Environmental and Performance Analysis of a 5kW Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine in East Central Alberta
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Abstract
This thesis investigates the environmental and performance results of a 5kW horizontal axis wind turbine installed in east-central Alberta. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was utilized to perform a comparative environmental impact study on three sizes of small wind turbines installed in east-central Alberta for the production of 100kW of nameplate power. Field data collected over 17 months from tower mounted instruments were used to assess the performance of a grid connected 5kW wind turbine.
Comparative LCA findings revealed that although 5kW and 20kW options were a vast improvement over current Alberta grid performance, a 100kW turbine had the fastest environmental, energy, and financial payback period and the lowest impact per kilowatt-hour in terms of global warming, ozone depletion, and acidification emission factors.
In-situ power performance analysis demonstrated that the turbine performs at a high-level and the manufacturer’s published power curve was accurate. Annual energy production (AEP) estimates made from the measured power curve were slightly low compared to manufacturer’s published data. Tower-mounted instruments were found to be an excellent option for in-situ power performance analysis.