Life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the generation of wind and hydro power

This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the life cycle GHG emissions from wind and hydro power generation, based on relevant published studies. Comparisons with conventional fossil, nuclear and other renewable generation systems are also presented, in order to put the GHG emissions of wind a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Renewable & sustainable energy reviews 2011-09, Vol.15 (7), p.3417-3422
Main Authors: Raadal, Hanne Lerche, Gagnon, Luc, Modahl, Ingunn Saur, Hanssen, Ole Jørgen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Capacity factor
Electricity
Emission analysis
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
fossils
Greenhouse effect
greenhouse gas emissions
Greenhouse gases
Hydro power
LCA
LCA Greenhouse gases Wind power Hydro power Electricity
life cycle assessment
Life cycle engineering
Nuclear power generation
power generation
Power plants
water power
wind
Wind power
Wind power generation
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Summary:This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the life cycle GHG emissions from wind and hydro power generation, based on relevant published studies. Comparisons with conventional fossil, nuclear and other renewable generation systems are also presented, in order to put the GHG emissions of wind and hydro power in perspective. Studies on GHG emissions from wind and hydro power show large variations in GHG emissions, varying from 0.2 to 152 g CO 2-equivalents per kW h. The main parameters affecting GHG emissions are also discussed in this article, in relation to these variations. The wide ranging results indicate a need for stricter standardised rules and requirements for life-cycle assessments (LCAs), in order to differentiate between variations due to methodological disparities and those due to real differences in performance of the plants. Since LCAs are resource- and time-intensive, development of generic GHG results for each technology could be an alternative to developing specific data for each plant. This would require the definition of typical parameters for each technology, for example a typical capacity factor for wind power. Such generic data would be useful in documenting GHG emissions from electricity generation for electricity trading purposes.
ISSN:1364-0321
1879-0690
DOI:10.1016/j.rser.2011.05.001