Abstract: The life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied to analyze each stage of a wind turbine including manufacturing of raw materials and transportation, building, use and dismantling of the equipment, and environmental load of various stages was calculated respectively. The environmental load was described by indexes of global warm potentiality (GWP) and acidification potentiality(AP), and the wind turbine and a coal generator were compared and analyzed. Taken Wanghai Temple wind farm in Shenyang as a case study, the results showed that, during a life cycle of the wind turbine (average 20 years), the larger environmental load processes are the manufacture of raw materials and construction, operation and maintenance of power stations, and in contrast to a coal generator, the wind turbine can reduce 3.96 t standard coal, 9.77 t CO2, 0.050 t NOx and 0.02 t SO2 for a 10 MW·h, and its GWP and AP will be 1.08% and 3.12% of a coal generator, respectively. However, it destroyed a large number of ecological resources in construction process. Hence, the environmental protection measures will be further strengthened, and it is important to minimize the damage to ecological resources.