Climate Adaptation
Making Wind Turbines Greener Could Also Make Them More Expensive
Carbon-neutral turbines might raise prices in the short term as companies try to make zero-emission production more cost effective.
Source: Getty Images
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The world’s biggest wind turbine manufacturers have committed to eliminating their net emissions of greenhouse gases, but reducing the carbon footprint of their production process may mean customers have to bear some of the cost.
Global players such as Denmark’s Vestas Wind Systems A/S and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA, its German-Spanish rival, aim to hit an array of sustainability targets in the next decade. These range from building zero-waste turbines to reducing the emissions of their supply chain, posing the challenge of rising costs in a market where margins are already lean.