Korean Chemical Engineering Research

The Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers (한국화학공학회)
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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the Wind Turbine : A case study of Korea Yeongdeok Wind Farm

한국 영덕 풍력단지 사례 연구를 통한 풍력 발전의 환경 영향 평가

  • Jun Heon, Lee (Division of Creative Convergernce Engineering, Dongguk University, WISE Campus) ;
  • Jun Hyung, Ryu (Division of Creative Convergernce Engineering, Dongguk University, WISE Campus)
  • 이준헌 (동국대학교 WISE 캠퍼스 창의융합공학부) ;
  • 류준형 (동국대학교 WISE 캠퍼스 창의융합공학부)
  • Received : 2022.07.04
  • Accepted : 2022.07.22
  • Published : 2023.02.01
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Abstract

As the importance of the environment has been recognized worldwide, the need to calculate and reduce carbon emissions has been drawing an increasing attention throughout various industrial sections. Thereby the discipline of LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) involving raw material preparation, production processes, transportation and installation has been established. There is a clear research gap between the need and the practice for Korean Case of renewable energy industry, particularly wind power. To bridge the gap, this study conducted LCA research on wind power generation in the Korean area of Yeongdeok, an example of a domestic onshor wind power complex using SimaPro, which is the most widely used LCA system. As a result of the study, the energy recovery period (EPT) of one wind turbine is about 10 months, and the GHG emitted to generate power of 1 kwh is 15 g CO2/kWh, which is competitive compared to other energy sources. In the environmental impact assessment by component, the results showed that the tower of wind turbines had the greatest impact on various environmental impact sectors. The experience gained in this study can be further used in strengthening the introduction of renewable energy and reducing the carbon emission in line with reducing climate change.

전세계적으로 환경의 중요성이 부각되면서, 원재료 준비, 생산 공정, 운송 및 설치 등 산업 전체 기간에 걸친 기후 변화 주요 물질인 탄소 배출량을 계산하고, 저감해야 한다는 필요성이 강조되고 있다. 이를 전과정평가(Life Cycle Assessment, LCA)라 정의되면서 전세계적으로 다양한 산업들에 시도되고 있다. 국내에도 일부 관련 시도들이 있었지만, 국내 재생에너지 산업에 대해서는 거의 발표되지 않았다. 이러한 연구 중요성에도 불구하고, 부진한 관련 연구의 격차를 메꾸기 위해 본 연구는 국내 육상 풍력발전 단지의 한 사례인 경북 영덕 발전에 대하여 LCA 연구를 관련 시스템 중 가장 많이 사용되는 SimaPro를 이용하여 수행하였다. 연구 결과 풍력 터빈 1대의 에너지 회수기간(EPT)는 약 10개월이며, 1 kwh의 전력을 생산하는데 배출되는 온실가스 배출량(Green House Gas, GHG,)는 15 g CO2/kWh로 다른 에너지원과 비교해서 경쟁력 있음을 보였다. 부품 별 환경 영향 평가에서는 풍력 터빈의 타워가 여러 환경 영향 부문에 영향이 가장 크다는 결과를 보였다. 본 연구에서 얻어진 경험은 향후 신재생 에너지 보급 및 확대 정책의 강화와 대중의 인식 제고에 도움이 될 것이라고 사료된다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

이 논문은 2020년도 한국연구재단의 기초연구사업(No. 2020R1-I1A3A04038008)의 지원을 받았음. 류준형은 2020년 동국대학교 DG선진연구강화사업에서 일부 지원을 받았음.

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