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The Leading Edge: October 2023 Wind Energy Newsletter

In this issue, NREL celebrates wind energy accomplishments from Fiscal Year 2023, publishes offshore estimates in Nature Energy , receives $1 million for bat deterrent research—and shares the latest news, opportunities, and publications.

Upwind: Featured News

That’s a wrap celebrating nrel’s fiscal year 2023 wind energy accomplishments.

This past year, NREL celebrated several landmark anniversaries for wind research facilities and programs. NREL’s Flatirons Campus, home of the National Wind Technology Center, celebrated 30 years as a world-class hub for renewable energy research. An important component of NREL’s Flatirons Campus, the 7-MW  Controllable Grid Interface wind energy research apparatus turned 10 this year. NREL helped complete the 10th annual Collegiate Wind Competition in May 2023. And 6 years after they were first compiled, NREL brought together more than 100 wind energy experts from 15 countries to revisit the field’s most pressing research needs at a topical expert meeting on the grand challenges in wind energy science.

NREL’s wind energy research portfolio continues to build momentum in its efforts to combat climate change, create clean energy jobs, and promote energy justice. Check out NREL’s Fiscal Year 2023 Wind Energy Accomplishments and Year-End Performance Report to learn more about the impactful wind energy research performed by NREL researchers in Fiscal Year 2023.

Offshore Wind Energy Could Serve up to 20% of Regional Power Needs Along the Atlantic Coast by 2050

Offshore wind could generate as much as 8% of the nation’s electricity by 2050,  according to a Nature Energy article coauthored by NREL researchers Philipp Beiter , Trieu Mai , and Matt Mowers . But that deployment could range widely (30–250 GW), depending on how a variety of factors related to the power system evolve over the coming decades. The authors deployed a capacity expansion model and found that high levels of offshore wind energy deployment are most likely in scenarios where there is a combination of stringent decarbonization policies, low technology costs, fewer siting options for land-based renewables, and limited interregional transmission. For example, the study’s core scenario considers strict zoning regulations for land-based wind turbines and solar panels that expand offshore wind’s market potential.

Behind the Blades

Keeping projects running.

In celebration of the end of Fiscal Year 2023, we caught up with the person behind the coordination of NREL’s growing wind energy research portfolio. Read what Kendra Ryan, the wind program integrator, shared about her background, her role here at NREL, and what she’s most excited for in Fiscal Year 2024.

What did you do before you came to NREL, and what got you interested in wind energy?

Prior to NREL, I was in the U.S. Navy for 21 years and ultimately retired. I began my career on ships and in nuclear power and eventually moved into research. One research topic I was involved in was the potential impacts of active sonar on marine mammals. I started my post graduate work as I was transitioning from the Navy, and I wanted to understand which other marine users may impact marine life. I chose to look at the potential impacts of offshore wind energy, and that’s how I moved into the renewable energy field.

What brought you to NREL?

NREL wind publications were a primary source in my studies. I had long followed the work and knew of the lab, so it was an honor to join the team.

What’s your favorite part about your current role?

The people are my absolute favorite part of my job. The project management team is full of kind, compassionate, and dedicated professionals who also make me laugh. All the National Wind Technology Center and associated wind energy-related researchers and staff are dedicated and passionate. I appreciate their commitment.

You also do some research here. Can you tell us a little bit about that? How did you choose your area of research?

Last year, I spent a small bit of my time working on the potential impacts of noise related to the installation of offshore fixed foundations. This year, I will work on a project involving the interaction of marine mammals and offshore wind turbines. I really enjoy opportunities to do a little bit of research associated to what I worked on over the past 15 years in both academia and in the Navy. My childhood passion was marine mammals, and continuing to do work in this area reconnects me to that interest.

What are you looking forward to most in the next fiscal year for NREL’s wind energy program?

I’m excited to continue integrating our program’s teams and increasing efficiencies so we can really focus on the research. It is helpful to now have been here for over an entire yearly cycle and have a better understanding of the processes.

What have you been enjoying outside of work?

My happy place is spending time in nature with my son—hiking, climbing, skiing, cycling, kayaking. Yoga is also a daily part of my life. My practice keeps me balanced, and I love to share it with others through teaching.

On the Radar: Project Updates

Nrel team awarded $1 million to study bat behavior around wind turbines.

NREL’s ecological proposal team—led by Jeffrey Clerc , Samantha Rooney , and Laura Dempsey— was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) to receive $1 million in funding to research bat behavior around wind turbines . Turbines may be catching bats’ eyes, but this team will investigate how, when, and why they may be attracted to various components of a turbine. The project, titled Using Sensory Modalities and Behavioral Context To Design Deterrent Systems for Bats, will take place over four field seasons with a focus on hoary bats. The results could help steer development of deterrent technologies that could improve the coexistence of wind turbines with bats, mitigating the risks that wind power projects can pose on wildlife.

Downwind: In Case You Missed It

Renewed funding supports wind turbine blade innovations at nrel.

A new round of funding from the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) will support NREL researchers as they work to boost efficiency and cost-effectiveness in turbine blade manufacturing. Over the next 5 years, NREL will receive $4.1 million to oversee the wind energy technology area of IACMI, which is focused on identifying innovative composite materials—ideally materials that can be recycled at the end of the turbine’s lifespan—and streamlining the manufacturing process of wind turbine blades . This is the second round of funding distributed to IACMI’s members, building on an initial $70 million that was awarded in 2015.

Researchers Robynne Murray and David Barnes work together to craft a turbine blade using innovative composite materials at NREL’s Composites Manufacturing Education and Technology Facility . Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL

Energy Experts Light a Path to Cross-Cutting Wind, Solar, and Hydrogen Collaboration

The transition to clean energy requires a combination of multiple energy sources, including solar, wind, and hydrogen power. More than 75 international experts gathered at the International Energy Agency Wind Collaboration Programme Topical Expert Meeting #106 to discuss how these technologies can achieve this integration. Photo by Werner Slocum, NREL

Over 75 wind, solar, and hydrogen power experts from around the world gathered recently for the International Energy Agency Wind Collaboration Programme (IEA Wind) Topical Expert Meeting #106 . Organized by NREL researcher Genevieve Starke with support from NREL’s laboratory program manager Brian Smith and project managers Alexsandra Lemke and Betsy Sara , the 2-day hybrid event convened participants from government, industry, academia, and DOE’s national labs to discuss the integration of these three technologies in support of a carbon-free power grid and economy. Through plenary sessions, breakout sessions, and group discussions, the IEA Wind meeting identified several needs and collaboration opportunities, including gap analysis, standardization, development of use cases for renewable hydrogen systems, and best practices for sharing data, information, and resources across technologies and countries. These opportunities will inform future research and development to maximize the joint potential of these three technologies in the clean energy transition.

New Guide Helps Communities Harness the Benefits of Wind Energy

Authored by researchers at NREL, the Wind Energy Community Benefits Guide was recently published on WETO’s WINDExchange platform. The guide aims to help wind energy communities understand ways to expand the local value of wind energy development by providing samples of existing agreements and additional resources.

Annual Report Highlights International Wind Energy Efforts

IEA Wind recently released an executive summary of its 2022 annual report . Chapters from the report highlight research tasks and provide an extensive summary of how each of the 24 member countries benefit from wind energy, how much wind power generation each country has deployed, and how policies and research programs will increase wind power’s contribution to the world energy supply. Check out the U.S. chapter of the report , which NREL researchers helped develop.

Upcoming Events, News Mentions, Recent Publications

Upcoming events.

Join NREL and WETO researchers at upcoming events , including:

NAWEA/WindTech 2023 Conference Oct. 30–Nov. 1, 2023, Denver, Colorado

Congressman Joe Neguse’s keynote speech kicked off this event with additional welcomes from Peter Green, NREL’s deputy laboratory director of science and technology and chief research officer; Bill Mahone, former director of Research Applications Laboratory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research; and Eric Lantz, WETO’s new director and a former NRELian. The 3-day conference features presentations and posters in more than 20 scientific tracks; plenary speakers on the short-, mid-, and long-term challenges of wind energy; and follow-up workshops, meetings, and a Graduate Student Symposium.

National Offshore Wind R&D Symposium Dec. 4–5, 2023, Brooklyn, New York, and Online

Hosted by the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium, this 2-day, hybrid conference will take a deep dive into offshore wind energy innovation.

Competitiveness Improvement Project 2023 Informational Workshop Nov. 28–30, 2023, 12–2:30 p.m. MT each day, Online

NREL manages the Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) on behalf of WETO. Distributed wind energy technology suppliers interested in applying to CIP solicitations in 2024 are invited to register to attend this 3-day, virtual informational workshop. Speakers will provide an overview of the CIP process, topic areas, evaluation criteria, certification and testing requirements, and technical support opportunities.

NREL in the News

Floating Wind on U.S. West Coast Needs $35 Billion in Port Upgrades—Report , Ros Davidson, WindPower Monthly , Sept. 29, 2023

North Carolina Partners With Mid-Atlantic States and National Renewable Energy Laboratory To Assess Offshore Wind Workforce and Supply Chain Opportunities and Needs , David Rhoades, North Carolina Department of Commerce , Oct. 3. 2023

University of Delaware To Receive Nearly $3 Million in Federal Energy Innovation Funding , Cape Gazette , Oct. 8, 2023

Here’s How U.S. Offshore Wind Could Play Out by 2050 , Michelle Lewis, Electrek , Oct. 9, 2023

Wind Power Will Expand With Larger Turbines but Could Face Pushback , John Fialka, E&E News , Oct. 10, 2023

Offshore Wind Could Generate 8% of USA’s Electricity by 2050: NREL , Saur News Bureau, Saur Energy International , Oct. 17, 2023

Recent Publications

Advanced Wind Turbine Control Development Using Field Test Analysis for Generator Overspeed Mitigation , Wind Energy (2023)

Estimating National-Scale Wind Potential Using Spatially Explicit Turbine Layout Optimization , NREL Technical Report (2023)

Opportunities for Green Hydrogen Production With Land-Based Wind in the United States , Energy Conversion and Management (2023)

Definition of the Stiesdal Offshore TetraSpar Floating Wind System for OC6 Phase IV , NREL Technical Report (2023)

Enabling Control Co-Design of the Next Generation of Wind Power Plants , Wind Energy Science (2023)

Coordinated Wind Power Plant and Battery Control for Active Power Services , Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy (2023)

Gravo-Aeroelastically-Scaled Demonstrator Field Tests To Represent Blade Response of a Flexible Extreme-Scale Downwind Turbine , Renewable Energy (2023)

Guest Editorial: Control Interactions in Power Electronic Converter Dominated Power Systems , International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems (2023)

Subscribe to  The Leading Edge newsletter , and explore the  latest news  and  accomplishments  in wind energy at NREL.

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• Wind R&D Newsletter

As wind energy technology expands its geographic reach and technologies evolve, wildlife impacts will grow and change—creating an evolving need for effective technological, operational, and siting solutions and for research to inform solution designs.

Renewable energy siting refers to a complex series of decision-making processes and actions that determine the location and design of new wind, solar, storage, or other renewable energy facilities. This includes engaging with stakeholders, facilitating environmental research and disseminating results on cost-effective approaches to monitoring and minimizing the environmental impacts of land-based and offshore wind energy.

Assessing, Monitoring, and Mitigating Environmental Effects

To support environmentally sustainable development of wind energy in the United States, WETO invests in innovative, cost-effective technologies that can refine our understanding of these risks and minimize wildlife impacts at land-based and offshore wind farms. These technologies include monitoring, detection, deterrent, and curtailment tools. For example, curtailment is slowing the rotational speed of wind turbines during specific periods of risk for wildlife interaction, which is one method for minimizing bat fatalities around wind turbines.

WETO also supports baseline environmental studies and other peer-reviewed research that fills knowledge gaps and& reduces the uncertainty associated with impacts. Reducing any potential negative impacts through objective, scientifically sound baseline research, monitoring, and mitigation strategies helps ensure the benefits outweigh the challenges.

Since the  1990s , DOE r esearch, conducted in partnership with industry, universities, other federal agencies, and nongovernmental organizations, has greatly improved the understanding of wind-wildlife interactions and has identified potential solutions for a range of issues. Our work began with considerations of land-based wind , but more recently has expanded to  offshore wind .

A technician does a final check on the end of a wind turbine blade at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Flatirons Campus after attaching sensors that will help inform efforts to protect wildlife.

Interagency Collaboration

As part of this collaborative work, WETO partners with other federal agencies that have the authority to develop guidelines that enable wind developers to meet the statutory, regulatory, and administrative requirements for protecting wildlife, national security, and public safety. For example, WETO supported the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s development of its  Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines and  Eagle Conservation Plan Guidance . 

Additionally, WETO partners with federal agencies such as the  United States Geological Survey and the  Bureau of Ocean Energy Management  (BOEM) on ways to measure potential effects on wildlife and mitigate any negative impacts of land-based and offshore wind energy.

Research Highlights

WETO and DOE’s national labs work with industry partners on projects aimed at filling knowledge gaps and reducing uncertainty of impacts through WETO-funded technology development and peer-reviewed research. In addition to land-based wind farm environments, WETO also supports research collecting critical information on marine wildlife and ecosystems that will inform the deployment of U.S. offshore wind farms. Below are several examples of WETO's investments in environmental research divided into offshore and land-based wind.

Offshore Wind Environmental Research

In 2021–2022, DOE and BOEM awarded over $15 million across five projects for research to support wildlife and fisheries monitoring efforts on the East Coast and help prepare the West Coast for floating offshore wind energy development. 

• Duke University and partners  Project WOW (Wildlife and Offshore Wind) – Assess the risk that offshore wind development may pose to birds, bats, and marine mammals; prioritize wildlife monitoring needs; and collect biological and behavioral data at offshore wind farms on the East Coast.
• Coonamessett Farm Foundation and partners – Survey changes in commercial fish and marine invertebrate populations and seafloor habitats in the southern New England offshore wind energy leases using non-invasive survey methods.
• Oregon State University – Conduct visual surveys and acoustic monitoring of marine mammals and seabirds to develop predictive density maps of species present in potential wind energy development areas on the West Coast.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution – Develop next-generation autonomous robotic technology for environmental monitoring of marine organisms and the seafloor at potential wind energy development areas on the West Coast.
• The Electric Power Research Institute and partners – Conduct bat acoustic monitoring at fixed and mobile sites along the West Coast. The goal is to better understand the environmental conditions likely to attract bat activity, with a focus on potential wind energy development areas.

DOE’s  Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing ThermalTracker-3D , a thermal stereo vision technology that can quantify the flight activity of birds and bats at remote locations targeted for offshore wind farm development. ThermalTracker-3D is easily integrated with offshore platforms such as buoys, substations, or turbines. The technology was deployed in 2021 on a lidar research buoy stationed off the coast of California that collected oceanographic and meteorological data in support of the BOEM.

Land-Based Wind Environmental Research

• As part of our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Funding Opportunity Announcement, WETO  selected 5 projects that seek to improve technologies that help bats avoid wind turbines. These projects support bat behavioral research, technology development, and field testing to advance bat deterrent technologies.
• The DOE’s  National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 2022 awarded three companies a total of $1.1 million to support research on bat behavior near wind turbines. Selected through NREL’s Enabling Coexistence Options for Wind Energy ( ECOWind ) program researching how bats behave near wind turbines and power plants.
• Since 2004, The  Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative  (BWEC), which is coordinated by DOE’s NREL, has been engaged in numerous  research activities , including studies assessing the effectiveness of curtailment and the use of  ultrasonic acoustic deterrents  to dissuade bats from entering the airspace around wind turbines. 
• PNNL is developing improvements for radio frequency transmitters that could be used to track bats and collect data that may reduce their exposure to wind turbines. The improvements include reduced transmitter size, increase service life, and improve detection range.

For additional examples of WETO-funded projects to promote coexistence of U.S. offshore wind with wildlife, see our web page on  offshore wind or to see a full listing of projects supported by WETO, see the  Projects Map  and select Program Area: Environmental Impacts and Siting.

Environmental Effects and Siting Informational Resources

WETO's collaborative, information-sharing efforts help advance the collective knowledge of best-available science and drive future research partnerships. These efforts prioritize research needs through engagement and synthesis of global research outcomes. Examples of information resources built with DOE support include:

• Tethys : DOE’s PNNL has developed a database that houses a rich and diverse variety of resources on the potential environmental effects of land-based and offshore wind as well as marine and hydrokinetic energy development. Tethys features an interactive map of ocean energy environmental monitoring and research projects around the world.
•  Working Together to Resolve Environmental Effects of Wind Energy ( WREN ): The International Energy Agency Wind Technology Collaboration Programme 34 is housed on Tethys . WREN, which is led by NREL and supported by WETO, facilitates international collaboration and advances global understanding of potential environmental effects of wind energy.
• U.S. Synthesis of Environmental Effects Research ( SEER ): This joint effort between PNNL and NREL is a multiyear project to facilitate knowledge transfer about offshore wind and environmental research, as well as identify future research priorities. SEER has three main outcomes: a set of short research briefs, a series of webinars, and two workshops resulting in specific research recommendations for the east and west coast.
• WINDExchange: WINDExchange  is a DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office initiative that provides resources to help communities weigh the benefits and impacts of wind energy. See the WINDExchange web page on Wildlife Impacts of Wind Energy .

Upcoming or Current Funding Opportunities

For information on DOE WETO funding opportunities, which may include environmental research topics, please see  Wind Energy Funding Opportunities | Department of Energy and sign up for our  Catch the Wind newsletter for the latest wind energy news and updates. 

Stay informed by receiving the latest wind energy news, events, and updates.

Environmental Impacts and Siting News

Featured publications.

What Is the Future of Wind Energy?

This article was reviewed by a member of Caltech's Faculty .

Humans have used windmills to capture the force of the wind as mechanical energy for more than 1,300 years . Unlike early windmills, however, modern wind turbines use generators and other components to convert energy from the spinning blades into a smooth flow of AC electricity.

In the video below, Resnick Sustainability Institute researcher John Dabiri discusses the future of wind energy technology.

How much of global electricity demand is met by wind energy?

Wind energy is a small but fast-growing fraction of electricity production. It accounts for 5 percent of global electricity production and 8 percent of the U.S. electricity supply.

Globally, wind energy capacity surpasses 743 gigawatts , which is more than is available from grid-connected solar energy and about half as much as hydropower can provide. Nearly three-quarters of that 651 gigawatts comes from wind farms in five countries: China, the U.S., Germany, India, and Spain. Wind energy capacity in the Americas has tripled over the past decade.

In the U.S., wind is now a dominant renewable energy source , with enough wind turbines to generate more than 100 million watts, or megawatts, of electricity, equivalent to the consumption of about 29 million average homes.

The cost of wind energy has plummeted over the past decade. In the U.S., it is cost-competitive with natural gas and solar power.

Wind energy and solar energy complement each other, because wind is often strongest after the sun has heated the ground for a time. Warm air rises from the most heated areas, leaving a void where other air can rush in, which produces horizontal wind currents . We can draw on solar energy during the earlier parts of the day and turn to wind energy in the evening and night. Wind energy has added value in areas that are too cloudy or dark for strong solar energy production, especially at higher latitudes.

How big are wind turbines and how much electricity can they generate?

Typical utility-scale land-based wind turbines are about 250 feet tall and have an average capacity of 2.55 megawatts, each producing enough electricity for hundreds of homes. While land-based wind farms may be remote, most are easy to access and connect to existing power grids.

Smaller turbines, often used in distributed systems that generate power for local use rather than for sale, average about 100 feet tall and produce between 5 and 100 kilowatts.

One type of offshore wind turbine currently in development stands 853 feet tall, four-fifths the height of the Eiffel Tower, and can produce 13 megawatts of power. Adjusted for variations in wind, that is enough to consistently power thousands of homes. While tall offshore turbines lack some of the advantages of land-based wind farms, use of them is burgeoning because they can capture the energy of powerful, reliable winds high in the air near coastlines, where most of the largest cities in the world are located.

What are some potential future wind technologies other than turbines?

Engineers are in the early stages of creating airborne wind turbines , in which the components are either floated by a gas like helium or use their own aerodynamics to stay high in the air, where wind is stronger. These systems are being considered for offshore use, where it is expensive and difficult to install conventional wind turbines on tall towers.

Trees, which can withstand gale forces and yet move in response to breezes from any direction, also are inspiring new ideas for wind energy technology. Engineers speculate about making artificial wind-harvesting trees . That would require new materials and devices that could convert energy from a tree's complex movements into the steady rotation that traditional generators need. The prize is wind energy harvested closer to the ground with smaller, less obtrusive technologies and in places with complex airflows, such as cities.

What are the challenges of using wind energy?

Extreme winds challenge turbine designers. Engineers have to create systems that will start generating energy at relatively low wind speeds and also can survive extremely strong winds. A strong gale contains 1,000 times more power than a light breeze, and engineers don't yet know how to design electrical generators or turbine blades that can efficiently capture such a broad range of input wind power. To be safe, turbines may be overbuilt to withstand winds they will not experience at many sites, driving up costs and material use. One potential solution is the use of long-term weather forecasting and AI to better predict the wind resources at individual locations and inform designs for turbines that suit those sites.

Climate change will bring more incidents of unusual weather, including potential changes in wind patterns . Wind farms may help mitigate some of the harmful effects of climate change. For example, turbines in cold regions are routinely winterized to keep working in icy weather when other systems may fail, and studies have demonstrated that offshore wind farms may reduce the damage caused by hurricanes . A more challenging situation will arise if wind patterns shift significantly. The financing for wind energy projects depends critically on the ability to predict wind resources at specific sites decades into the future. One potential way to mitigate unexpected, climate-change-related losses or gains of wind is to flexibly add and remove groups of smaller turbines, such as vertical-axis wind turbines , within existing large-scale wind farms.

Wind farms do have environmental impacts . The most well-known is harm to wildlife, including birds and bats . Studies are informing wind farm siting and management practices that minimize harm to wildlife , and Audubon, a bird conservation group, now supports well-planned wind farms. The construction and maintenance of wind farms involves energy-intensive activities such as trucking, road-building, concrete production, and steel construction. Also, while towers can be recycled, turbine blades are not easily recyclable. In hopes of developing low-to-zero-waste wind farms, scientists aim to design new reuse and disposal strategies , and recyclable plastic turbine blades. Studies show that wind energy's carbon footprint is quickly offset by the electricity it generates and is among the lowest of any energy source .

Dive Deeper

Research topics

Research @ forwind.

ForWind is working on the important questions concerning wind energy research in numerous research projects. The scientific spectrum ranges from meteorology and materials research to the integration of wind power into the electrical grid.

How can the turbulence in the wake of wind turbines be recorded as accurately as possible? What loads act on the support structures of offshore wind turbines? What opportunities does wind power offer for a decentralized energy supply in the future?

Resource wind

The resource wind as “fuel” of wind energy determines the energy yield of a turbine and influences its lifetime. ForWind conducts research to predict wind conditions for wind farms and regions as accurately as possible.

The interactions between land or water surfaces and the lower atmospheric boundary layer have a major influence on properties of the wind. ForWind analyzes the wind fields, but also the turbulence generated in the wake of wind turbines and its influence on neighboring turbines in the wind farm.

Machine and rotor

The mechanics and electrics of wind turbines are an important field of research at ForWind. Based on stochastic analyses, ForWind has developed a novel method for determining power curves.

Support structures

In the field of main support structures, i.e. the foundation and tower of a plant as well as their connecting parts, efficient use of materials and monitoring concepts are the focus of research. ForWind is working on reliable lifetime predictions, friction-locked connections and intelligent approaches to turbine monitoring.

Offshore wind energy

Future offshore wind turbines will be over 300 meters in total height with rotors over 280 meters in diameter. Thus, they are subject to little known impacts and conditions that can form at altitudes of over a hundred meters.

Production engineering

In the manufacture of products made of fiber-reinforced plastic composites (FRP ), positioning accuracy or reproducibility when depositing the reinforcing textile semi-finished products or fiber bundles is a decisive quality criterion for the properties of the entire subsequent component.

The optimal integration of the generated wind energy into the electrical grid requires new storage concepts and requires an accurate prediction of the power to be fed into the grid. ForWind conducts research in the field of wind power prediction and further develops existing methods.

According to the current state of the art, approximately 90% of the material (based on the total mass of the turbine) can be fed into an orderly recycling process when wind turbines are dismantled. In Germany, many first-generation plants will be facing dismantling in the next few years.

The aim of our research in the field of repowering is to develop optimal strategies for the subsequent use of older wind turbines. These should consider both technical and business aspects from different perspectives.

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Wind Energy

Wind power is one of the fastest-growing sources of new electricity generation in the United States. While wind energy supplies renewable power, wind facilities can affect bats and birds through collisions, and indirectly through loss of suitable habitat. USGS scientists are studying the behavior of vulnerable species near wind facilities, and are developing technologies and management options.

Southwest Energy Exploration, Development, and Reclamation (SWEDR)

Advancing the Environmental DNA Toolkit for Ecosystem Monitoring and Management

Use of Portable Radar to Monitor Flying Animals in the Offshore Environment

Conservation Genetics of the Hawaiian Hoary Bat

USGS research on the effects of renewable energy on wildlife

Birds, Bats, and Beyond: Networked Wildlife Tracking in the Southern California Bight

Translational science for renewable energy and its wildlife concerns: a synthesis of wind energy buildout, bat population ecology, and habitat constraints.

The Gemini Solar Project

Tools for the Mitigation of Habitat-Based Impacts to Birds

Seabird Vulnerability Assessment for Renewable Energy Projects

Estimating offsets for avian displacement effects of anthropogenic impacts

Aerial Seabird and Marine Mammal Surveys

96 Wind Energy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best wind energy topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 most interesting wind energy topics to write about, 👍 good research topics about wind energy, ❓ wind energy research questions.

• Wind Power: Process, Advantages and Disadvantages Wind power involves the use of turbines, the modern equivalent of windmills, to convert wind energy into a more useful form of energy.
• Wind Power Exploitation to Generate Electricity The most basic way that a wind turbine works is by using the kinetic energy of the wind and turning it into electricity that can be used by humans.
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Energy Another advantage is the fact that most of the turbines that are used in the generation of wind power are located in ranches, and on farms.
• Investing in an Offshore Wind Power Plant in Greece The purpose of the research is to minimize the risk by collecting information and examining the attractiveness of this investment opportunity.
• Possibility of Investing in an Offshore Wind Power Plant in Greece Greece is one of the countries in the world that enjoys a substantial amount of wind resources, especially in the Aegean Sea Islands and on the mountain ridges on the mainland.
• Technology and Wind Energy Efforts by the elite members of the society enlightened the global countries about the benefits of renewable energy sources in conserving the environment prompting the need to consider wind energy.
• Electrical Engineering Building Uses Wind Energy The purpose of this fact-finding mission was to determine an appropriate type and rating of the wind turbine based on three factors: the average wind data at UNSW; the peak power demand for the EE […]
• Solar and Wind Energy in the Empty Quarter Desert However, the main bulk of the report focuses on the proposal to build a stand alone renewable energy source, a combination of a solar power wind turbine system that will provide a stable energy source […]
• Wind Energy for the Citizens of Shikalabuna, Sri Lanka The citizens of Shikalabuna are shot of the possibility to implement the required wind turbines and get a chance to pay less using the natural source available.
• Wind Power in West Texas and Its Effects The main cause of introducing and developing wind power in West Texas is the need to generate more electricity with fewer costs and environmental friendliness.
• “Wind Power Fills Our Sails” Poster Visual Argument As a result, the audience is expected to think about the effectiveness of using wind power to develop the future with a lot of green energy and jobs.
• Saudi Arabian Wind Power Plants: Status and Future In the globalized society, the issue of climate change prompts stakeholders to take part in the establishment and implementation of strategies that enhance the sustainability of the environment.
• Wind Energy Feasibility in Russia In Russia, feasibility studies have been conducted to establish the viability of wind turbine projects. In conjunction with the problem statement above, the following aims have been formulated: To use the available and relevant data […]
• Wind Power as an Alternative Energy Source Wind energy is a renewable source of energy that is an alternative to fossil fuel use, which is necessary for the conservation of the environment.
• Is wind power “green”? The aim of this paper is to determine whether wind turbine is a feasible power source option in terms of “green”, economic friendliness, and its aptitude to produce considerable quantity of power.”Green” power, as any […]
• Is wind power considered green? This paper aims to analyze whether wind energy is green and the impacts of contemporary issues of environment to the sustainable world.
• Abu Dhabi Wind Energy The report covers energy crisis in Abu Dhabi, wind energy as a potential source of renewable energy for Abu Dhabi, and recommendations.
• Wind Energy for Environmental Sustainability Production of this energy is important to the survival and enhancement of lives of people in a society. It refers to the role of that business or a corporate towards the society.
• Wind Energy, Its Advantages and Disadvantages Reliable sources of energy need to be renewable; they include wind energy, solar energy and hydro-energy; wind energy is a dependable source of energy although it remains the least used among the available renewable sources […]
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IvyPanda. (2023, October 26). 96 Wind Energy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/wind-energy-essay-topics/

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• How Americans View National, Local and Personal Energy Choices

Most Americans want more renewable energy, but support has dipped. Interest in electric vehicles has also declined

Table of contents.

• 1. Views on energy development in the U.S.
• 2. Americans’ views on local wind and solar power development
• 3. Americans’ perceptions of solar power in their own lives
• Acknowledgments
• The American Trends Panel survey methodology
• Appendix: Detailed charts and tables

Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand Americans’ views of energy issues. For this analysis, we surveyed 8,638 U.S. adults from May 13 to 19, 2024.

Everyone who took part in the survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way, nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology .

Here are the questions used for this report , along with responses, and its Methodology .

The planet’s continued streak of record heat has spurred calls for action by scientists and global leaders . Meanwhile, in the United States, energy development policy is being hotly debated on the national and local levels this election year. How do Americans feel about U.S. energy policy options, and what steps are they willing to take in their own lives to reduce carbon emissions? A new Pew Research Center survey takes a look.

Among the major findings:

There’s been a decline in the breadth of support for wind and solar power. The shares who favor expanding solar and wind power farms are down 12 percentage points and 11 points, respectively, since 2020, driven by sharp drops in support among Republicans.

Interest in buying an electric vehicle (EV) is lower than a year ago. Today, 29% of Americans say they would consider an EV for their next purchase, down from 38% in 2023.

Still, a majority of Americans (63%) support the goal of the U.S. taking steps to become carbon neutral by 2050. When asked which is the greater priority, far more Americans continue to say the country should focus on developing renewable energy than fossil fuel sources (65% vs. 34%).

The survey, conducted May 13-19 among 8,638 U.S. adults, finds a fairly modest share of U.S. adults (25%) say it’s extremely or very important to them personally to limit their own “carbon footprint.” Far more give this middling or low priority.

These findings illustrate how large shares of Americans back more renewable energy that would decrease overall carbon emissions. Still, this general orientation does not necessarily translate into strong commitment to reducing personal carbon emissions or interest in buying an EV.

Jump to read more on: Trends in views of energy development in the U.S. | Views on wind and solar development at the local level | Perceptions of solar power in people’s own lives

What’s behind declines in support for wind and solar?

Declines in public support for renewable energy have been driven by Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, whose support started to fall sharply after President Joe Biden took office in early 2020.

• 64% of Republicans say they favor more solar panel farms, down from 84% in 2020.
• 56% of Republicans say they favor more wind turbine farms, a 19-point drop from 2020.

Over this same time period, views among Democrats and Democratic leaners on these measures are little changed, with large majorities continuing to support more wind and solar development.

In some cases, gaps between Republicans and Democrats over energy policy now approach the very wide partisan divides seen over the importance of climate change .

In May 2020, Democrats were 26 points more likely than Republicans to say the country’s priority should be developing renewable energy (91% vs. 65%). Four years later, that gap has ballooned to 49 points, due almost entirely to changing views among Republicans – 61% of whom now say developing fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas should be the more important priority.

Jump to more details on partisan differences in views of U.S. energy development.

But changes in attitudes about policies that would reduce carbon emissions are not solely the result of more negative views among Republicans. For instance, the share of Democrats who say they are very or somewhat likely to consider an EV for their next car purchase has declined from 56% to 45% in the last year. And the share of Democrats who call climate change a very big problem for the U.S. has declined from 71% in 2021 to 58% today.

Views within each party

Among Republicans, age matters. Younger Republicans express much more support for renewable energy than do older Republicans. For instance, 67% of Republicans ages 18 to 29 say the country should give priority to wind, solar and hydrogen development. The oldest Republicans (ages 65 and older) take the opposite view: 76% give priority to developing oil, coal and natural gas.

By and large, Democrats are more united in their views on energy. Democrats across age groups broadly support steps that would lower carbon emissions and prioritize renewable sources. But differences emerge over the degree with which to break from fossil fuels: 45% of Democrats say the country should phase out the use of oil, coal and natural gas completely, compared with 53% who say that fossil fuels should remain part of the mix along with renewable sources.

Differences within the two major parties are explored in more detail here .

Views on increasing electric vehicles in the U.S.

Amid a major policy push at the federal level for electric vehicles, Americans are unenthusiastic about steps that would phase out gas-powered vehicles.

In March of this year, the Biden administration announced a rule aimed at dramatically expanding EV sales . Overall, 58% of Americans say they oppose these rules that would make EVs at least half of all new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. by 2032. Republicans overwhelmingly oppose this policy (83%). Among Democrats, 64% support these rules to expand EV sales, while 35% say they oppose them.

Americans bought EVs in record numbers last year, but the growth rate is slowing, and interest in EVs has declined. In the current survey, 29% of Americans say they are very or somewhat likely to consider an electric vehicle the next time they purchase a car. Last year, 38% expressed this level of interest in an EV purchase.

Related: About 3 in 10 Americans would seriously consider buying an electric vehicle and the distribution of EV charging stations in the U.S.

Americans’ views on limiting their own ‘carbon footprint’

Discussions about reducing carbon emissions often include the everyday actions people can take to reduce the amount of energy they use . One-in-four Americans say it is extremely or very important to them personally to limit their own “carbon footprint.” Larger shares say this is either somewhat (42%) or not too or not at all (32%) important to them.

Even among Democrats – who express broad support for renewable energy – only 39% say reducing their own carbon footprint is extremely or very important to them personally.

These findings align with a previous Center survey that shows a modest share of Americans (23%) expect to make major sacrifices in their own life because of climate change.

Simply put, the shares of Americans who place the highest priority on limiting their own carbon emissions or expect to make big changes to the way they live because of climate change remain relatively small.

Those who place a high priority on reducing their own carbon footprint – or expect major direct impacts from climate change – are far more likely than other Americans to back aggressive steps to reduce carbon emissions.

For instance, 70% of those who place high importance on reducing their own carbon footprint support rules to dramatically boost EV sales in the U.S. by 2032. Much smaller shares of those who say reducing their carbon footprint is somewhat (43%) or not too or not at all (14%) important support this policy.

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Measuring the prospects for wind energy in 2024 and beyond, fig2-offshore-wind-south-fork-project-orsted.

The wind energy industry has been on an exponential growth curve for more than a decade. POWER looks at the drivers behind the growth and predictions for the future. Nearly 200 countries made major collective pledges on energy at the United Nations climate summit (COP28) in Dubai last December. Many governments recognized that to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C, energy-related emissions need to reach net zero by 2050. As such, they set key goals, which included, among other things, the tripling of global renewable energy capacity by 2030 . Assuming targets are applied to all renewable energy sources equally, that means global wind power capacity must reach about 3 TW by the end of the decade. Is that really possible?

2023 Was a Record Year

According to the Global Wind Energy Council’s (GWEC’s) Global Wind Report 2024 , last year saw the highest number of new onshore wind power installations in history—more than 100 GW—and it was the second-highest for offshore wind (11 GW). Meanwhile, the symbolic milestone of 1 TW of total installed global wind power capacity was passed. GWEC says at the current rate it expects the world to hit 2 TW before 2030, but that isn’t the goal that was set during COP28. “We must acknowledge, firstly, that this rate of growth still leaves us far short of the tripling target,” Jonathan Cole, CEO of Corio Generation and chair of GWEC, wrote in the report’s Foreword. Cole said global inflationary pressures, rising cost of capital, and fragility in the supply chain affected the industry’s ability to ramp up construction in many regions. Still, the year-over-year growth in wind energy installations was astounding—greater than 50%. Remarkably, that growth was achieved while the industry navigated several other obstacles beyond the issues Cole mentioned. “Despite the world being fully open following the global health crisis sparked by COVID-19, 2023 remained an unusual year due to the challenging macroeconomic environment, rising and ongoing hostilities, the Red Sea crisis and prolonged supply chain disruptions stemming back to the time of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Feng Zhao, GWEC’s head of Strategy and Market Intelligence, wrote in the report’s Executive Summary. “Connecting 117 GW of wind power capacity to the electricity grid in a single year not only demonstrates the remarkable resilience and adaptability of the wind industry but also shows that the world is moving in the right direction in combating climate change,” he added. China, which set a record by commissioning more than 69 GW of new onshore wind installations, was the world’s largest market in 2023, followed by the U.S., Brazil, Germany, and India. Together, the top five markets made up 82% of global new installations last year.

A Slowdown in America

Yet, while U.S. installations may rank highly compared to other countries, the numbers were disappointing to many industry insiders, and the sluggishness has continued this year. The American Clean Power Association (ACP) released its most-recent Clean Power Quarterly Market Report on May 7, covering the first quarter (Q1) of 2024. The report says, “Land-based wind had a lackluster quarter, with just two land-based wind projects commissioned.” The two projects, both located in wind-rich Texas, brought a total of 449 MW of new land-based wind capacity online in Q1 2024 (Figure 1).

First-quarter installations decreased by 68% year-over-year in the U.S. It was the slowest first quarter the wind industry had experienced since 2018. Additionally, land-based wind installations decreased 90% compared to the previous quarter. ACP blamed the slowdown on “issues with the supply chain, siting, and permitting, as well as long wait times in the interconnection queue. All of which contributed to lower overall project deployments.” Meanwhile, ACP touted Q1 2024 as the best quarter on record for U.S. offshore wind installations, with the 132-MW South Fork Wind project added to the grid. Enthusiasm should be tempered, however, as only 42 MW of offshore wind had ever been commissioned in the U.S. prior to that. The earlier projects were the 30-MW Block Island wind farm , which entered commercial operation in December 2016 and won a POWER Top Plant award the following year, and the 12-MW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind pilot project, which has been fully operational since fall 2020. South Fork Wind was a joint offshore wind project by Ørsted and Eversource. The project consists of 12 Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy 11-MW SG 11-200 model wind turbines (Figure 2). It was constructed off the coast of Long Island, New York, and supplies power to the Long Island Power Authority through a 20-year power purchase contract. Offshore construction operations began in March 2023 and the project began producing electricity in December last year.

Wind Energy Pipeline Projections

GWEC’s Feng Zhao suggested that the wind industry has become more optimistic about both short-term and long-term growth as a result of the COP28 tripling goal. “With a favourable political environment across the globe, GWEC Market Intelligence believes that 791 GW of new capacity is likely to be added in the next five years under current policies. This equals 158 GW of new installations each year until 2028,” he wrote. The five drivers Feng Zhao sees supporting this growth are:

GWEC predicts the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for onshore wind will be 6.6% over the next five years, with growth in China, Europe, and the U.S. remaining the backbone of global onshore wind development. The expected CAGR for offshore wind, however, is markedly higher—28% in the next five years. China and Europe are expected to continue dominating the offshore market through 2025, but the U.S. and emerging markets in the Asia Pacific region will start gaining sizable market share from 2026 onward, according to GWEC. ACP reported the land-based wind pipeline in the U.S. totaled about 25.3 GW at the end of Q1 2024, up more than 5 GW from the same time last year. Onshore wind under construction increased by 3.7 GW year over year, while the volume that met ACP’s definition of advanced development increased by 1.3 GW. The U.S. offshore wind sector had 22.9 GW in the pipeline at the end of Q1 2024, according to ACP. However, ACP noted that the data was compiled prior to New York’s cancellation of its third solicitation in April. The three projects canceled in New York were the 1,404-MW Attentive Energy One, the 1,314-MW Community Offshore Wind, and the 1,314-MW Excelsior Wind, which would presumably decrease the U.S. pipeline by roughly 4 GW.

Burgeoning Concerns

Meanwhile, potential supply chain issues could hold the industry back. Findings from a Baringa report released in April bring to light several worrisome constraints. While Baringa’s research was conducted on behalf of the UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the findings apply to markets around the world. “The U.S. recently announced ambitious targets of 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 110 GW by 2050,” Rob Gilbert, partner at Baringa , told POWER . “These targets are widely seen as unrealistic.” Gilbert said the equipment required to achieve such targets is significant, and given the nascency of the offshore wind industry in the states, there is a lack of manufacturing capacity to produce these components on home soil. “The majority of components will need to be imported,” he said. “For example, we anticipate that between now and 2030, more than 1,000 wind turbines—more than 50% of expected installations—will need to be imported. This is a challenge considering the already overburdened European Union and UK supply chains.” To emphasize his point, Gilbert noted that several new wind-related factories announced in the U.S. have been delayed, stalled, or canceled. “Siemens Gamesa canceled plans to build a blade factory in Portsmouth, Virginia. GE Vernova and LM Wind Power lost out on $300 million of grant funding tied to the New York state round three wind solicitation after it was canceled. A Marmen and Welcon tower facility has been delayed due to skyrocketing supply chain costs. And Vestas lacks the certainty to commit to new factories in New York and New Jersey,” said Gilbert. All of these setbacks could slow future wind projects in the U.S. The Baringa report notes that an initial surplus of key turbine components today is projected to become a minor shortfall in blades and nacelles, and a significant shortfall in towers, from 2025 to 2028 due to increased demand, with intermittent minor shortfalls thereafter despite the opening of new factories. The consultancy’s modeling projects a severe shortfall of monopiles used for fixed-bottom foundations through 2026, although it expects those constraints to improve in 2027. A severe shortfall of high-voltage direct-current export cables is expected to ease starting next year, but remain persistent through 2032. Lastly, despite an initial surplus of small turbine and foundation vessels, Baringa’s analysis shows a significant shortfall of Category 2 (12 MW to 15 MW) and Category 3 (greater than 15 MW) turbine installation vessels through 2026, with severe shortfalls for Category 2 and 3 foundation vessels through 2029, and a severe shortage of vessels equipped to install cables through 2032.

— Aaron Larson is POWER’s executive editor.

• Environment /

Clean energy has become an even more divided topic in the US

Support for renewable energy and evs has dropped since president joe biden was elected, a new survey finds..

By Justine Calma , a senior science reporter covering energy and the environment with more than a decade of experience. She is also the host of Hell or High Water: When Disaster Hits Home , a podcast from Vox Media and Audible Originals.

Share this story

While the majority of Americans would like to see more clean energy from solar and wind farms — support for new renewable energy projects has started to wane, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey . It also found a drop in interest in electric vehicles following Biden administration policies to slash greenhouse gas emissions and Republican backlash.

The share of people who favor more solar power has dropped from 90 to 78 percent since 2020, the survey found. Support for wind power among survey participants similarly dropped more than 10 percentage points to 72 percent over the past four years. And just 29 percent of adults said they’d consider an EV as their next car purchase, compared to 38 percent last year.

A widening partisan divide on clean energy technologies seems to be driving those changes. The biggest drop in support has been among Republicans in recent years, even though there are differences between how older and younger generations of the GOP view climate change and renewable energy.

The Pew Research Center surveyed 8,638 adults in the US in May of this year. It tries to include participants representative of the US population when it comes to race, ethnicity, gender, education, political affiliation, and more.

The biggest drop in support has been among Republicans in recent years

Back in 2020, 84 percent of Republican survey participants said they’d like to see more solar farms, and 75 percent said they’d favor more wind farms in the US. That support has fallen to 64 and 56 percent, respectively, for solar and wind farms this year. More than 80 percent of Republicans surveyed, compared to 35 percent of Democrats, oppose the Environmental Protection Agency’s new standards for greenhouse gas emissions from tailpipes expected to make more than half of car sales EVs by 2032.

Those shifts in opinion coincide with the Biden administration’s push to incentivize new renewable energy projects since he was elected in 2020. President Biden signed the nation’s biggest investment in climate action and clean energy into law in 2022, the $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) . Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, have tried to slow EV adoption by attempting to roll back tax credits for EVs and block the tailpipe pollution rule.

While many Republican lawmakers have lambasted the IRA investments in EVs and renewables, a lot of the funding it created for clean tech manufacturing is actually flowing into their districts. Of $206 billion in investments so far, $161 billion is slated for projects in Republican districts, according to a recent Bloomberg analysis . Most of that money supports EV and battery manufacturing. A separate analysis by CNN similarly found that nearly 78 percent of IRA investments go to congressional Republican districts.

• Congress votes to advance nuclear energy development in the US

We’ll have to wait and see if that infusion of cash happens to shift Republicans’ views on renewables. But the tides could also turn again with younger Republicans, who are far more optimistic about solar and wind energy than their older counterparts. Only 22 percent of Republicans aged 65 or older in the survey said that expanding renewable energy production should be a priority. In contrast, 67 percent of Republicans between the ages of 18 and 29 said renewable energy ought to be the priority over coal, oil, and gas production. In general, young adults are more likely to think climate change will cause more harm in the US in their lifetime, according to another Pew survey published in October.

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Light green hydrogen will do

• Energy sciences

Whether sustainably produced hydrogen needs to be 100 percent green is currently under debate. Using the production of ammonia and artificial fertiliser as examples, researchers have calculated that "nearly sustainable" hydrogen would be better in the end.

• mode_comment Number of comments

• Researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and ETH Zurich show how hydrogen produced using sustainable electricity can achieve a lot for the climate in production of ammonia and artificial fertilisers.
• Such a reorganisation of the ammonia industry would require large areas of land for solar and wind farms.
• A major impact can already be achieved by focusing primarily, but not exclusively, on renewable power. In the absence of sunshine or wind, electricity generated using fossil fuels could be used as a fallback.

There’s a role for sustainably produced hydrogen in the energy transition, and not only as an energy storage medium or as fuel for lorries. In industry, it could be used wherever hydrogen is already needed today: for example, in the production of ammonia. Worldwide, 180 million tonnes of ammonia are produced every year, mainly for the fertiliser industry. The necessary hydrogen is currently obtained from natural gas, which results in high greenhouse gas emissions and a reliance on gas-exporting countries. Using green hydrogen as a clean alternative would bring the world closer to climate targets and reduce dependency. Green hydrogen is produced using sustainable electricity via a process called electrolysis.

In a study looking at the European ammonia industry, researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and ETH Zurich have now calculated the conditions under which it would be worthwhile to switch ammonia production to green or almost green hydrogen.

Already economically viable in Spain and Norway

Two results stand out. First, in some European countries such as Norway, Spain, Hungary or Poland, ammonia production from green or almost green hydrogen would already make economic sense today. In these countries, generating sustainable electricity from solar or wind energy is particularly cost-effective. This is thanks to these countries’ favourable geographical conditions, as well as state subsidies or generally low electricity costs. The latter means that, in the absence of sunshine or wind, hydrogen production could fall back on cheap power from the grid. As a result, producers here could do without expensive storage solutions for sustainable electricity.

Second, even electricity that isn’t completely fossil-free will still have a thoroughly positive climate impact. According to the study, hydrogen from electrolysis makes sense even if some of the power used isn’t from renewable sources. This gives producers the freedom to switch to electricity from the grid, some of which comes from fossil sources, whenever the sun or wind is in short supply.

One kilogramme of CO 2 would be fine for the climate

The study’s lead author is Stefano Mingolla, a doctoral student at HKUST. He worked for six months in the group led by Giovanni Sansavini, Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich. “If you use almost green hydrogen to produce ammonia, you can achieve a lot very quickly – it’s low-hanging fruit,” Sansavini says. “This is in contrast to other applications, where hydrogen serves merely as energy storage and requires conversion from one form of energy to another. In ammonia production, hydrogen is used directly as a raw material, eliminating the need for inefficient conversions.”

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