Comparative Environmental and Economic Assessment of Wind Turbine Blade Materials

Year : 2026 | Volume : 14 | Special Issue 02 | Page : 91 99
    By

    Abinash Singh,

  • Preetinder Singh,

  • Gurinder Singh,

  • Dinesh Bhardwaj,

  • Runesh Bhardwaj,

  • Abhishek Gandhar,

  1. Associate Professor, University Centre for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India
  2. Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics Engineering, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India
  3. Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics Engineering, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India
  4. Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science Engineering, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India
  5. Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science Engineering, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India
  6. Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Engineering, New Delhi, India

Abstract

Wind energy has proven to be one of the most stable and non-polluting renewable energy sources to mass power production. For energy production wind turbine is an essential part of the wind power plant. The choice of the blade material and coating applied on it has a strong impact on aerodynamic performance, mechanical strength, fatigue life, manufacturing possibility, and environmental effects throughout the operating life of the turbine. Hence, authors have attempted to perform the comparative analysis using MATLAB/SIMULINK and include performance, costing, sustainability analysis, along with carbon emission analysis of the five recently developed material combinations i.e. Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) with Polyurethane, CFRP with Composite, Steel with Epoxy, Aluminium Alloy with Fluoropolymer, and Wood Epoxy with Polyurethane for operating scenario of average wind speed. The findings have shown that despite the superior stiffness-to-weight ratio and aerodynamic performance of the CFRP-based blades, they have the most negative impact on the environment with the yearly carbon emissions of 3321.98 tons mostly attributed to the energy-consumption manufacturing processes. Conversely the polyurethane covered wood-epoxy blade has the least carbon footprint of just 34.77 tons per annum and has a great cost savings. Implications of the findings are obvious, as material sustainability and not performance in itself should become one of the most important prerequisites in the design of next-generation wind turbine blades. The work can be of great help to researchers, manufacturers and policy makers who are interested in creating wind energy systems that balance efficiency, cost and environmental responsibility.

Keywords: Wind energy, wind turbine, turbine blade, sustainability, turbine material, clean energy.

[This article belongs to Special Issue under section in Journal of Polymer & Composites (jopc)]

How to cite this article:
Abinash Singh, Preetinder Singh, Gurinder Singh, Dinesh Bhardwaj, Runesh Bhardwaj, Abhishek Gandhar. Comparative Environmental and Economic Assessment of Wind Turbine Blade Materials. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(02):91-99.
How to cite this URL:
Abinash Singh, Preetinder Singh, Gurinder Singh, Dinesh Bhardwaj, Runesh Bhardwaj, Abhishek Gandhar. Comparative Environmental and Economic Assessment of Wind Turbine Blade Materials. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(02):91-99. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jopc/article=2026/view=239530


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Special Issue Subscription Original Research
Volume 14
Special Issue 02
Received 29/01/2026
Accepted 17/02/2026
Published 31/03/2026
Publication Time 61 Days
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