Winds of change for household power

West Australian
Friday 29/6/2007 Page: 40

Perth households could soon be using the "Fremantle Doctor" to save energy and cut electricity bills. The State Government is funding two projects that could result in electricity being generated from small wind turbines on suburban roofs, Premier Alan Carpenter says. Local inventor Graeme Attey has been given $34,000 to commercialise a modular wind turbine system that sits on a roof and can generate household power from the prevailing sea breeze that sweeps into the city.

Mr Carpenter said the system was small, quiet, had no visible rotating blades and was expected to be relatively cheap. It could also operate in variable urban winds. "And the system is modular, so you can produce as much energy as you want by simply connecting units together," the Premier said. "I am told that five units could produce enough electricity to run an average household." He said Jonathan Whale, from Murdoch University, had been awarded $28,000 to obtain data on the best practice placement of rooftop wind systems.

The State Government aims to reduce Western Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent of 2000 levels by the year 2050.