Assessment of Environmental Impact and Economic Benefit on Wind-Powered Energy in Taiwan
Date Issued
2009
Date
2009
Author(s)
Xiao, Jia-Hao
Abstract
The purpose of the present study is to assess the environmental impacts and economic benefits of three different wind turbine generators (WTG) having different capabilities, and make comparison among the three WTGs. For each WTG, the energy generated and its variation is evaluated based on scenarios of various wind fields. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Net Present Value (NPV) analysis are then performed. Based on quantitative indexes resulted from LCA and NPV analysis, the amount of energy generated, its environmental impact and its economic benefit for each WTG are obtained and compared. It is found through this study that, no matter which kind of WTG is used, the amount of CO2 would decrease 30.39 g per kWh approximately if the wind-powered energy increases 5% of the total energy consumed in Taiwan. In comparison among the three studied WTGs, the one with capability of 600 kW is considered the best in both aspects of environmental protection and economic benefit. It is also found that wind speed is a very crucial factor for wind-powered energy generation. Hence, the location of wind power station should be selected carefully. With regard to the environmental impact, it is found that about 38% to 46% of the total environmental impact arises during transportation stage. Therefore, transportation stage should be considered carefully when developing renewable wind-powered energy. Another finding of the present research is that the environmental impact index would decrease 40.32 μPt to 128.02 μPt per kWh if the amount of domestic-made WTG components increases 10%. With respect to the economic benefit, the present study finds the current acquisition price of wind-powered energy is too low and should be raised reasonably. According to the present study, the cost of wind-powered energy is approximately 2.6 NTD per kWh if the WTG of 4,500 kW capacity is used, which is higher than results of two other smaller types of WTGs. However, it can saved the CO2 emission of about 3,658 to 10,631 tons per year, which is considerable large.
Subjects
Energy
Life Cycle Assessment
Eco-indicator 99
Scenario Analysis
Type
thesis
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