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How Much Can Small-Scale Wind Energy Production Contribute to Energy Supply in Cities? A Case Study of Berlin

Author

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  • Alina Wilke

    (Department of Macroeconomic Theory and Policy, Schumpeter School of Business and Economics, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, 42119 Wuppertal, Germany)

  • Zhiwei Shen

    (Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany)

  • Matthias Ritter

    (Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany)

Abstract

In light of the global effort to limit the temperature rise, many cities have undertaken initiatives to become climate-neutral, making decentralized urban energy production more relevant. This paper addresses the potential of urban wind energy production with small wind turbines, using Berlin as an example. A complete framework from data selection to economic feasibility is constructed to enable the empirical assessment of wind energy for individual buildings and Berlin as a whole. Based on a detailed dataset of all buildings and hourly wind speed on a 1 km 2 grid, the results show that multiple turbines on suitable buildings can significantly contribute to households’ energy consumption but fall short of covering the full demand. For individual households, our economic evaluation strongly recommends the self-consumption of the produced electricity. The findings suggest that while the use of small wind turbines should be continuously encouraged, exploring other renewable resources or combination of wind and photovoltaic energy in the urban environment remains important.

Suggested Citation

  • Alina Wilke & Zhiwei Shen & Matthias Ritter, 2021. "How Much Can Small-Scale Wind Energy Production Contribute to Energy Supply in Cities? A Case Study of Berlin," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-20, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:17:p:5523-:d:628975
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    References listed on IDEAS

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