Renewable energy for Kalbarri

The Geraldton Guardian, Page: 3
Wednesday, 31 May 2006

HALF of Kalbarri's energy requirements will be supplied through the construction of a $3.8m two-turbine wind farm this year. The project was announced by Energy Minister Francis Logan on Monday as part of an $18m expansion of the Renewable Remote Power Generation Program (RRPGP), which will see rebates offered to small and medium sized renewable energy systems in rural areas on the fringe of the main electricity grid. Mr Logan said having the turbines would provide a more reliable power source for Kalbarri, which was known tor Us questionable supply.

"They are two Enercon wind turbines. 800 kilowatts each; webelieve they will certainly go a long way to providing stability for power supply in Kalbarri. " he said. "There is no guarantee the wind will blow all the time and they will get consistent power, but nevertheless it will certainly add to the reliability.

"They are going to be located, webelieve, south of Kalbairi, the actual site of location is still under negation with the shire there. "Mr Logan said when the power generaied by the new turbines was not being absorbed by Kalbarri, it would be fed back into the main grid so communities on the line to Kalbarri would also benefit from a more stable electricity supply. "I'd imagine construction will start before the end of the year, in terms of when the power will be connected. " he added.

Mr Logan saidhedidnot expect opposition from Kalbarrire sidents to the project. "The Walkaway wind site has been very successful and the embracing of renewable energy by the Mid West is fantastic. " he said. "Even if there is some concern about the location, and we haven't had feedback that there is, I think people in town will always come down to having consistent and reliable energy."

The RRPGP is a joint State and Federal Government initiative funded through the diesel fuel excise scheme. Kalbarri is the first major project under an expansion and extension program.

Investors turn green with energy

The Australian Financial Review, Page: 27
Wednesday, 31 May 2006

Melting ice caps, the rising incidence of natural disasters and soaring oil prices are pointing some savvy investors in the direction of green energy. Uranium stocks have been among the biggest beneficiaries of the drive to find alternative sources of energy, buoyed by Prime Minister John Howard signing a deal to sell the mineral to China, and a potential agreement with India. But not everyone is buying in to that story. Some fund managers won't touch the industry with a barge pole on the grounds that it is highly speculative.

Luckily, uranium is not the only alternative to coal, gas and oil. Governments around the world are promoting renewable energy from sources such as wind and water as a means of reducing greenhouse emissions. Furthermore, they are setting targets for renewable energy. China has set a 15 per cent target for renewable energy by 2020. In Australia, Victoria is expected to pass laws setting a 10 per cent target for renewable energy.

South Australia has a 15 per cent target, while nearly half the US states, including California, have imposed mandatory targets. All of a sudden, water, wind arid sun are looking like attractive investments. In Victoria the government's plans have encouraged energy companies such as Lakes Oil to tender for 31 exploration permits to find Victoria's geothermal hot spots. According to the Total Environment Centre, 12 per cent of Australia's electricity comes from renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass, wave and tidal power.

Australian Wind Energy Association (Auswind) president Andrew Richards, thinks wind power is leading the way. "Most low-emission solutions being contemplated require technological breakthroughs and are still many years away from commercial deployment," he says. "In contrast, wind energy does not need to be invented, nor is there any need to wait for a magical technological breakthrough. It is already being deployed on a global scale.

"There is certainly room for growth in the sector. According to Auswind, total installed wind energy capacity in Australia was 572 megawatts at the end of last year, compared with 6750MW in the US, 3000MW in India, 991MW in Japan, 769MW in China and 71MW in South Korea. Australia's biggest fund manager, Colonial First State, has invested in the $850 million Babcock & Brown Wind Partners Group, which has stakes in 16 wind farms in North America, Europe and Australia. The listed group's market value increased $180 million between October and December, prompting a hefty $33 million payment in performance fees to its parent company, Babcock & Brown.

Trading at 38 times forecast earnings for 2007, BBWG's share price closed at $1.585 on Monday. Investment banks JP Morgan and UBS have both set a target price of $1.90.Their recommendations are "overweight" and "neutral" respectively.

CFS's head of Australian equities, Simon Shields, says, "We're not Ethical Investors. We look for businesses that are sustainable and on these merits we invest." Despite the potential for green energy, not all companies in the sector are having a good time. Tasmanian company Roaring 40s recently halted development of its $180 million Waterloo Wind Farm, 30 kilometres south-east of Clare.

The company, a joint venture between Asian power developer CLP Group and government business enterprise Hydro Tasmania, blamed the federal government's mandatory renewable energy target scheme. The scheme offers financial incentives for establishing clean and green energy but the targets - which require suppliers to source 2 per cent of their power from renewable sources - have almost been met. The executive director of the Australian Business Council for Continued Sustainable Energy, Ric Brazzale, last week called on the government to reset the targets." The missing link in getting private sector investment into developing and deploying clean energy technologies has been an incentive for companies to do so.

Clearly, something more than 'business as usual' needs to be done if Australia is to play its part in tackling climate change," he said. Until the sector gets more subsidies, investors should take Shields's advice and pick a potentially sustainable business. For investors who prefer wind power, two listed companies to note are Jackgreen and Viridis Clean Energy Group. Sydney-based Jackgreen sells electricity in NSW, Victoria and South Australia entirely sourced from wind farms and hydro generators.

Despite a slow start after a backdoor listing in December 2004, it finally received its financial services licence in March last year. While it has had to draw on the support of its institutional investor, Babcock & Brown, and raise a further S2.09 million, Jackgreen has a unique selling point: its renewable energy costs the consumer no more than its coal-based cousins. Since March last year, Jackgreen has signed up 10,000 households for three years and hopes to provide electricity for 100,000 homes by June next year.

The shares, which listed at 20c before falling to 7c last year, closed on Monday at 40c. A fund manager who did not wish to be named says: "Jackgreen's equal [pricing] strategy has been expensive but it gives people what they want." In 2004, Jackgreen surveyed 3000 households and more than 90 per cent said they would sign up to green energy if it cost them no more than other energy. The analyst says: "The issue is that Origin and others have to generate green energy anyway to meet the government's 2 per cent target and they then charge the customer more for it.

"Jackgreen forecasts a net profit after tax in the vicinity of $5 million for 2006-07. One analyst says it's difficult to project the company's price-earnings ratio. The wind is blowing in the right direction for Viridis, which floated in September at $1 per share after raising $126 million. The group, which is 8 percent owned by Investors Mutual, has a strong following because of the high yields it generates from its wind farms, landfill gas and other renewable energy projects in the US and Europe.

Undeterred by its $ 1.2 million first half net loss, Viridis plans to accumulate $100 million in clean energy investments over the next 12 months. Its shareholders are also buoyed by the company's maiden distribution of 2.5$ a share on March 31 and promises of a 7.1$ dividend in 2005-06 and 9.5$ in 2006-07. Trading on a high forecast multiple of 78 times, Viridis closed at 90c on Monday.

ABN Amro analyst Nicholas Burgess recommends buying the shares at $1.17. There are also opportunities elsewhere. The official sales process for the $2.5 billion float of Snowy Hydro is under way.

The company, which recently appointed Sydney Futures Exchange chair Rick Holliday-Smithas its chairman, hopes to raise more than $2.5 billion. The Snowy Mountains hydroelectric scheme generates clean and renewable energy through 31 hydro and six gas-fired units and has a licence to store and divert water from the Snowy River catchmentuntil 2079. One analyst says: "We expect there will be strong demand for the shares."

NSW Finance Minister John Delia Bosca has said the float has been timed to coincide with Snowy Hydro's plans for capital expansion into the national electricity market. The NSW government, which owns 58 per cent of Snowy Hydro, stands to pocket at least $1.5 billion from the sale. The Victorian government owns a 29 per cent stake and the federal government 13 per cent.

Meanwhile, New Zealand electricity generator and retailer Trust-Power has enjoyed a 34 per cent increase in its share price over the last year. It recently posted fullyear net profits of SNZ81.4 million ($68.2 million) to end-March against SNZ73.2 million a year ago.

TrustPower has 18 hydro schemes and two wind farms located on the North and South islands. Total annual output is about 2000 gigawatt-hours, compared to a retail load of 4700 GWh. About 55 per cent of this load is fixed-tariff customers, with the rest on variable rates, where TrustPower manages the load for mainly industrial customers. UBS analyst Wade Gardiner says the "strong fourth quarter was due to high wholesale price exposure".

Gardiner says in a research note: "In our view, the company's key risk is fluctuations in wholesale electricity prices at times when it is inadequately hedged." TrustPower, which is trading at 22 times forecast earnings, closed at SNZ6.90 on Monday. Infratil and Alliant have effective control, with a combined share of 59 per cent.

Gardiner recommends investors "reduce" their shareholdings and his target price is SNZ6.50. Other listed renewable energy companies that have been on the radar of investors include Geodynamics, which develops renewable geothermal energy from hot dry rocks, and Environmental Solutions International, which treats water and waste water. Biodiesel fuel companies Australian Biodiesel Group, Australian Renewable Fuels and Mission Biofuels have also caught the attention of investors.

Mission Biofuels listed in May and has a 100,000 tonne per annum biodiesel refinery in Kuantan Port, Malaysia. It recently received permission to establish a 200,000 tonne per annum facility adjacent to its present site. "We expect there will be strong demand for the Snowy Hydro shares."

Don’t be complacent warns Hatton

South Coast Register, Page: 2
Monday, 29 May 2006
By JUNE WEBSTER

IT WAS deja vu for former State Member for South Coast John Hatton when he heard of the latest push for a nuclear power plant in Jervis Bay "People should not be complacent about this issue," Mr Hatton said. "The last time we dealt with the Atomic Energy Commission they lied and prevaricated that was my experience. "I'm surprised that the Government is expecting people to trust them on this issue."

"The last time a nuclear power plant was proposed in 1970 and I was shire president at the time the only way council found out about it was through leaked information," he said. "This current situation is almost a replay of 1970." Back then we had a Prime Minister who was determined that it was going to happen and there was no debate," he said. "This time however the Prime Minister has control of the Senate whereas in 1970 he didn't," "I don't care what Jo Gash says, if the Feds want to put the nuclear power plant in Jervis Bay then they will put it there," Mr Hatton said.

Mr Hatton said it takes 10 years to build a nuclear plant so it's not a short-term option "It is more expensive than solar or wind power or coal-fired power stations," he said. "Australia has the leading technology in the world on solar power so a mix between solar and wind power and use of crop residues would all be far more economical than atomic power."

Mr Hatton said he was genuinely puzzled why the Federal Government with its huge surplus did not put more money into developing alternative power sources. "One thing people forget about is that when nuclear plants reach their use-by date no one knows what to do with them," he said. "If you include the cost of clean-up at the end of the life of a power station it's way over the top." he said.

'Climate of fear' in solar research

The Canberra Times, Page: 3
Tuesday, 30 May 2006

Australia's renewable energy researchers are operating in a "climate of fear", causing loss of expertise and tipping a former worldleading industry into decline, a leading scientist says. Murdoch University Professor of Energy Studies Dr Phillip Jennings said scientists were fearful of losing research grants if they were perceived as criticising Federal Government policies on renewable energy or climate change "They're afraid of being victimised because they have seen it happen to colleagues who have spoken up about government funding cuts to renewables research, " he said. Former federal energy policy adviser and whistleblower Guy Pearce has also called for "independent and credible economic research" to inform the Government's policy on energy options and climate change. "It's important to understand that some of the same interests who have persuaded our government to avoid emission cuts domestically also have an interest in domestic nuclear power.

Our two biggest uranium producers are also in the coal and aluminium business, " Professor Pearce told a coastal environment forum in Queensland last week. Professor Jennings said Australia had been a pioneer and world leader in solar technology since the 1940s, but was rapidly losing its leadership status as research programs were closed and scientists moved overseas to take up lucrative research opportunities in Europe, China and Japan. "Australia has already lost solar thermal technology to China because there were no funds for its commercialisation. It would have created an industry worth at least $1 billion, but that's gone now.

"Because of the work that was being done at CSIRO, we led the world in solar water heater technology. Their design was the base for subsequent heaters, but because of the Government's short-sighted views on renewable energy, we've lost that lead now to Israel and Greece. "Professor Jennings said the Federal Government had progressively stripped solar energy of research funding, closing the Energy Research and Development Corporation and the Cooperative Research Centre for Renewable Energy. There were now only two solar energy research centres - at the Australian National University and the University of New South Wales - despite Australia's strong international track record of innovative solar technology.

Federal Environment Minister Senator Ian Campbell was travelling in Western Australia yesterday and unavailable for comment. Science Minister Julie Bishop was also unavailable. Greens energy spokeswoman Senator Christine Milne said solar energy researchers had been progressively shut out of national debate on climate change by the Government because "there are thought to be not enough dollars for the big end of town in solar energy". She said Australia was already losing ground to China, which had set a 15 per cent target for achieving uptake of renewable energy.

China's first billionaire, Dr Zhengrong Shi, a graduate of the University of NSW's renewable energy centre, had recently donated funds to help support renewable energy research at the university "because he felt it was not getting an appropriate level of government support", Senator Milne said. The Chinese billionaire and founder of Suntech Power returned to China in 2001 to set up a company to make photovoltaic cells for use in solar panels. In 2005, he listed his $296 million company on the New York stock exchange, and its market cap has since soared to $7.2 billion.

A recent report to the World Bank by six leading scientists has recommended active and continued support for solar thermal technology claiming it could play "a more significant role" than wind farms in achieving deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. The World Bank report supports claims made in a confidential report by the Cooperative Research Centre for Coal in Sustainable Development that solar thermal technology is capable of producing Australia's entire electricity demand.

Editorial - Australasian Science

Australasian Science, Page: 1
Saturday, 27 May 2006

Over the past decade Australia has enjoyed an unprecedented economic boom. Government coffers are awash with revenue, leading Treasurer Peter Costello to announce $37 billion in income tax cuts last month. Even with this year's largesse, a significant surplus has been forecast for the coming financial year. Past surplus forecasts have proved to be conservative, leading analysts to predict that the government's swelling kitty will be used in next year's Budget to bribe the electorate in the lead-up to the 2007 federal election.

While last month's Budget included $590 million in new funding for medical research over 4 years - a winner with the public - other areas of science were not invited to the party (see p. 13). While medical research makes voters feel good about the taxes they pay, such research needs to be underpinned by basic research in the enabling sciences. However, these have been left to wither.

Australia's expenditure on R&D as a percentage of GDP has been stagnant over the decade-long term of the Howard government, and has slipped to 16th in the OECD as other nations set ambitious targets. When the government's Backing Australia's Ability 2 program expires in 2011, countries like Canada will be spending twice as much as Australia according to this measure. If Australia can't invest for the future during these times of sustained prosperity, how will it do so when there is a downturn in the economy? Last month's Budget lacked the vision required to set Australia up for the decades ahead. The present commodities boom may have paid for today's tax cuts, but where will the revenue streams come from when the bust comes? Where is the vision to foster the industries of the future? A case in point is the government's trenchant support for the coal industry.

While research into "clean coal" technologies has received massive support, the lights have been turned out on several renewable energy research programs. For example, renewable energy company Roaring 40s last month halted work on wind energy projects worth $550 million because the government's 2% Mandatory Renewable Energy Target has not been increased. The target has almost been reached, and an increase is necessary to drive the young industry further. Roaring 40s recently announced a $300 million wind farm deal with China, which has a renewable energy target of 15%.

The company says the wind power industry will collapse without an extension of the MRET scheme.

Aussie companies get wind of perfect energy solution

The Canberra Times, Page: 24
Friday, 26 May 2006

IN the past 200 years, the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) has dramatically increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. There is now strong scientific evidence that this increase in greenhouse gas levels is causing an acceleration of the greenhouse effect, causing irreversible climate change. Scientists predict that the average global temperature will increase by up to two degrees celsius by 2030, and by as much as six degrees by 2070. Given that a rise of less than half of one degree produces dramatic ecosystem changes, the potential impacts of global warming could be devastating.

Extreme weather fluctuations such as droughts, storms, floods, heat waves and hail are already more frequent and more severe. There is a pressing need for Australia to pursue less harmful ways of producing the energy we need. Several renewable energy companies are now choosing to generate electricity from non-polluting wind and water. These are business decisions, guided by economic, social and environmental considerations that have delivered sustained profit growth, the avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as significant benefits to local communities.

Wind energy consumes nothing and produces no pollution. It does not cause irreversible and unknown damage to the climate or to the environment. Likewise, it is immune from long term price volatility and will never be a terrorist target. The USA, Canada, India, China and many European nations are leading the way in wind power, with the US planning to install 3,000MW of new wind generation this year alone - that's more than four times the total capacity of all Australian wind farms.

Wind energy has zero fuel price risk, zero fuel costs and extremely low running costs. Its fuel is free and endless. As electricity prices rise, wind energy is an obvious choice for the economic security of Australia's energy supply. The cost of wind energy for the consumer is currently up to twice the cost of fossil fuel generated electricity, but with economies of scale and fossil fuel costs rising, wind energy will be cost-competitive within 10-15 years.

If the cost of environmental and health pollution caused by greenhouse gas emissions were factored in, wind energy would be cost-competitive with fossil-fuels today. So how does a windmill make electricity? Wind generator blades rotate due to a pressure differential caused by air moving over the surface of the blade. The blades cause a rotor to turn, which drives an electrical generator; just as steam drives a generator in a coal-fired or nuclear power station. The turbines used in Australian wind farms are 'smart machines' which require minimal maintenance.

Interestingly, most of Australia's wind farms are subject to hot northerly winds on summer days when the power system faces the biggest demand, largely due to the use of large numbers of air conditioners. On those days, wind farms contribute energy when it is needed the most. Opponents of windfarms say that the generators pose a threat to native birdlife, however, studies from Canada, Denmark and the US show that the total impact on wildlife from wind farms is negligible compared to the impact from road traffic. Wind energy's supporters also point to the thousands of species that will face extinction due to climate change in coming years if pollution-free energy systems are not adopted.

Australian wind farms are required to undertake detailed flora and fauna studies during their planning process to ensure minimal environmental impact during planning, construction and operation. The Australian Wind Energy Association, Auswind, has internationally-recognised Best Practice guidelines which its members follow in all stages of wind farm development. Wind farming is also popular with farmers, because well over 90% of their land can continue to be used for growing crops or grazing livestock. Wind energy is one of the most responsible energy sources, and Australia is well placed to take advantage of this finite resource.

It will not be the answer to all our future energy needs, but the Australian Greenhouse Office has found that the national electricity market can comfortably support 8, 000 MW of wind power, which is more than 10 times our current level. And all this without producing any pollution. It is no doubt time for Australians to realise that wind energy is more than a load of hot air. Our future depends on it.

Venture Capital Wakes Up To Envirobusiness

Ethical Investor, Page: 17
Wednesday, 24 May 2006

Cleantech is the new buzzword flying around the venture capital world and is broadly defined as manufacturing processes or product technologies that reduce pollution or waste, energy use, or materialuse in comparison to the technologies that they replace. Examples include such innovative and expanding technologies as solar photovoltaics, wind power, hybrid electric vehicles, fuel cells, biobased materials and advance water filtration. Increasingly, financial investors are taking more of an interest in the emerging ideas and efficiencies of cleantech. No longer is it just a matter of complying with the latest regulation - businesses are now seeing the financial benefits of such investments, which is clearly reflected in the growth of clean energy markets.

There has, without doubt, been an elevation in the importance and urgency of clean technology, making it one of the fastest growing sectors in the world. US research has identified 4 key cleantech growth areas. Biofuels (global manufacturing and wholesale pricing of ethanol and biodiesel) will grow from US$15. 7 billion in 2005 to US$52. 5 billion by 2015. ASX listed companies leading the way include Australian Ethanol (ASX: AAE), Australian Renewable Fuels (ASX: ARW) and Australian Biodiesel Group (ASX: ABJ).

Wind power (new installation capital costs) will expand from US$11. 8 billion in 2005 to US$48. 5 billion in 2015, including Babcock & Brown Wind Partners (ASX:BBW) which has successfully grown from a single asset private investment vehicle to a listed fund with a portfolio of wind energy assets diversified across Europe, North America and Australia. Solar photovoltaics (including modules, system components and installation) will grow from a US$11. 2 billion industry in 2005 to US$51. 1 billion by 2015. Australian company Solar Heat and Power Pty Ltd builds the world's lowest cost large scale solar concentrators.

The fuel cell and distributed hydrogen market will growfrom US$1. 2 billion last year to US$15. 1 billion by 2015. Ceramic Fuels Cells Ltd (ASX:CFU), for example, has a unique fuel cell design based on work done within the CSIRO, from which the Company spun off in 1992 with the support of many contributing partners before listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2004. In that time, they have improved the design, systems and product configuration of their solid oxide fuel cells, whilst winning an international reputation in their field.

It is estimated that these 4 clean-energy technologies will grow fourfold within the next decade. We have seen increased interest by major corporations in adopting cleantech to drive productivity and reduce waste and the emergence of experienced management teams, who introduce innovative business techniques, assist in building investor confidence in the emerging cleantech sector. Global resource constraints and increased concern for climate change have played a major role in positioning clean technologies for sustained growth. The energy demands of the 2 new economic powerhouses, China and India, are stretching existing power sources to their limits.

Water shortages are prompting investment in water treatment and recycling technologies. The soaring prices of oil and gas have led to producers and users searching for new technologies. The advancement of new technologies has helped drive down wind energy production costs by 80% over the last 20 years and solar power has dropped to one-tenth the cost it was during the 1970s, while new technologies and innovations are proliferating. At the same time new, credible scientific evidence of climate change and its impacts has greatly increased community, government and corporate pressure to reduce co2 emissions.

Venture Capital (VC) and private equity activity in cleantech, the form of both dedicated cleantech funds and mainstream venture capital firms, has been a key contributor to this growth. US VC investing in clean energy has increased over 80% as a portion of total VC investment over the past 5 years to over US$900m in 2005. The Australian VC and private equity industry is showing signs of following suit. In Australia there are 2 dedicated cleantech venture capital funds, of which CVC Sustainable Investments Limited is open to retail investors.

To complete the story, other Australian mainstream venture capital firms are now allocating dedicated resources to the cleantech sector.

World to get 6C hotter: report

The West Australian, Page: 1
Wednesday, 24 May 2006

Global temperatures will rise by three times as much as many scientists have estimated, resulting in irrevocable changes for life on Earth, according to advice to the Federal Government, arming it with new ammunition to support nuclear power in Australia. Senior Government ministers lined up yesterday to spruik the benefits of nuclear power as a solution to global warming, despite repeated denials from green groups and energy experts that it was a saviour. The Government released a report it commissioned from the Australian National University, showing global warming would push temperatures up by as much as 5.8C within 90 years.

It was previously thought the rise would be at the lower end of a range between 1.4C and 5.8C. As a result, the world could expect more extreme weather, having greater effects on human health, the destruction of species and rising sea levels.

The findings were backed by research in the US, which also predicted a vicious cycle of greenhouse gases leading to high temperatures and warmer weather and causing the natural release of more greenhouse gases. The Australia Institute, a leftwing think tank, said Port Stephens, in NSW, and Westernport Bay, in Victoria, were ideal locations for nuclear power plants. Australia Institute executive director Clive Hamilton said any site for a nuclear plant had to be on the coast to provide cooling water and close to power lines, transport and major urban centres. He rejected suggestions he was being foolhardy in naming sites, saying:"The Prime Minister said he wants a national debate and you can't have a debate about it in the abstract. You can't have a nuclear industry unless you have plants somewhere."

John Howard will face pressure to outline plans for an inquiry into nuclear power, which he is expected to announce after he returns to Australia tomorrow. Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said it could be argued that Australia's uranium exports effectively neutralised its greenhouse emissions. But University of New South Wales institute of environmental studies senior lecturer Mark Diesendorf said nuclear power was no more efficient in producing energy than coal and both were less efficient than wind.

He said nuclear power added to demand for coal-fired power because it required the vast amounts of existing energy such as coal to build nuclear plants and to mine uranium.

Challenge to cut energy use

Bunbury Herald, Page: 5
Tuesday, 23 May 2006

A UNIQUE energy challenge which will see four South West schools endeavour to cut back their energy consumption by 20 per cent within five years was launched last week. Wind turbines and solar panels will be installed at Dalyellup Primary School, Amaroo Primary School and Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School with solar panels being installed at Bunbury Primary School in an effort to cut back on the use of fossil fuels. The schools will also focus on energy-saving practises as part of the Worsley Alumina Energy Challenge. Curtin University will undertake research into the technical performance of the energy installations while Edith Cowan University will research theeducational and social aspects of the energy challenge.

ECU education lecturer and research supervisor Sandra Wooltorton said the research would look at the long-term sustainability of the project and how projects such as this could be maintained to ensure they remained viable over the long-term. Worsley Alumina health, safety and environment manager Gerry Riyner said the challenge had been in the works for 12 months and was the first step towards addressing energy consumption issues and finding more efficient ways to use energy. The wind turbines and solar panels will be funded by Worsley Alumina and are expected to be installed later in the year.

Too dear, too slow: report

The Australian Financial Review, Page: 8
Tuesday, 23 May 2006

Nuclear power is twice the price of coal, more costly than renewable technologies and not the answer to climate change, say environmental groups and a leading energy modeller. As the government debates the uranium industry's economic viability a report to be released next week, with modelling from McLennan Magasanik Associates, has found nuclear power is not competitive without significant subsidies. The report commissioned by Renewable Energy Generators Australia (REGA) said nuclear power would cost $70 per megawatt hour, double the price of coal. This price falls to $60 by 2050, which is still 10 per cent more expensive than clean coal technology, known as carbon capture and storage.

REG A chief executive Susan Jeanes said these costs included the storage of nuclear waste at world best practice standards. "We want Australia to debate nuclear power because we know it doesn't stack up," she said. Erwin Jackson, from the strongly anti-nuclear Australian Conservation Foundation, said studies that supported nuclear power failed to recognise the hidden costs of the uranium industry. "Who's going to pay for the increased security, the decommissioning of reactors, building up government departments and training people in an industry that has no history here?" he asked.

Mr Jackson said nuclear power could not be commissioned soon enough to tackle climate change and would divert money away from renewables that had the potential to power every home in the country. "Renewables are cheaper and don't produce harmful waste, " he said. This is supported by the REGA report, which forecasts wind power to cost $40 per megawatt hour by 2050, while geothermal would be as cheap as coal in 40 years.

Whoops nuclear icon felled

The West Australian, Page: 28
Tuesday, 23 May 2006

The cooling tower from a former nuclear power plant in the US has been blown to smithereens at a time when nuclear power is being touted as a saviour from global warming. The controlled destruction of the Trojan plant tower symbolised the end of a shambolic episode in Oregon history. For most of the past three decades, the tower loomed as a symbol of all that was sneaky, leaky and insanely expensive about nuclear power. The softening of political opposition to the nuclear industry that seems to be occurring elsewhere has not occurred in the States of Oregon or Washington.

For that, the Trojan plant, which began making electricity in 1976 and was closed in 1993, has much to answer. Besides chronic technical, safety and reliability problems, it cost local ratepayers more than $US400 million to build and is costing them $US410 million ($550 million) to decommission. In a spectacularly ill-conceived scheme, work began on five other nuclear power plants as part of a consortium of utilities called the Washington Public Power Supply System, which quickly became infamous as Whoops. Whoops, indeed.

Construction of five plants - only one of which ever produced electricity, none of which were then needed - led to what, at the time, was the country's biggest municipal bond default. Ratepayers across the North-West are still paying for Whoops in their electricity bills - a catastrophe that in one five-year stretch pushed up electricity rates about 600 per cent. The demolition was a major step in Portland General Electric's long, costly and embarrassing effort to extricate itself from the plant. Problems ranged from chronic steam leaks to an exceedingly unfortunate location - on a major earthquake fault, sitting on the southern bank of the West's biggest river and just upwind from Portland, the second biggest city in the North-West.

Highly radioactive fuel rods remain in storage at the site because the Federal Government has still to decide where they can be safely buried. PGE spokesman Scott Simms was eager to talk about how his company had shifted focus to wind power and high-efficiency, gas-driven turbines. Asked about the irony of knocking down a nuclear plant as other utilities were planning to build them, Mr Simms said that Trojan was"outmoded compared with anything that might be built today".

Panel reports

The Spectator (Hamilton), Page: 17
Saturday, 20 May 2006

THE three-man panel hearing submissions on the proposed Macarthur wind farm (183-turbine) has handed in its report to the Department of Sustainability and Environment. The report will be assessed by DSE officers before being sent to Planning Minister, Rob Hulls, for a decision. The three man panel - Doug Munro, Robin Sanders (chair), and Alan Thatcher - sat for four weeks at DPI Hamilton in February and March. They were given eight weeks to consider the dozens of submissions made to the hearing.

It's likely to be at least a month before Mr Hulls makes a decision, but given the track record of the Victorian Government, it's expected Australia's largest wind farm will give the green light.

Scientist casts doubt on nuclear benefits

ABC News Online
Monday, May 22, 2006. 4:00pm (AEST)

A NSW scientist says building a nuclear plant will not have a short-term effect on harmful gases. Scientist casts doubt on nuclear benefits. Scientists say it could take at least 10 years to build a nuclear plant to meet Australia's growing electricity needs. And that may be too late to address the issue of increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. If the Federal Government finally gives the green light to a nuclear plant, Frank Muller from the University of New South Wales says the framework to manage nuclear power needs to be put in place.

He says it could take a decade before it is built and providing electricity. "So it actually takes even longer to provide a greenhouse benefit than it does to build a power plant," he said. Professor Muller says nuclear power stations are expensive to build, and safety is a major issue. However, some scientists say nuclear energy is the most greenhouse friendly and despite the lengthy time it would take to build a plant, it is still an electricity source that needs to be explored.

Meanwhile, a federal Opposition frontbencher says the move towards nuclear power generation could increase the risk of a terrorist attack. The Prime Minister has called for a full debate on the issue of nuclear power, as well as uranium mining and enrichment. Labor MP Kelvin Thomson disagrees, saying the Government should be focussing its interest on renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. "The problem with nuclear power is that more of it that is around, the easier it is for terrorists to get access to it," he said.

"I'm not satisfied that in this day and age you can be absolutely certain that terrorists can't access it."

Barry Cohen: Power policy running on wind and sun

The Australian,
May 22, 2006

Labor party zealots such as Anthony Albanese and the Left have never had any real energy options

THERE was a time when one's energy needs were satisfied by cutting down a tree and rubbing two boy scouts together. Then came the industrial revolution and coal and oil took over, thus ensuring tens of thousands died annually in mine disasters or from coughing up their lungs. Oil created tensions between those who had it and those who didn't. Both fouled the air and were big contributors to greenhouse gases, global warming and climate change.

As federal shadow minister for the environment (1977-80) and environment minister in the Hawke government (1983-87), I had to advise my colleagues about alternatives to this carbon scourge. Coincidentally, at the very moment Australia was getting excited about selling lots of uranium, the Soviet Union was having difficulty keeping up with the West both militarily and economically.

On cue, the Left decided there was no greater evil than the nuclear threat. It initiated an anti-uranium campaign with a fervour unmatched since its opposition to the Vietnam War.

With mining unions on one side and the Left on the other, the Labor Party found itself in a bind. After a prolonged debate it came up with a policy that would have tested Solomon. Three mines, it decided, was kosher, four mines a definite no-no. I had some difficulty explaining the logic of this to anyone with an IQ above room temperature. The present shadow minister for the environment, Anthony Albanese, is keeping the dream alive.

With coal, oil and nuclear energy off the agenda, Australia did not appear to have a lot of energy options available. Fortunately, there was one that was clean, green and available. Snowy Hydro and the Tasmanian Hydro-Electric Commission had shown that hydro-electricity was the perfect answer to our energy needs. There was one small problem. The most recent successful example of hydro-electricity generation had resulted in the drowning of one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in the world - Tasmania's Lake Pedder.

Nor were nature lovers impressed with the Tasmanian HEC's assertion that Lake Pedder was now much bigger and therefore much better suited to water sports and fishing.

They were even less impressed when the HEC announced shortly afterwards its plan to dam the wild Franklin River for more hydro-electricity that no one seemed to want. The battle to stop the damming of the Franklin River became the environmental cause celebre for almost a decade, climaxing with Labor's 1983 election victory. Labor lost all five Tasmanian seats while picking up green votes on the mainland.

I introduced the first legislation of the Hawke government, the World Heritage Act, to stop the dam proceeding. Its passage ensured a High Court challenge, which the government won four to three. Henceforth the words hydro-electricity and dam were not mentioned in polite society. From then on my discussions with leaders of the conservation movement were interesting.

"We seem to be running out of energy options?" I asked them rhetorically. Invariably I would be met with that patronising smile they reserve for the lesser of the species who fail to see the error of their ways. "Minister!" they replied in their most condescending manner, "there is wind and solar. " I resisted the temptation to point out to them that they appeared to have journeyed to Canberra without the benefit of either.

Eventually I ceased to be environment minister but my successors were subjected to the same arguments with increasing passion as global warming and climate change became the environmental issue. In recent years wind power enthusiasts became excited as more and more wind farm projects came on stream. Their excitement abated when they saw one or until birds and bats started bumping into them.

When the Coalition's environment minister, senator Ian Campbell, announced that he was giving the thumbs down to a $220 million wind farm project in Gippsland because one rare orange-bellied parrot might be killed each year, the burgeoning anti-wind farm movement was ecstatic.

Cynics suggested his decision had more to do with a promise made to the electorate of McMillan in the 2004 federal election that wind farms would not be tolerated. "Windies", on the other hand, were quick to point out that cars killed hundreds of thousands of birds annually and no one was suggesting we cease using cars. To his credit, Campbell has been consistent. He has asked the Regional Services Minister, Warren Truss, to stop funding a wind farm in Denmark, Western Australia, which just happens to be in the electorate of Wilson Tuckey. We have all learned it is unwise to cross Tuckey.

Allow me at this point to declare an interest. In the middle of all this brouhaha I had not long taken up residence in Bungendore, near Canberra, when I received a notice from the NSW Department of Planning that a 63-turbine wind farm was proposed a few kilometres north of our idyllic rural abode.

Before you could say NIMBY, No Wind Farms signs started appearing throughout the village of Bungendore. Now there's a surprise. What to do?

There are not a lot of options. I could support the wind farm and take the alternate route to Sydney, thus avoiding seeing it. Alternately, I could propose a nuclear reactor or pray that solar, which provides less than 1 per cent of the world's energy needs, becomes economically viable. As a last resort I could sell the car, stop flying, freeze in winter and fry in summer. On balance, I think I'll go with the wind farm.

Barry Cohen, a federal Labor MP from 1969 to 1990, was environment minister in the Hawke government.

Victoria turns to green power

The Australian Financial Review, Page: 5
Monday, 22 May 2006

Plans by the Victorian government to source 10 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources within four years will have little effect on the state's energy-intensive industries or on retail prices, a new report says. The study by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, whose members include AGL and BP, said power prices would rise 1.3 per cent, an increase of $1 a month for the average household. Victoria generates 95 per cent of its electricity from coal and is the highest polluting state in the developed world, on a per megawatt basis, environmental critics say.

The business council's executive officer, Ric Brazzale, said the price rise was barely a "blip" at a time when energy-intensive industries were highly profitable. "If ever there was a time to move away from coal it's now," he said. The Victorian scheme aims to drive more than $ 1 billion of investment into the renewable industry and is a direct response to the federal government's refusal to extend its Mandatory Renewable Energy Target. The federal government introduced a 2 per cent renewable energy target in 2001 but it was watered down after lobbying by industrial users fearful that higher electricity prices would make them uncompetitive.

"Our study shows that this is not the case," said Mr Brazzale. "Victoria can move away from coal with little cost to the economy. "This is supported by an earlier report from the Allen Consulting Group and CSIRO, which found that Australia could move to a 60 per cent cut in emissions by 2050 without significant reductions in economic growth. Legislation setting the 10 per cent target is expected before the Victorian parliament within months and comes after South Australia set a 15 per cent renewable energy target. This follows China setting a 15 per cent target by 2020 and nearly half the US states, including California, imposing mandatory targets.

The Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics estimates Victoria's greenhouse emissions will rise 30 per cent by 2030 unless the state moves away from coal-fired power generation. The Victorian plan would provide sufficient energy to power 400,000 households. The green power is likely to attract a subsidy of between $35 and $40 per megawatt hour, making it competitive with coal.

Spelling it out for us: what needs to be done for eternity

The Canberra Times, Page: 2
Monday, 22 May 2006

It was while reading Tim Flannery's book The Weather Makers: The History and Future Impact of Climate Change on a 42 degree day on Tathra beach that Dr Matthew Nott decided it was his time to think globally and act locally. The potent combination of warnings about global warming and a record hot New Year's Day on the South Coast beach spurned the local orthopaedic surgeon into action. Dr Nott was back on the beach yesterday with 3000 other people to make a statement he hopes will hold true: Clean Energy for Eternity. The 3000 supporters, about double the population of Tathra, formed the statement in the sand, with their efforts recorded by photographers in aircraft above.

Dr Nott said the gathering was "not a bunch of stirrers" but a good cross-section of the community, from police officers to lawn bowlers, school children to volunteer firefighters. "I think we've really tapped into something with this, " he said. Dr Nott said Clean Energy for Eternity meant "keeping the coal in the ground-no fossil fuel". "We've got to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions, that's what I would describe as dirty energy.

"The alternative was using a range of energy sources including geothermal, solar, wind and nuclear while trying to reduce overall consumption. "We do need a debate about each of these things. "And he would "absolutely" welcome a controversial wind farm in his community. Dr Nott said an earlier questionnaire he'd conducted found 96 per cent people in his local area believed they could make a difference to global warming.

"People are positive and want to help, they just need to know how. "

Winds of fortune blow Timor's way

Sunday Examiner, Page: 3
Sunday, 21 May 2006

TWO months ago, seven East Timorese workers disembarked from their first ever aeroplane flight, touched the ground at Burnie with relief arid then blessed themselves. Today the men are part of Tasmania's biggest building project - the construction of the third and final stage of the Roaring 40s Woolnorth wind farm. The buffeted plains of Tasmania's far North-West tip are about as non-tropical as you can get and the East Timorese are feeling the cold. But they said the reception they have received in Circular Head has been warm.

"This is the first time we have left our home, the first time we have seen wind towers and the biggest project we have worked on," Josa da Carvalho Ancieto said on site this week. Mr Ancieto is working on the construction of the control building at Studland Bay where another 25 wind turbines are being erected in a joint venture construction job between Hazell Bros and Areva. His colleagues are working on the transmission line wliich will carry power from Woolnorth to the Tasmanian electricity grid, operating excavators and rollers, laying cable and fixing steel on the turbine footings. By year's end, Tasmania's only wind farm will boast 62 turbines and generate enough energy to power all the houses in a city the size of Launceston.

Nine of the 25 concrete pads have been poured and under ground cabling work will begin next week. The East Timorese workers are employed in Dili by Caltech which is headed by French-Canadian Jean Vezinaother. Their boss was a little nervous about how the East Timorese would fit in on a Tasmanian construction site. But he need not have worried the workers are soaking up Australian culture reacquainting themselves with Hazell Bros personnel they have worked with in East Timor and making friends "We like a beer after work Josa da Carvalho Ancieto said with a grin.

"But just one or two. Beer is good for sleeping not working." Mr Vezina said the East Timorese workers had put a lot of effort in before embarking on their six-month stint at Woolnorth. Five nights a week over two months the men studied English after work. Other cultural changes took a
little longer to grasp. "It was the first time the men had left. The inland, their first time on a plane and we were a little worried about how they would cope with the travel timetable," Mr Vezina said. The men themselves were so intent on making it to the airport on time, they devised a sleeping rotation system at the hotel to ensure someone was awake at all times.

The average full-time construction worker in East Timor earns about $3000 a year. The apprentice wage they are being paid at Woolnorth is about 10 times higher than what they earn at home. But it was not the lure of extra money which attracted them to the job. "We did not tell them how much they would be paid until they arrived," Mr Vezina said.

However the Tasmanian stint represents a huge opportunity to workers from a country where 42 per cent of the population live below the poverty line. Hazell Bros human resources manager Jon Schwaiger said the East Timorese workers would gain skills in Tasmania which they could then take home and pass on to others. But Mr Vezina said the aim of the overseas work programme was not just technical training. "It is good for them to see construction projects of this scale but it is also about the social interface," Mr Vezina said.

"What they probably gain most is pride. Their time in Tasmania will be talked about for generations."

Meeting In The Wind

The Examiner, Page: 9
Saturday, 20 May 2006

State Energy Minister David Llewellyn met federal Industry Minister lan Macfarlane in Darwin yesterday to discuss the future of wind energy in Tasmania. Mr Llewellyn said Mr Macfarlane had agreed to consider further submissions on the issue and that they would met again in the coming weeks. The meeting comes after two multi-million-dollar wind farm developments in Tasmania have been put in doubt after the Renewable Energy company Roaring 40s said it was not financially viable to proceed. The company blames the Federal Government's decision not to extend the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target from 2 per cent for the shelving of all its future developments across Australia.

Mr Llewellyn said yesterday that he had briefly met Mr Macfarlane at the energy ministers' conference.

Adelaide aims to be solar city of the future

The Adelaide Advertiser, Page: 15
Saturday, 20 May 2006

We're lucky to live and work in our "City in the Park" that's unique in the world. But our environment is at risk from global warming, the greatest threat facing our planet. South Australia has already taken significant steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Wehave set a target of sourcing 15 per cent of electricity from renewable energy.

We're on track to reach that target by the end of this year, so we have increased our goal to 20 per cent within a decade. We're going further, too, becoming the first state that will enshrine in law a 60 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. SA is already leading the nation in wind generation, generating more wind power than all other States and Territories combined. We also have more than 45 per cent of the nation's grid-connected solar power.

In other areas, the Million Trees program is seeing three million trees planted throughout our city in a series of urban forests, helping to improve the carbon-absorbing capacity of our green fringe. We've installed solar panels on government buildings on North Terrace, including Parliament House, the Art Gallery, the SA Museum and the State Library, and on Gilles Street Primary School - one of more than 250 schools to be getting solar power. We're going to continue that solar roll-out, funding the installation of panels on the new Adelaide Airport, and Adelaide has been named one of the nation's "Solar Cities of the Future". And solar installations are part of the Adelaide landscape with solar lights installed in Victoria Square generating electricity during the day, and lighting up Adelaide's first sustainable square at night.

And similar lights are popping up around the city on Halifax St and the East Parklands. Adelaide is also going to play host to the International Solar Cities Congress in 2008. We're doing more to harness the wind, too, installing mini wind turbines on government buildings to take advantage of the wind-tunnel effect. We have a much cleaner city because of our nation-leading container deposit scheme and our moves to scrap non re-useable plastic bags.

And we're reducing pressure on our precious water resources. As part of the Water proofing Adelaide program, from July, all new homes must have plumbed rainwater tanks, and we're providing rebates of up to $400 to plumb rainwater tanks into existing homes. Everyone who lives and works in the city can do their part. Instead of driving to work, you can catch one of our fleet of trains and diesel buses, which we have converted to biodiesel - making it one of the cleanest fleets in Australia.

You can ride your bike to work on our network of green cycle paths, which we're expanding along the Glenelg tramline. And in the State Government we're doing our bit, converting half our car fleet to more environmentally friendly fuels by 2010 - stopping more than 2000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere. Westill have a long way to go, but next time you're going through our Parklands let them be a reminder of what you can do locally about the threat of climate change.

Shire adopts green power

The Herbert River Express, Page: 1
Saturday, 20 May 2006

Hinchinbrook Shire Council offices and facilities will run on 10 per cent renewable power after councillors voted to spend $38,700 on a 'clean energy' program. Under the three-year Ergon Energy silver environmental package, the council will pay an extra $1075 a month on their power bill, and will receive a business energy review worth $5000. The move is expected to lower the council's greenhouse gas emissions by up to 1290 tonnes. Deputy Mayor Arthur Bosworth said the program would allow the council to assess the effectiveness of its energy consumption.

"At this stage we don't know how much we waste or how much we use, " he said. "We live in an environmentally-sensitive part of the world and the local authority recognises that fact and this is a way for us to show our environmental credentials. "We are the environmental conscience for the rest of australia, so we need to be seen to be green and aware of what's going on in relation to greenhouse gas emissions. "The program uses power derived from renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and biomass, largely in the form of sugarcane bagasse.

The 'clean' electricity is fed into the grid along with conventional electricity, and is passed on through normal poles and wires. Ergon Energy spokesman John Fowler said the council's adoption of the program showed their commitment to the environment. "I think the Hinchinbrook Shire Council is going to be at the forefront of councils in regional queensland who are taking this initiative," he said. "The council should be congratulated.

"Mr Fowler said much of the renewable energy used in Hinchinbrook would be sourced from a wind farm at Ravenshoe. Speaking at the council meeting, Cr Sherry Kaurila said the program would work out at a cost of 9 cents extra per person each month for every man, woman and child in the shire for the three years.

It's an ill wind ...

Sydney Morning Herald, Page: 14
Friday, 19 May 2006

Enemies in high places and activists with nuclear links have taken the puff out of clean energy, writes Wendy Frew.

IT WAS May 2004 and John Howard was looking for an exit clause. A Federal Government scheme to kick-start Australia's renewable energy industry had proved successful beyond anybody's expectations. Wind, the cheapest and most viable source of renewable energy,was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the mandatory renewable energy target. Giant wind turbines were sprouting all over the country, turbine blade and engine manufacturers were setting up shop, and cash was pouring in from foreign and domestic investors.

It seemed Australia was finally tackling its greenhouse gas emissions by getting some clean electricity. But not everyone was happy with the mandatory target. Leaked minutes from a meeting in the chilly confines of Canberra's political corridors show the Prime Minister had called on some of Australia's biggest contributors to global warming – including the coal and uranium miners Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton – to help the Government devise away to pull the rug from under the wind industry, but still be seen to be tackling climate change.

Two years on, it has become clear just how deadly that meeting was for windpower. The Government's refusal to extend the mandatory target has left hundreds of renewable energy projects unable to secure contracts. One developer last week cancelled two wind farm proposals worth $550 million, while the future of another $250 million project is in doubt. The Australian Wind Energy Association says as much as $12 billion worth of proposed wind farms is at risk. On top of that, the Government has tried to kill wind farm projects in Victoria and Western Australia and has called on state governments to sign a development code that would give local councils the power to veto wind projects because of community opposition – something that does not apply to new coalmining ventures.

The political bun fight over wind is matched by what appears to be a grassroots battle to stop giant wind turbines being built in rural areas. Resident groups are fighting their case in the media and on the internet. At a time of near unanimous scientific agreement that large greenhouse gas cuts must be made soon to avoid dangerous changes in world weather patterns, how is it that wind has become a dirty word? Environment groups say it is all tied up with Federal Government reluctance to impose any kind of cost on fossil fuel industries and its desire to sell more uranium to nuclear weapons states such as China and India. They say it is no coincidence that wind –which could in time be a strong, clean competitor to fossil fuels – is being demonised while nuclear power is being promoted as a solution to global warming.

But nuclear energy is no solution to climate change, says Greenpeace Australia Pacific's chief executive, Steve Shallhorn. "The Federal Government and nuclear industry are trying to force a false choice: polluting coal or expensive nuclear power. Yet safe, clean alternatives exist," Shallhorn says. "Even if there was a doubling of global nuclear energy output by 2050 it would only reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5 per cent."

In the increasingly politicised realm of energy policy, the decision by the federal Environment Minister, Ian Campbell, last month to scuttle a wind farm proposed for Bald Hills in Victoria's South Gippsland looks highly unusual. Campbell said a consultant's report on risks to the endangered orange-bellied parrot had forced him to reject the development. "I understand that this will be a disappointing outcome for the proponents of the wind farm but it is very clear tome from reading this report that every precaution should be taken to help prevent the extinction of this rare bird," he said.

But research by The Age found the bird had rarely flown near the Bald Hills site and the Government's consultant concluded banning the wind farm would do little to save it. Those who oppose the project are happy with Campbell's intervention. Among them is the discredited British environmentalist David Bellamy. In late 2004, at the height of the campaign against the Bald Hills project, Bellamy visited the area to support the antiwind cause. "It's the last place on earth you'd contemplate building them," he said during a visit to the South Gippsland town of Foster, paid for and organised by Channel Nine's 60 Minutes. "Think of the damage they are doing, and for no return at all," he said.

Not long before his visit to Australia, Bellamy said man-made global warming was a myth and wind power was not a renewable source of energy. It is misleading claims such as these and connections with anti-wind campaigners overseas that have raised suspicions about Australia's anti-wind activists. The Australia Institute's Clive Hamilton believes the sprouting of local opposition groups is not entirely spontaneous. "I believe there is a network of anti-wind activists associated with climate change sceptics who are fuelling the fires of local opposition," he says.

Research by the Herald shows that a loose association of anti-wind farm groups that goes by the names of Landscape Guardians or Coastal Guardians relies heavily for its information and campaign tactics on overseas groups that have been linked to the nuclear power industry. The forerunner of the anti-wind farm pressure group was Britain's Country Guardians, established by Sir Bernard Ingham, a spin doctor for former the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

He is a director of Supporters of Nuclear Energy. He was also a paid consultant to the British nuclear group BNFL. Two British groups, Stop Windfarms in Moray and No Whinash Windfarm, have been caught out by Britain's Advertising Standards Authority for making misleading and unsubstantiated claims about wind power. Similar inaccurate statements can be found on Australian in NSW websites. The latest anti-wind hot spot in NSW is Lake George,where a company called Capital Wind wants to build 63 massive turbines. William Hoorweg and his partner, Julie Gray,who own a property about 2.1 kilometres from the nearest proposed turbine, are worried about the prospect of having Australia's biggest wind farm nearby. They will not be able to see the 125-metre turbines from their home but they do not accept the developer's assurances they will not be able to hear them, and they believe the turbines could cause bush fires.

They told the Herald the project was a "sham" because when the wind did not blow the developer would have to buy electricity from the grid. Gray also says the turbines will leak electricity. Neither statement is correct. Like many others, Hoorweg and Gray believed Bellamy's spin about wind energy. They also listened to Paul Miskelly, a member of Taralga Landscape Guardians, a group based near Goulburn. Miskelly says wind farms are inefficient and will destabilise the electricity grid because of fluctuations in wind. He is also upset by "the sure knowledge that wind turbines will do nothing for the environment". Miskelly,who says he is worried about what the proposed wind farm at Taralga will do to the value of the vineyard he owns nearby,worked for the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation for 32 years and has given lectures to community groups about nuclear power.

The dubious scientific and environmental claims made by some anti-wind campaigners do not mean there are not valid reasons to object to wind farms. Towering at heights equivalent to 30-storey buildings, and requiring major roadworks and construction, it is no surprise they are not always welcome in scenic rural areas. The secrecy that often surrounds offers made by developers to some landowners has also caused deep rifts in some rural communities. The NSW Greens' renewable energy spokesman, John Kaye, says wind power can make significant cuts to Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. "But that doesn't mean every project is good or that every developer is good," he says. "These people are in it to make a buck, like everyone else, and sometimes they ride roughshod over community concerns." Kaye says the key is ensuring everyone in a community benefits, not just property owners who sell or lease land to wind farm operators.



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BUSTING THE MYTHS
MYTH: Wind power is inefficient and has to be backed by base load power.
TRUTH: Wind turbines convert as much as 45 per cent of the kinetic energy in wind into useable electricity. In contrast, coal-fired power stations convert only 30-40 per cent of the energy in coal into useable electricity. The electricity grid in Australia has back-up capacity. Wind power could supply as much as 20 per cent of the country’s electricity without the need to build additional back-up.
MYTH: Wind turbines are fans that dry the atmosphere, break up clouds and chase rain away.
TRUTH: There is no scientific evidence for this. Wind farms only capture energy from existing winds; they do not create wind like a fan.
MYTH: There is no point trying to replace fossil fuel energy with wind energy. Instead,we shou