The carbon price of fossil fuels and conversely, the carbon footprint of wind energy would jump out at us in stark relief, if a carbon accounts system with carbon tokens, carbon allowances and a carbon price on everything was introduced today in 2024. We’re used to electricity providers’ claims that their energy is zero carbon, but at this point in time, nothing is zero carbon, not even Greta Thunberg, so what would the carbon price of renewable energy be?
In a previous article on liquid natural gas (LNG), the scenario of a carbon accounts-based economy was used to show how much customers would have to pay for the carbon emissions when buying LNG – the price jumps by 50% compared to normal natural gas. What follows here shows that going the other way to less carbon-intense production gives us a carbon price drop of 97%.
That wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles and other products of the energy transition have a significant carbon footprint is a classic denial and disinformation talking point, so there are several serious complete lifecycle assessments (LCA) available which debunk the hype.
The following calculations are based on the lifecycle in 2010 of a 1.5MW 70m diameter, 65m tall, onshore wind turbine in the UK.
The result for the estimated total life cycle of the wind turbine was 0.012kg CO2e per kilowatt-hour (kWh) generated.
The wind turbine has over 450 constituent parts whose carbon footprints were considered, along with 10 other environmental impacts. The calculations included additional manufacture, assembly and dismantling, component transportation and on-site energy requirements. A ‘recycled content approach’ was used for the metals, which may well be optimistic. The components considered which came in above the cut-off level for inclusion in the report include:
- steel
- iron
- aluminium
- glass-reinforced nylon (fibreglass)
- concrete
- polyethylene, PVC
To recap and make the fossil fuel – renewable energy comparison, the emissions of a kilo of natural gas can be converted into emissions per kWh from a gas-fired power station.
- Natural gas (methane) has an energy content of 50MJ/kg
- Burning a kilo releases 50MJ
- Each MJ is 0.278 kWh, so 50 is 13.9 kWh
- A gas-fired power station that is 50% efficient can capture 6.9 kWh per kilo
| Energy source | kg CO2 per kWh |
|---|---|
| Natural Gas | 2.700 |
| LNG | 4.100 |
| Wind turbine electricity | 0.083 |
Disappointingly, the full life cycle assessment didn’t cover the much-debated conflict minerals (tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold) or the rare earth elements because the carbon footprint of these critical metals were simply below the threshold of the study. They are used widely in the technology needed for the energy transition, e.g. to fabricate permanent magnets.
On a last note, these numbers do not include the impact of the escaped, unburnt, leaked or vented methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is far worse than CO2, and it escapes in significant quantities during natural gas and LNG production, transport and usage, so much so that it can double the impact on the climate. Fortunately, the carbon accounts framework can take this into account if it is known and quantified. Read more here.
More Resources
Wind turbine LCA review: Yale Climate Connections, 2022
Ozoemena, M., Cheung, W.M. & Hasan, R.: Comparative LCA of technology improvement opportunities for a 1.5-MW wind turbine in the context of an onshore wind farm. Clean Techn Environ Policy 20, 173–190 (2018)
Conversion of natural gas to kWh of electricity: https://www.elgas.com.au/elgas-knowledge-hub/residential-lpg/lpg-natural-gas-propane-vs-methane-comparison/
Golroudbary, S.R., Makarava, I., Kraslawski, A. and Repo, E.: Global environmental cost of using rare earth elements in green energy technologies Science of the Total Environment, Science Direct (2022)
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