Life cycle assessment of wind power systems with battery storage : a comparative study of environmental impacts
Algayal, Ammar (2025)
Diplomityö
2025
School of Energy Systems, Ympäristötekniikka
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2025062372637
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2025062372637
Tiivistelmä
This thesis presents a comparative life cycle assessment of two wind power configurations: a 58MW wind only system and a 44MW wind farm integrated with a battery storage system (BESS). The three evaluated BESS technologies are lithium ion, sodium sulfur, and lead acid, it aims to assess their environmental performance across key impact categories. With a focus on global warming potential (GWP) and abiotic depletion (Copper)
The study´s approach is a cradle to grave system boundary that includes major life cycle stages from material extraction to end of life. The results show that wind only scenario has the lowest GWP with 10.3 CO₂-eq/kWh, while the wind + BESS scenario significantly increases emissions with 82.7 CO₂-eq/kWh lithium ion, 104.5 CO₂-eq/kWh sodium sulfur, and 188.6 CO₂-eq/kWh lead acid. For copper depletion, BESS scenarios outperformed the wind-only baseline configuration because of reduced turbine infrastructure. Lead demonstrated the lowest copper use, while lithium ion had the most favourable GWP results among the storage options
The results show a clear trade-off between emission reduction and material resource use; this highlights the importance of multi-criteria assessment in renewable energy planning. While this study shows that integrating BESS can support grid flexibility, it emphasises the need for sustainable design choices and improved battery lifespans to minimize environmental trade-offs.
The study´s approach is a cradle to grave system boundary that includes major life cycle stages from material extraction to end of life. The results show that wind only scenario has the lowest GWP with 10.3 CO₂-eq/kWh, while the wind + BESS scenario significantly increases emissions with 82.7 CO₂-eq/kWh lithium ion, 104.5 CO₂-eq/kWh sodium sulfur, and 188.6 CO₂-eq/kWh lead acid. For copper depletion, BESS scenarios outperformed the wind-only baseline configuration because of reduced turbine infrastructure. Lead demonstrated the lowest copper use, while lithium ion had the most favourable GWP results among the storage options
The results show a clear trade-off between emission reduction and material resource use; this highlights the importance of multi-criteria assessment in renewable energy planning. While this study shows that integrating BESS can support grid flexibility, it emphasises the need for sustainable design choices and improved battery lifespans to minimize environmental trade-offs.