How Much Copper Is Used In A Wind Farm?
In 2006, CDA asked Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL) to evaluate the use of copper in renewable energy sources. ORNL conducted an analysis on the Buffalo Mountain Wind Farm run by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and developed the following information.
The Buffalo Mountain Wind Farm has two types of turbines, Vestas Model V47 and Vestas Model V80. For the Vesta V47, a 660-kW turbine, the windings in the system total approximately 800 lb of copper. There are three of these turbines. Three 2/0 cables each 270 ft long connect the generator at the top of the tower to the controller below. Approximately 100 lb of copper busing are located at the base. In addition, the control cabinet contains about 300 lb of various small gauge wires. Each tower has a grounding system that consists of a 1/0 copper cable that runs the length of the tower. Several circular rings of this cable surround the tower. The base of the tower is about 39 ft. Three 20 ft long copper grounding rods, about 1/2” in diameter are associated with each tower.
There are 15 V80 turbines rated at 1.8 MW each. The cable connection is 4/0. The transfer cabinet contains about 15 lb of copper. From the transfer cabinet, either 2/0 or 3/0 cable conveys the energy underground to a switch yard or collection point. From there, aluminum overhead transmission cable distributes the energy away from the farm.
Obviously, the outstanding conductivity and durability of copper help make wind energy generation efficient and reliable. As the U.S. begins to focus more attention on renewable energy sources, copper will play an important role.