al-Karak 61710, Jordan
Mujahed Al-Dhaifallah: Systems Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 17, 1-25

Abstract: The ever-increasing popularity of finding alternative forms of renewable energy has seen an increased interest and utilization of wind energy. The objective of this research therefore, is to evaluate the environmental impacts and energy performance of wind farms. This study was operationalized in Jordan using a life-cycle assessment (LCA) method. The environmental impact is evaluated through lifecycle emissions that include all emissions during various phases of the project. The energy performance is illustrated by the energy indicators. The latter is the energy payback ratio (EPR) and the energy payback time (EPT). This study was conducted on a 38 Vestas V112 3-MW wind turbine located in the southern region of Tafilah in Jordan that is host to the country’s first wind farm. SimaPro 7.1 software was used as the modeling platform. Data for this study were collated from various sources, including, manufacturers, the wind turbine farm, and local subcontractors. A software database was used for the modeling process, and the data obtained modeled in accordance with ISO 14040 standards. The findings of this study indicate that the impacts of the transportation and installation phases were moderate, with the largest negative environmental impact deriving from the manufacturing phase. To remedy some of the negative impacts in these phases, green cement was used for the turbine foundation to limit the environmental impacts to be had during the installation phase, while the transportation phase saw the utilization of locally-manufactured turbines. Furthermore, an evaluation of the study’s results revealed that the energy payback period of the wind farm is approximately 0.69 year (8 months), while the payback ratio is 29, and the annual CO 2 saving estimated to be at 2.23 × 10 8 kg, 3.02 × 10 8 kg, 3.10 × 10 8 kg for an annual generated power of 371, 501, and 515 GWh/year.

Keywords: renewable energy; wind farm; life cycle assessment; environmental impacts; CO 2 emission (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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