Wind turbines have a high carbon footprint

Myth:

Wind turbines have a very high carbon ‘footprint’ – meaning the manufacturing process emits a lot of CO₂. So, it’s a waste of time thinking they can significantly reduce emissions.

Fact:

This claim is simply rubbish! CO₂ emissions do result from the manufacture of wind turbines, but these are dwarfed by the CO₂ saved over the life of those turbines. The IPCC estimates that when manufacture, transportation and use are taken into account, wind turbines emit around 11 grams of CO_2e per kilowatt-hour of electricity they produce. This compares with 490 grams for natural gas and 820 grams for coal. So, wind turbines are 45 times less polluting than gas and 75 times less polluting than coal. And, of course, once they can be produced using only renewables, their carbon footprint will shrink even more.

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Sources:

Christopher Helman, “How green Is wind power, really? A new report tallies up the carbon cost of renewables,” Forbes, 28/4/21

Sara Peach, “What’s the carbon footprint of a wind turbine?,” Yale Climate Connections, 30/6/21

Nik Durga, “Fact Check: Wind turbine energy claim is all spin and no power,” Renew Economy, 4/10/23

Joshua S. Hill, “Vestas rolls out wind turbine towers made from low-emission steel,” Renew Economy, 27/1/24

Rachel Williamson, “Wind turbines pay back life cycle carbon emissions in less than 2 years, NZ study finds,” Renew Economy, 15/5/24