Hi, for my own interest and maybe later editorializing I am trying to figure some life cycle energy costs of some equipment, specifically wind turbines. I will attempt to spec out the turbines myself to determine material content. What I will be focusing on is total energy cost to build and install one of these things, so I am looking at how many Khwh does it take to smelt a ton of steel, how much diesel does it take to get the necessary ore, average recycled steel content and it's effect on energy use, some idea of how to estimate rough energy expenditure to bring raw steel to the desired shapes. That is an example for one material. I would need to do the same puzzling on aluminum, concrete, copper, fiberglass, plastic, and carbon fiber. At that point I can look at fuel costs to transport pieces to the site as well as fuel costs to transport workers daily, fuel cost for the necessary road building and site excavation, and so on. My premise is that a wind turbine under ideal generating conditions will be 2/3 or more into its projected service life before it shows a net gain in energy generation. I want to see if I am right. Any resources you can point me to would be appreciated.
I will totally ignore until the editorializing that a wind system as a supplement to a coal based system such as we have in the U.S. does diddly since you still keep the coal plant fully online due to the unpredictable nature of wind. The reason for all this is I used to believe in "green" energy until a rather undemocratic/unrepresentative process forced them on me in the future, barring litigation. I am coming to the conclusion that what an industrial wind turbine generates is money for the operator that gets the tax breaks as well as an out for the energy companies to meet the 7% required renewable in their portfolio that is coming thanks to D.C. I am of the opinion that resources spent building these would be better conserved. I don't know how to encourage Americans to conserve, maybe an idea which I despise being individual tax credits for sound energy use practices. I have always despised a NIMBY, now I am one. The caveat is tell me you are going to build a breeder reactor in my county and I will sign on to work construction, then try to get hired as security when it is done. I just don't want to see a place who's two assets are an agrarian lifestyle and the last undamaged views in the east get sold down the river for crap that makes no enviromental sense. To give you a sense of this place, trouble was had over someone who wanted a subdivision. Ghastly you say? Yep, subdivision was going to be several 200acre chunks, followed by 6 other pieces as small as a piddly 50 acres! Can't have the place getting too crowded you know. Pretty rare within 200 miles of D.C. I'd say, that is big land out here, small by western standards.
I did what I can, I am getting geothermal in my new house backed by an overabundance of insulation. I may one day get a personal wind turbine, not to save the world, but to give me an alternate energy source. Engines fascinate me, so I forsee biodiesel tinkering in my future. I still play with race cars, tow them with a 454 GMC, and eat red meat. I will never be some holier than though, birkenstock wearing, Prius driving freegan, but I try to realize my impact on global energy use. This crap(industrial wind) makes no sense to me. Just the latest coal mine to come to Appalachia, destroy communities, and never deliver on promises.