This post is the first in a series of short explorations on key climate change solutions, inspired by this fantastic list from Project Drawdown.
What are onshore wind turbines?
Onshore wind turbines are a source of energy generation that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity. As opposed to offshore wind turbines which are located on open water, onshore wind turbines are located on land, making them significantly less expensive to install and maintain but also limiting their size compared to offshore turbines.
Onshore wind turbines are one of the fastest growing energy sources in the world globally (~20% CAGR increase in global installed capacity from 2000–2018), and accounted for ~4% of world electricity production in 2018. Project Drawdown estimates that increasing this percentage to 20–27% by 2050 would allow for a 47–147 gigaton reduction in GHG emissions. Onshore wind is the largest non-hydro renewable energy source globally, and generates more electricity than all other non-hydro renewable combined.
Onshore wind turbines are key in reducing GHG emissions as it is a clean energy source with that is already cost-competitive with fossil fuels and can be deployed quickly at scale. Electricity and heat production accounts for ~25% of GHG emissions globally. IRENA estimates that transforming our electricity production to ~86% renewables, along with electrification of heat and transport, would contribute ~75% towards the emissions reductions needed to bring us towards the Paris Agreement goals. Wind power is one of the most technologically and economically viable technologies available in the renewables portfolio, and is therefore a critical piece of the puzzle.
Are we on track to reach 20–27% of electricity production from onshore wind by 2050?
While onshore wind has been growing quickly and is forecast to grow ~8% in annual generation increases through 2024 (IEA), the consensus is that we are not yet on track to reach our goal for 2050. The IEA estimates that we would need annual generation increases of ~12% to reach the target.
What needs to occur to reach the goal?
Currently, onshore wind is already largely at grid parity in terms of cost competitiveness of fossil fuels. While further increases in efficiency and cost reduction would certainly be beneficial, reaching 20–27% of global generation requires developments on several other fronts.
One key barrier to deployment is NIMBYism (not in my backyard), especially in the U.S. where geographies with high wind energy potential also tend to have strong traditions in land-owner rights. Local communities may oppose wind farms and transmission lines near their properties especially on the basis of negative visual impact and noise pollution, leading to political opposition and decreased investment appetite for wind deployment. To meet this challenge, onshore wind developers should make sure to engage with local communities early on and increase education on the benefits on onshore wind. If possible, local communities should receive incentives (e.g., tax credits) to help offset any negative impacts of a wind farm project. Technology improvements to decrease noise pollution could also help in resolving this problem.
The lack of transmission lines for onshore wind is another challenge to increased deployment, particularly in the U.S. Without sufficient transmission to deliver wind energy from its source in more remote locations to areas of higher demand, we see high curtailment for wind energy, where more energy is produced than is used. High curtailment further decreases investment appetite in new large scale wind projects. The lack of sufficient transmission is due in part to local political opposition, related to the problem stated above. Building out transmission also requires greater regulatory coordination between grid operators, utilities, and public utility commissions, which is currently lacking when it comes to developing wind solutions.
Another key to accelerating onshore wind adoption would be technological developments that could help solve the problem of intermittency — in particular, storage. If commercially viable storage solutions for wind (and solar) energy were developed, curtailment would no longer be an issue and the levelized cost of wind energy could decrease below that for fossil fuels, significantly aiding onshore wind adoption.
What can individuals do to help?
In North America, individuals can take several actions:
- Petition governments to support development of wind farm projects and transmission buildouts
- If available, switch home energy usage to a renewables-based portfolio
- Engage in education efforts to increase awareness of the benefits of onshore wind in communities where there is resistance to wind farm deployments
The trajectory of onshore wind deployment has been highly promising to date. We still have a long way to go, but there is certainly cause for optimism.
