Environmentally Oriented Analysis of Benefits and Expenditures in the Life Cycle of a Wind Power Plant

Abstract

The motivation for this study was the need to extend and supplement the previously conducted research on technical objects in the renewable energy sector with analyses of the environmental impact of the production, operation and post-operational development stages of the wind power plant. The main purpose of the work was to investigate, analyze and assess the ecological effects of a real facility, which is a 2 MW Vestas V90/105 m wind farm, throughout its life cycle. The life cycle assessment analysis of the 2 MW wind power plant was performed using Impact 2002+ modeling. The results are presented for all impact levels and categories. The production stage was characterized by the highest total level of harmful effect. The use of recycling reduces the negative impacts of the life cycle by 6.5%. The investigated technical facility has the greatest negative impact during the production stage, especially in the area of depletion of fossil resources and human health.