Business calculation

high-altitude wind power station vs. fossil energy

The following assumptions were used for the calculation:

Air density 0,413 kg/m3

Total area of all rotor blades 15.700 square meter per wind power stations, this is equal to one onshore wind power systems with a diameter of 140 m

One wind park consists of 30 high-altitude wind power stations

Using diffusors for example a "wind lens turbine" with an factor of 2,2

The costs for a transformer station are not included, because the costs are very different related to the location of the high-altitude wind power station.

Average wind speed in m/s for the period of 2010-2019 in the coordinate

A storage capacity for 6400 MWh will be build, these MWh are sold at a time with higher prices than the average wholesale price. An additional sales price of EUR 20/MWh is assumed in all regions.

Average wholesale price 2023 in EUR for the power of the wind park, 100 % of the produced power can be sold, there is no surcharge of the wholesale price, related to a less using of the national grid, because the high-altitude wind power stations can be placed everywhere.

The investment amount for 30 high-altitude wind power stations is 141,6 Mio EUR.

This includes only the costs for the high-altitude wind power station and not for the additional transformer station for the connection to the net grid of the country.

Estimated future production cost of electricity from fossil energy

Most of the countries with a lot of CO2 production are starting a program to reduce it.

For example, the European Union, China, Japan, Korea, some states of the USA, Australia,…

Overall, in the average the goal is to reduce the CO2 of 20 – 30 % until 2030.

In a second step CO2 are published certificates with the right to emit CO2.

For example, the European Union, China, Japan, Korea, California, Québec, New York, Massachusetts, Australia, …

The value of these certificates is traded at a stock exchange.

The sales of these stock exchanges increase related to information’s of the ICAP (International Carbon Action Partnership) from 5 701 Mio. USD in 2016 to 74 000 Mio. USD in 2023 and covers 18% of the whole GHG (Greenhouse Gases) emission.

In the next years it will be necessary to buy CO2 certificate at a stock exchange, if you want to emit CO2.

This will lead to increasing prices for emit CO2 and increasing prices for fossil power stations to produce power.

In detail if a fossil power station is producing power from a brown coal power station or a stone coal power station and the same for a gas-fired plant, it is necessary to buy CO2 certificates, for producing power.

These additional, increasing costs must be calculated, for example a stone coal power station generates 0,9 kg/kWh CO2, a brown coal power station generates 0,8 kg/kWh and a gas power station with 0,5 kg/kWh.

The table below shows the average price of the certificates and the expenses for the production of one MWh:

As you can see the production costs having a big impact from the CO2 costs.

In the future the price of fossil energy is increasing.

Remark:

In this calculation only the fuel costs are used for the variable costs, no other costs are added.

At the moment some countries, for example Germany have a law to reduce the CO2 price.