Minimum CO2 Saving Requirement for the Hydraulic-Pneumatic Flywheel System in the Rotor of a Wind Turbine

Researchers in the wind sector continuously aim to lower mechanical and structural loads on wind turbines to reduce the amount of material used in their components. One such innovative concept that is being investigated here is the integration of a flywheel system into rotor blades. In contrast to its intended aim of reducing the material usage and thereby CO2 emissions, the flywheel system in its implementation requires additional materials, which increases the carbon footprint considerably. Hence, to achieve a net CO2 saving, the CO2 expenditure of the additional components needs to be saved by the system as a minimum. The purpose of this work is to quantify the rise in CO2 emissions, caused by the installation of the flywheel system, relative to the original design. Thereby, the flywheel system’s minimal performance requirement for an exemplary wind turbine is defined.