The Institutional Investor Guide to Modern Energy - (Page 9) Co-Published by Vestas The Footprint Branding the Wind Green ong the green movement’s darling poster child, wind power energy can nevertheless face stiff opposition among local communities worried about environmental impact. The National Audubon Society has opposed wind turbines due to their interference with migratory bird patterns. Some question the visual impact. Others wonder what health problems may arise from low frequency noise interference. Many of these issues are resolved through consultations with local authorities. Wind energy associations have established best practice guidelines and have attempted to reach out to the public through education campaigns comparing wind energy’s reduced carbon emissions to coal, nuclear and other conventional fuel sources. Switch 20 percent of the U.S. electricity grid to wind energy and “the nation could displace more than a third of the emissions from coal-fired plants,” the American Wind Energy Association relates in one of its fact sheets. Indeed, the carbon savings from a single 750 kilowatt turbine is comparable to the emissions absorbed by 500 acres of forest. Yet given the stakes now at hand, wind energy must further reduce its environmental footprint if it is to succeed as a 100-percent pure and reliable green brand, reminding that no other power generation technology even comes near the sustainability of a wind turbine, says Peter Brun, senior vice president of government relations for Vestas. “It is simply a matter of consistency, and a clear signal to our customers that we maintain high ambitions on the continued technology development,” says Brun referring to two life cycle assessment reports Vestas has published on its V80-2.0 MW and V90-2.0 MW turbines. The reports analyze both on- and offshore turbine parks, and examines everything from design and manufacturing processes, to wind farm operations and turbine disposal. Rapid Carbon Offset The assessment shows that it is energy used in turbine production that causes the largest environmental impact and the production of the transmission grid to a lesser extent. This Special Report was prepared by the Special Projects Department of Institutional Investor. L Within six months of operation, however, a wind turbine has offset all emissions caused by its construction, and can run virtually carbon-free for the remainder of its 20 year life, says Klaus Ronde, a Vestas engineer who helped conduct the analysis. “Make the turbines lighter and increase efficiency and you may just bring that number further down,” he says. “So electricity per weight of the turbine — that’s the focus of our R&D,” Ronde explains. “If we deliver 50 percent more electricity, it’s alright in our view to use 30 percent more materials.” Vestas has had particular success with its V90 rotor series, which generates double the output of the smaller V80 but is slightly lighter. Vestas is also buying green energy where possible and recycling 80 percent of the raw materials used during turbine manufacturing and disposal. But engineering breakthroughs don’t come easy. It’s a task that largely falls upon the shoulders of Troy Patton, 40, a senior vice president formerly with GE, who was brought into Vestas in 2006 March 2009 • Institutional Investor Guide to Modern Energy • 9
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