March 31, 2004

Energy balance

There have been questions as to whether the energy it takes to build, construct, operate and decommission an energy plant is more then the usable energy it generates.

I found some interesting studies on the web on wind turbines "The energy generated by wind turbines pays for the materials used to make them in a matter of months, according to three separate European studies"

Also reference to another study. "In the study, three Midwestern wind farms were found to generate between 17 and 39 times as much energy as is required for their construction and operation, while coal plants generate on average 11 and and nuclear plants 16 times as much." Gas turbines 4, Photovoltaics 6, Wind 23, Fusion 27.

Some studies from the Energy Center of Wisconsin:

  • Net Energy Payback and Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Wind-Generated Electricity in the Midwest 1998
  • Life-Cycle Energy Costs and Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Building-Integrated Photovoltaics 2002
  • Life-Cycle Energy Cost and Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Gas Turbine Power 2000
  • Net Energy Balance and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Renewable Energy Storage Systems 2003
  • Wind Power and the Environment 2000
  • Energy Savings from the Wisconsin Energy Star Homes Programs 2002

    Posted by Carolyn Luce at March 31, 2004 05:39 PM | TrackBack
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