10 turbines erected

South Eastern Times
Thursday 22/2/2007 Page: 6

THE first 10 of the 53 turbines comprising the second stage of the multimillion dollar Lake Bonney wind farm have been erected and are set to be connected to the national grid. The latest turbines will each generate three megawatts of power and this will be the equivalent of the needs of up to 3,000 households. The 46 turbines in Lake Bonney stage one only have a generating capacity of 1.75 megawatts.

Construction personnel engaged by Babcock and Brown Wind Partners have placed the latest turbines in close proximity to the existing structures on Poonada Road and Thiele Road, west of Tantanoola. The new turbines are distinctive as they are larger than their predecessors and are currently non-operational.

Other turbines are currently in the process of being erected nearby as their towers, nacelles and blades are on site, along with cranes and associated construction apparatus. There is no public access to the construction sites. The construction team erects an average of three turbines per fortnight.

In contrast to Lake Bonney stage one, the towers for stage two are not passing through Mt Burr, Millicent Agricultural Bureau Drive and Tantanoola en route to the wind farm. This is because the stage two towers have been manufactured in Portland.

Preliminary siteworks got underway in June. When completed later this year or early 2008, the first two stages will have 99 wind turbines, generating almost 240 megawatts, and will be the largest operational windfarm in the Southern Hemisphere. The nearby Canunda windfarm, with 23 wind turbines, is operated by a separate company, International Power.

Set sail for power

Moorabool Leader
Tuesday 27/2/2007 Page: 3

AN $8 million two-turbine wind park has been approved for land close to the Moorabool-Hepburn shire boundaries. The Leonards Hill development will generate enough electricity to power 2000 to 2500 homes in the Korweinguboora, Daylesford and Hepburn areas.

Hepburn councillors voted three two last week to grant a planning permit for Australia's first community-owned wind park, based on a Danish idea from the 1980s. Eighteen people lodged objections to the project, fearing more turbines would be added later.

Hepburn Renewable Energy Association spokesman Per Bernard said there was no more room on the site, which is south of Leonards Hill-Bullarto Rd and within one km of the Moorabool Shire.

"It's Australia's first wind park, and this is something every little community could be looking at," Mr Bernard said. "We don't need huge wind farms with dozens of turbines. We could have communities taking care of their own energy needs with just one or two." He said the size of the wind park meant the State Government was not involved in the decision, but there was a chance objectors could still appeal Hepburn Council's vote at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

In its application to the council, the association said the two 110m turbines would not be visible from Ballan-Daylesford Rd, apart from an area around Sailors Falls, which is close to the main Ballarat- Daylesford powerline.

A co-op will own the project, set up a prospectus and sell shares to the community and tourists. The project has been promised $972,000 from the State Government, including about $800,000 towards construction. The wind park has been almost two years in the planning.

For details, go to www.hrea.org.au or 53481298.

Bourke's energy future is blowing in the wind

Western Herald
Thursday 22/2/2007 Page: 1

A wind farm on Mount Oxley is close to becoming a reality. Babcock and Brown, the company proposing the $30 million wind farm, are expecting to begin' the development application process within months.

The company plans to place seven 3-megawatt turbines on top of Mount Oxley. These generators will supply more than enough power for the town, making Bourke one of the few places in the world powered entirely by renewable energy.

Adrian Rizza from Babcock and Brown said Mount Oxley is a very unique wind resource. Wind travels slowly along the flat plains, but accelerates as it rises up the sides of the mountain. Babcock and Brown are waiting for the final report on the impact the wind farm may have on telecommunications equipment on Mount Oxley. The study should be finalised within two to three weeks.

The next step is to build an 80 metre high tower to monitor wind speed at the same height they plan to build the turbines, then submit a development application for the whole project around six weeks later.

While building other wind farms, Mr Rizza said they found the construction phase provided a significant boost to the local economy. "There is a lot of work for local contractors - there's fencing work, there's survey work, concreting and transport work - we've found it is a huge boost," Mr Rizza said.

The wind farm will be operational around 15 months after construction begins.

Sign of the times for clean Broulee

Bay Post
Friday 23/2/2007 Page: 3

THE Eurobodalla branch of Clean Energy for Eternity is pushing ahead with plans to create a human sign on South Broulee beach on Saturday, March 17. This will be the third human sign for Clean Energy following the inaugural sign last year on Tathra Beach and the second sign in Canberra last October.

The aim of the human sign is to involve the community in raising awareness of global warming and climate change at a local level. "We are expecting a good turnout of people to join in on the day to create the human sign," organiser Leslie Braman said.

"As part of our climate awareness program, CEFE is working together with Far South Coast Surf Life Saving Clubs to install photovoltaic cells, solar hot water and a wind turbine onto club roofs. Any proceeds on the day will go directly to the four Eurobodalla surf clubs for this project." If you want to be part of the event, just turn up at South Broulee Beach on March 17 at about 12.30pm for the main photo at fpm.

"Please allow plenty of time to park your car and walk to the beach and remember to bring hats, sunscreen, umbrellas and water in case of hot weather," Ms Braman said. "Come and join us and make a statement and at the same time have a great fun day out." For more information, contact Ms Braman on 4471 8850.

Wind, solar power find favour in poll

Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday 27/2/2007 Page: 5
Wendy Frew Environment Reporter

AUSTRALIANS want to see greater investment in renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, and cuts in the amount of coal used to generate electricity, an opinion poll suggests. Support for nuclear power came a distant last, with only 33 per cent of 1200 people polled by the Australian Research Group supporting uranium as a power source.

A greater reliance on clean energy was gaining support among Australians regardless of the positions taken by political parties, said the Climate Institute Australia's chief executive, John Connor, who commissioned the poll.

`Australians are saying they want to embrace new, clean renewable-energy technologies to deal with the challenge of climate change," Mr Connor said. "Our political leaders need to catch up with the Australian community on this issue and introduce effective policies which encourage significant clean energy investment." The poll results follow news at the weekend that the Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd, said a Federal Labor government would create a billion-dollar fund to include clean-coal technology in the national electricity grid by 2020.

Mr Rudd pledged $500 million to kick-start a fund that would reward business investment in experimental technology such as "cleaning" coal before it was burnt, and capturing carbon dioxide generated when it was burnt and burying it underground. CO2 is one of several key greenhouse gases linked to climate change. The Federal Government has already granted money to experimental projects such as drying brown coal.

Environmentalists and energy experts said researching technologies that could improve combustion efficiency was worthwhile, but warned that the greenhouse gas emission reductions would be minimal and nowhere near enough to make much difference to climate change. Technology that could capture and store CO2 also remained commercially unproven, they said, and was unlikely to be ready in time to tackle the immediate challenge posed by rising global temperatures.

The Australian Research Group poll found 91 per cent support for installing more solar panels, 82 per cent for more wind farms, and 70 per cent support for investments in clean-coal technology. Reducing the amount of electricity used in the first place was supported by 78 per cent, while only 46 per cent of people supported a carbon trading scheme.

Energetic Debate

• Japan has installed 13 times more, and Germany 10 times more solar systems on homes than Australia.
• Australia has access to 817 megawatts of wind power, compared with 20,622 in Germany and 11,615 in Spain.
• Australians surveyed were split on nuclear power, with 33 per cent supporting it, and 39 per cent against.

Green energy is a hot item at last

Weekend Australian
Saturday 24/2/2007 Page: 2

IT'S no surprise that renewable and sustainable energy has finally earned its spot in the sun, bringing with it the promise of a whole new world of interesting and "feel-good" careers directed towards tackling climate change and guiding corporate social responsibility.

"It's going to be an industry absolutely driven by innovation," says Lisa Barry, national human capital partner with Deloitte: `There's buckets of room in this industry for more genuine commitment to the planet to the sustainablity issue, this (energy) industry is right in the heartland of that potential." Energy companies are now increasingly mandated to provide power derived from renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydro and biomass (which is the process of converting into power gases such as methane from green waste collected at land fill.

According to Deloitte, there were 220,000 "green power customers" by the end of 2005, representing a 50 percent jump over the preceding nine months. There are now almost 350,000 customers, which is around 15 percent growth per quarter.

David Newhouse heads the environmental and sustainability practice for Deloitte as part of the company's climate change and sustainable resources team. He predicts, that there will be whole new professional classifications concerned with helping energy and other companies understand and manage environmental risk. Graduates with both accountancy and science/ environmental skills will be highly sought after here.

Carbon trading is, of course, expected to garner much attention, especially following the federal government's decision recently to look into a national emissions trading (NET) scheme.

Carbon, or emissions, trading falls into two main categories. The first concerns the awarding of carbon certificates according to a company's use of green or renewable technologies such as wind, biomas, solar and hydro. The second relates to company schemes to reduce their CO2 emissions, something which Deloitte and other firms are increasingly asked to audit.

Importantly for would-be traders to note, however, there is currently no degree as such in this area But candidates should have a solid understanding of the science around energy and possess good technical skills to undertake research and modelling. And just as important Newhouse believes: "You really need to have a passion and drive to help corporates look at sustainability and its benefits; to help drive change." Newhouse says that banks have been especially proactive in encouraging sustainable practices and are therefore expected to offer rewarding career paths for people looking at this area.

Major resources companies like BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto (themselves major contributors of greenhouse gases) have acknowledged the need to increase their sustainability efforts and the wider sector should offer more fertile ground for careers in renewable and sustainable energy moving forward.

Governments have also demonstrated strong interest in sustainable practices in Australia. In 2003, NSW operated one of the first trade caps in the world limiting CO2 produced by electricity generators and high energy users. It was loosely based on trading models used in Europe. Victoria is leading the country in developing wind farms.

Newhouse estimates that there are currently between 100 and 150 "greenhouse auditors" in Australia at the moment but that the number will likely rise significantly over the next few years.

The Business Council for Sustainable Energy, based in Melbourne, has been working closely with government and industry for years in its efforts to develop better awareness and training for sustainable and renewable energy practices.

Jenny Gregory, BCSE industry development manager, says one of the major impediments to growth in the sector is lack of awareness among students and teachers, be they at school, TAFE or University about streams covering sustainability. Because renewable and sustainable energy promises such career potential, she strongly urges all students with an interest in the area to seek them out.

The BCSE is the largest group in Australia representing the renewable and sustainable industries and has small right up to massive firms among its members. It is currently working with plumbing and electricity trades associations to improve the understanding of solar hot water. It reports a trend amongst Victorian electricians towards gaining industry accreditation for sustainability.

"We need people knowledgeable about why it's important to have a solar water heater not just for reducing your power bill but also your greenhouse emissions," Gregory says.

Governments, companies and individuals all need to lift their level of understanding. "In a post-Kyoto world, we need to know about carbon trading, installing renewables (and different types of renewable), energy performance contracting and how to put in energy efficient lighting controls and refrigeration systems," she adds.

Gregory stresses that, unlike the past, renewable energy can lead to big money these days: Sydney University graduate and founder, CEO and chairman of photovoltaic (PV) solar panel manufacturer SunTech Power, Dr Zhengrong Shi, is now the sixth wealthiest man in China.

Australian National University (ANU) boasts that it offers some of the best grounding in renewable energy for its engineering students. Its 400 square metre solar dish prototype is believed to be the biggest in the world. It has also succeeded in commercialising renewable energy companies, most notably solar company Wizard Power.

Now firmly established as a growth sector in its own right, renewable energy has become part of the everyday work and training within the mainstream energy sector. For instance, all three trade courses at EnergyAustralia have both practical and theoretical renewable energy components.

The challenge of climate change is inspiring greater cooperation between the leading energy companies, in turn leading to more uniform approaches to training and education on renewable energy.

"Apprentices are now all doing standard qualifications with cooperation on training and safety and including renewable energy modules," says. the company's head of training, Tom Emeleus.

Affirming the value its places on being seen to be green, SP AusNet boasts that all of the paper, toner and batteries consumed by the company is recycled and it is currently in the process of installing water saving devices - including water tanks - with the aim of reducing water usage by 60 percent.

While Gregory naturally wishes that more was being done for sustainability, she concedes that things are certainly in motion: "We're feeling a groundswell already."

Opinions sought about wind farm

Warrnambool Standard
Saturday 24/2/2007 Page: 18

Moyne Shire is asking for the community's opinion on a 69-turbine wind farm proposed near Port Fairy before it makes a submission to the Victorian Government about the project.

Gamesa Energy Australia and TME's 136-megawatt project needs approval from Planning Minister Justin Madden due to its size and position. The wind farm on freehold farming land is bounded by the Hamilton-Port Fairy Road, Fingerboard Road and the Shaw River.

Moyne Shire's development approval manager Russell Guest yesterday said council had opened the community consultation process about the project before forming a submission to send to the minister. He said information including maps and brochures on the project were available at the council's Port Fairy office.

People can make submissions to council until March 5 and a hearing before councillors is set to be held at the Port Fairy Yacht Club on March 13.

Wind farms fan B&B

Adelaide Advertiser
Saturday 24/2/2007 Page: 82

Babcock and Brown Wind Partners is doing more than tilting at windmills in Spain where further acquisitions of wind farms helped almost double interim revenue. The specialist investment fund yesterday reported a 90 per cent lift in first-half revenue to $48.6 million compared with $25.6 million in the previous corresponding six months to December 31.

Operating cash flow jumped to $41.5 million from $5.3 million and net loss was cut to $900,000 from $18.2 million previously.

Acting chief executive Miles George said the improvement in revenue could be attributed to the acquisition of more wind farms in Spain and from the Alinta wind-farm completion in Western Australia.

Mr George said the outlook for the global wind energy industry, the installed capacity of which increased by 25 per cent in 2006, was good with long-term support for renewable energy continuing to strengthen. Babcock and Brown Wind has six wind farms in Spain.

Clean energy boost

Sunday Telegraph
Sunday 25/2/2007 Page: 15

ENOUGH renewable energy to power a city bigger than Brisbane was generated in Australia last year, most sourced from wind and hydro.

Figures released to The Sunday Telegraph show Australia generated enough clean energy last year to supply residential power for a city of 2.3 million people for 12 months.

The generation of renewable energy has increased nine-fold since national industry targets were set six years ago. More than 5432 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity was generated from clean sources in 2006 - up from 620GWh in 2001.

The federal Government's Mandatory Renewable Energy Target aims to produce 9500GWh by 2010. The target represents extra electricity needed to boost the total proportion of renewable energy in the national grid from 10.5 percent in 1997 to 12.5 percent in 2010.

Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator figures show new renewable energy generation has risen from 0.32 per cent to 2.62 per cent over the past six years. Of this, about a third was sourced from wind power, under a third from hydro, and 18 per cent from solar hot-water heaters.

Opposition environment spokesman Peter Garrett accused the federal Government of "strangling" the renewable energy industry by setting the MRET target too low. "There is $13 billion worth of projects sitting on the books in wind energy alone," his spokeswoman said.

Wind winner

Launceston Examiner
Monday 26/2/2007 Page: 20

Babcock and Brown Wind Partners is doing more than tilting at windmills in Spain where further acquisitions of wind farms helped almost double interim revenue.

The specialist investment fund yesterday reported a 90 per cent lift in first half revenue to $48.6 million compared with $25.6 million in the previous corresponding six months to December 31.

Coal plants cut in TXU buy-out plan

Australian Financial
Monday 26/2/2007 Page: 10

Under a proposed billion-dollar buy-out by a team of private equity firms, TXU Corp will abandon plans to build eight of 11 coal plants and commit to a range of environmental measures, after the equity firms asked two prominent environmental groups what could be done to secure their support. Goldman Sachs, an adviser and lender to the group, helped negotiate peace with environmental groups and sought their support for the deal.

Goldman Sachs has been one of Wall Street's most progressive firms on climate changes, sending its bankers home in hybrid-powered limousines. Bringing the environmental groups into the process could help avoid years of litigation over emissions, but may also spur questions about how the energy needs originally to be met by the coal plants will be addressed.

Turbines approved

Goulburn Town & Country
Monday 19/2/2007 Page: 14

CONSTRUCTION will start on a wind farm at Taralga early next year after the Land and Environment Court ruled that the $185 million project could proceed. Judge Preston last week upheld Minister for Planning Frank Sartor's January 2006 decision to approve what was then going to be a 54-turbine farm.

Locals concerned about impacts on noise, visual amenity and impact on flora and fauna appealed against the decision last year.

But in upholding Minister Sartor's decision, Judge Preston upped the number of turbines to 62, not 69 as otherwise stated. He ruled in favour of the development, claiming that the broader public good of increasing the supply of renewable energy would prevail over the "geographically narrower concerns of the Taralga Landscape Guardians".

"It is a widely recognised fact that the state of the global environment is in rapid decline, requiring an urgent response if the current quality of life enjoyed by Australians is to continue," he said.

Taralga Landscape Guardians spokesperson Martha Grahame said the group would continue to oppose the development by monitoring the noise of wind turbines to ensure they complied with 35dba requirements. It's understood the Guardians spent $130,000 in legal fees fighting Mr Sartor's decision.

"We are very disappointed, particularly after reading Sartor's comments in yesterday's Herald where he said: (in upping the number of turbines from 54 to 62) "that may be a lesson to people that appeal against wind farms'," Ms Grahame said.

"Him saying that is unbelievable for us because all we were doing was exercising our democratic right to appeal a decision in the Land and Environment Court:' RES Southern Cross commercial director Colin Liebmann said the company would now quickly move to secure the supply of the turbines but expected long delivery times (up to 18-months) because countries like China and the USA were soaking up all of the turbines being built.

Wind farm generates more than power

Plains Producer
Wednesday 21/2/2007 Page: 9

A wind farm stretching 17 kilometres along the Barunga Range is expected to generate $1 million each year back into the Snowtown community, and the world's biggest crane on rubber wheels will be needed to help construct it.

Rodney Ahern, business development manager of TrustPower, who will build the wind farm, confirmed the community could expect huge benefits.

More than 120 people attended a public meeting at Snowtown last Thursday to discuss the development, where they were told the community could expect to benefit from an additional $1 million within the community through increased employment, accommodation, and fees paid to land owners.

The turbines will be built by Suzlon Energy Australia, and Suzlon project manager Peter Reed explained to those attending the meeting where the wind farm would be located, with turbines about 500 metres apart.

He detailed how the wind farm would be constructed, and said the world's biggest crane on rubber wheels would be needed to lift the 75 tonne generator nacelle into position. When complete, each turbine will weight 270 tonnes, with 44 metre long blades each weighing seven tonnes.

Mr Reed expects 30 to 50 per cent of the wind farm workforce to be local, and employment during construction would peak at 90 and average 70. Construction will require plant operators, fencing and stock grids, concrete workers, carpenters and steel fixers. Accommodation will be required for 30 to 40 workers. When construction is complete by September 2008, ongoing maintenance will require four to six specialist technicians.

Following the meeting, a number of locals registered for work or as an accommodation provider, and Mr Reed said Suzlon would be happy to arrange training for equipment operators who may be experienced but not have the right formal qualifications.

Snowtown Community Management chairman Paul McCormack said he was thrilled with the turnout at the meeting, and the interest shown in the project.

"There were a number of interested bodies there hoping to tap into some part of the project," Mr McCormack said. He sees accommodation opportunities as being a big advantage for the community during construction, with workers likely to stay at hotels, motels and private rental accommodation.

Mr McCormack joked the only disappointing thing about the project was the average age of workers at the company's Hallett wind farm was 42.

"How the heck am I going to get a football team if the average age is 42," he said. "I was hoping for a couple of big ruckmen." The meeting was attended by people from Snowtown, Lochiel, Redhill, Bute, Mundoora and Crystal Brook.

Climate is right for change

East Gippsland News
Wednesday 21/2/2007 Page: 8

The lights have finally become bright on the Issue of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change sceptics have become less vocal and it now seems that everyone from industry, to State and Federal political leaders have become advocates for greenhouse gas reduction and are seeking action to address the impact of global warming. Finally, it seems, we have a logical scapegoat for many of the failures of our societies.

Our society has become more demanding, consumptive and mobile and we have become almost totally insulated from the impact that almost every action we take has on the environment. We save costs on our house construction and lot size by reducing the roof area and eves. This causes most houses to get full sun on most walls in summer, in turn requiring a good air conditioner to keep them cool.

The ability to turn on a tap and drink makes water seem like an infinite resource. It disappears down the sink and is carted away and we don't see the impact. The push for cheaper produce and imported products drives agricultural production costs and prices down, which impacts financially on how farmers can manage the land.

It is not until the impact of our actions starts to directly cost us personally that we, as a society, start to consider the impact of our actions, for example fuel prices start to rise due to production shortages; water starts running out because we have not managed our usage or planned for dry periods; all of the air conditioners are turned on in Victoria at once plunging most of the state into darkness.

During these times, it's good to have someone else to blame. Opposition political parties blame governments, governments blame industry (or other governments). The reality is we are all to blame for our consumption and usage of power and water and our natural resources. We must get wiser.

Politics being politics, change is slow and has lagged behind public opinion. We still have two political parties in Victoria opposing wind farms and other renewable power. The Federal Government is still reluctant to implement a market mechanism to put a value on emissions when most of the industries impacted are calling for it.

The leaders and developers of Australians solar technology have gone overseas because of the lack of support. Geothermal, tidal and other alternative technology power industries have almost come to a halt through lack of support and the size and low cost of our coal and other fossil fuel industries.

In the meantime, it's up to individuals to do their bit. Educate our children so that future generations become wiser... and hope our governments will catch up.

Clean energy policy is today's problem

Auswind Media Release
Thursday 22 February 2007

The Australian wind energy industry today called on political leaders and policy makers to focus on the clean energy solutions for today - and not be distracted by hoped-for solutions, which can't be proved for decades.

Auswind CEO, Dominique La Fontaine, said that the National Generator Forum report attempts to analyse what might happen to several technologies that are not yet even a technical reality, let alone able to be costed. Sadly the report has chosen to largely ignore the commercial reality of mature clean energy technologies like wind energy which can make real reductions in Australia's emissions immediately.

"To assert that nuclear energy and CCS* coal will need lesser price signals than wind energy implies that these technologies will be cheaper than wind energy in 2020. "Ziggy Switkowski's own report quotes US studies where estimates for nuclear power range from A$75 - 105/MWh." The Zwitkowski report goes on to explain that if the challenges of construction of so called 'First of a Kind' nuclear plants can be overcome, then it's possible that these costs could reduce to A$40- however these "settled down costs are yet to be proven in practice"

"Modelling the costs and subsequent investment incentives for energy technologies that even the Government's own report cannot be definitive about is not a firm basis for clean energy policy deliberations.

"Right now wind energy often sells at less than $80/ MWh, and with the effect of economies of scale and technological advances, that figure could easily be $65/MWh or less by 2020.

"The NGF report assumes a steep learning curve for 'clean' coal and 'safe' nuclear but it is unclear whether the fact that wind energy has been installed for over 20 years and continues to make efficiency savings from technology improvement has been accounted for. This is not to mention the cost savings from larger more efficient turbines that can be installed on existing sites to increase energy output. Again, this is not just a possibility, it is happening around the world today and the costs are known.

"While the report says that the "availability of certain technologies was limited by the location of resources... for example wind was limited on a regional basis to levels provided by the industry', this was not referenced and Auswind was not consulted about the report."

Australia's energy policy should be focused on what we know Australia can do today to begin real emission reduction from the stationary energy sector, using wind and other zero emission technologies that are currently available and have transparent costs. Industry should also be consulted closely, rather than relying on external consultants who are not expert in these areas.

"Government should not pick technology winners. The decision about the most cost efficient clean energy technology should be left to the market. Wind power and many other renewable energy sources are ready to compete against these other potential solutions on a level playing field.

"The Australian economy must begin a sensible transition to internationally acceptable emission levels. The implications of hoping for the deployment of energy technologies that are not proven in either a technological, commercial or regulatory sense, are serious indeed.

"The greater deployment of existing, proven, clean, zero emission technologies like wind should commence right now, using any one of, or a combination of the policy mechanisms that are well understood and can be costed using real data.

Auswind maintains that the market should be left to decide which zero emission technologies will best serve the nation's needs, and that can only happen through the use of a market mechanism which creates a level playing field.

"The NGF report does show that an emissions trading approach requires a significant carbon price to drive technology change. Internationally, the countries that have become involved in emissions trading have also implemented specific targets for renewably energy technologies because they acknowledge that it will be some time before the price of carbon alone will stimulate deployment of mature clean energy technologies like wind. Australia can't afford to wait for emissions trading to bring about cleaner generation in 2030."

*CCS - Carbon Capture and Storage

LifeSaving Energy

Bega District News
Tuesday 20/2/2007, Page: 7
By Matthew Nott

THE wind turbine and solar panels on the roof of the Tathra Surf Club are functioning well and there has been a lot of positive feedback. We are hoping to help the Pambula and Bermagui (once it has a clubhouse) surf clubs set up with renewable energy in the near future.

What this project has done is show people how easy it is to install renewable energy onto a rooftop. The technology is ready to go, and the equipment was installed quickly and easily. Wind and solar energy are no longer the domain of environmentalists, or "alternative lifestylers".

In fact, the phrase "alternative energy" no longer applies to wind and solar energy. We are talking about renewable energy, energy that never runs out, energy that does not emit carbon dioxide and therefore does not wreck the planet. Renewable energy can provide a baseload power source and employs more people than conventional fossil fuel power.

The concept that are economy cannot cope without the dollars of export coal must be balanced against the cost to our economy of climate change. The CSIRO predicts that it will be 10 years before we know whether or not clean coal technology will work and a further 10 years before that technology becomes freely available (if it works).

In the meantime, the world's biggest exporter of dirty coal (Australia) will continue to increase its exports. Australia is one of the engine rooms of climate change.

Where does "LifeSaving Energy" go from here? At this stage we have one surf club running on renewable energy, which leaves 304 to go. A fundraising event will be held in Jindabyne on February 24 to help raise money to get the Jindabyne Surf Club set up with renewable energy.

A human sign, reading "LifeSaving Energy", will be formed at the surf carnival being held that day and donations towards the renewable energy package will be sought.

A further human sign will be formed at South Broulee Beach on March 17 at noon again to say "LifeSaving Energy". This event will help raise money to get all four surf clubs in Eurobodalla set up with renewable energy. The LifeSaving Energy project has the full support of Surf Lifesaving NSW and we have had interest from several big Sydney surf clubs.

We have also had interest from fire and ambulance stations who want to get involved with LifeSaving Energy and more recently there has been growing interest from religious groups that want to get involved.

Could this be the start of something big? Stay tuned.

Leading the way - desalination in Perth

Engineers Australia
February, 2007 Page: 32

Climate independent water sources are starting to be introduced to secure public water supplies in Australia. One such facility recently coming on stream is the Perth Seawater Desalination Plant commissioned by the Water Corporation of Western Australia. Gold Coast City, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Gosford- Wyong are among other coastal Australian cities that are considering seawater desalination as an option.

In the face of the driest winter on record, the Perth Seawater Desalination Plant is on track to deliver 45GL/a of drinking water into the Perth Integrated Water Supply Scheme (IWSS).

The plant at Cockburn Sound could be regarded as a world-leading model for future sustainable seawater desalination plants. A six month commissioning program commenced in October, with first water entering into the system in November 2006. At a peak capacity of 144ML/d, the $387 million plant, including the integration works, will be the largest seawater desalination plant outside the Middle East, and Australia's first large scale desalination facility.

It will also hold the title of the largest desalination plant in the southern hemisphere and be the biggest single water source feeding into the IWSS. The plant will provide 17% of Perth's water supplies which is significant given the vast reduction in rainfall over the last 30 years particularly in the southwest of the state and the resultant decline in run-off to the dams supplying the IWSS.

The plant was built by Multiplex-Degremont Joint Venture, in alliance with the Water Corporation and will be operated for 25 years by Degremont in alliance with the Water Corporation. It incorporates two separate streams each capable of producing 72ML/d of drinking water via a two pass seawater reverse-osmosis system. At peak production, the environmentally friendly submerged seawater intake, in about 10m of water 200m offshore, will gravitate 364ML/d of seawater via screens to a wet well. From this point two streams of feed water are pumped through the pretreatment facility, incorporating multimedia pressure filters and cartridge filters, by means of variable speed drive feed pumps.

The seawater is then pressurised to between 6MPa and 6.4MPa via six high pressure pumps and passes through 12 first pass seawater reverse-osmosis membrane racks. The permeate from the first pass system is then pumped through six second pass brackish water reverse-osmosis racks to produce high quality permeate. For every 10L of incoming seawater, the plant will produce 4L of drinking water and 6L of brine discharge at slightly less than twice the salinity of seawater. This fresh water is then passed through a post-treatment system, adding minerals to condition the water prior to being forwarded to a 12ML drinking water tank from which it is pumped into the IWSS.

The seawater concentrate is discharged 470m offshore via a 160m long, 40-port diffuser to ensure comprehensive mixing within 50m of the diffuser. Extensive modelling and monitoring has and will occur to ensure that there are no adverse affects resulting from this discharge.

An associated package of works includes 26km of large diameter pipelines and a 250ML/d pump station to transport water to the distribution network. The plant will also be greenhouse neutral as its energy requirements will be met from an 82MW wind farm north of Perth, from which the Water Corporation will purchase the 185GWh/a required to operate the plant.

The Emu Downs wind farm, developed by Griffin Energy and Stanwell Corporation, is Western Australia's second biggest wind farm and is located 30km east of Cervantes. It consists of 48 wind turbines and is part of the state program to meet the 6% renewable energy target for WA'S main electricity grid by 2010.

Sourcing the energy from the wind farm will make the Perth Seawater Desalination Plant the world's largest desalination plant using renewable energy. The Water Corporation said that coupling this energy with the low specific energy consumption achieved from the plant's novel design, incorporating isobaric energy recovery devices supplied by ERI, ensures that the plant is environmentally friendly.

The 10 processes of desalination:

1. Seawater intake - An 8m-diameter cylindrical structure positioned on the seabed 11m below sea level, 220m offshore in Cockburn Sound.
2. Chemical dosing - The seawater is shock-dosed at the intake with: sodium hypochlorite, sodium metabisulphite, ferric chloride and sulphuric acid coagulant aid.
3. Pretreatment - The pretreatment uses 24 horizontal pressure filters. Each filter has a surface area of 52m2 and has a nominal flow rate of 15ML/d.
4. Reverse-osmosis - first pass - The reverse-osmosis system consists of two passes, which means that all or some of the desalinated product from the first pass is relayed to a second pass for further desalination to ensure that the desired drinking water quality is achieved. The average total dissolved salts (TDs) achieved from the first pass is less than 300mg/L.
5. Reverse-osmosis - second pass - The average TDS achieved from the second pass is less than 40mg/L.
6. Remineralisation and disinfection - A stabilisation dosing system is essentially a chemical mixing system for lime water and carbon dioxide. Lime dosing involves 6t/d of lime while about 2t/d of CO will be injected into the system.
7. Drinking water storage and water pumping - The drinking water storage tank holds 12.5ML of water and the associated pumping station contains systems to transfer water 11km to Thomson Reservoir.
8. Process wastewater treatment - The seawater desalination plant has several wastewater streams handled through processes and disposal means that are environmentally acceptable.
9. Liquid wastewater disposal - The plant discharges to the ocean through an 1800mm pipeline extending 470m into Cockburn Sound. The final 160m of the pipeline incorporate 40 diffuser nozzles.
10. Integrated water supply - The drinking water is transferred 11km to Thomson Reservoir through a 1200mm-diameter mild steel concrete-lined pipeline.

Let's do it again

Summit Sun
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 7

"IT'S given me the inspiration to do it again next year," said Rashida Nuridin after a wet but successful Renewable Energy Expo last Sunday. The Expo was part of the Flowing Festival and drew a lot of attention from visitors, who despite the rain, were keen to find out more about renewable energy and climate change issues.

Phillip May and Sophia Moody of Solartec Electrical Services have made renewable energy their passion after living on solar for almost 10 years on a property at Bredbo. They supply, design, install, and maintain remote area power and grid connect power systems utilising solar and wind energy.

Ms Moody said that they had been pleasantly surprised by the numbers of people and level of interest particularly in view of the weather. Solartec's system costs from $10,990 and allows solar electricity to be fed back into the grid.

Stan Reimer, Southern Area Account Manager for Country Energy said that there had been a great deal of interest shown in the green energy packages which allow customers to specify that 100 percent, 50 percent or 10 percent of their energy requirements are bought from renewable sources. Costs vary from about $4.40 to $1.50 per week extra. Anyone interested can call 13 23 56 to sign up.

Although numbers weren't high for the Al Gore presenters' talks on climate change, there was a lot of interest. Member for Monaro, Steve Whan attended one of the sessions and said: "I don't need a lot of convincing; I've read a lot about this." The talks were given by Bruce Beatson, a farmer from East Gippsland and Trish Harrup, Director of the Conservation Council, South East Region and Canberra.

Ms Harrup said that there were three factors affecting climate change, the population explosion, which has taken earth from 250 million people 2000 years ago to 6.5 billion people today. Other factors, Ms Harrup said, were the scientific and technological revolution, which allowed us to do more damage to the planet and our way of thinking which confused many people over the seriousness of the problem.

New wind farm for region

Ararat Advertiser
Tuesday 20/2/2007 Page: 4

GLENTHOMPSON - A multimillion dollar wind farm is being planned for the Glenthompson area.

The proposed Oaklands Hill Wind Farm, three kilometres south of Glenthompson, will provide up to 60 jobs with millions of dollars of potential opportunities for local employment and industry during the 12-18 month design and construction phase. More than 40 wind towers will be erected in the project.

Private investment bank Investec Bank (Australia) Ltd and Windlab Systems Pty Ltd, set up by former CSIRO Wind Energy Research Unit staff, have joined forces to develop the wind farm.

Research undertaken by Windlab Systems has identified the Oaklands Hill Wind Farm site as one of the best locations for a wind farm in inland Victoria, registering wind speeds usually associated with coastal areas.

With a one-to-one consultation process with all neighbouring property holders and municipal representatives starting mid-February, Investec Bank and joint venture spokesman Mark Headland said Victoria's electricity generation was responsible for more than 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Victoria.

"This wind farm will be a clean, emissions free source of generation which will reduce Victoria's carbon dioxide emissions," he said. "So, while the people of Glenthompson will feel the immediate economic benefits, Oaklands Hill Wind Farm will ultimately benefit all Victorians.

"In addition, during construction of the wind farm we will make available $50,000 to be spent on local projects. At this time we will work with the Shire council to identify opportunities to use this money to benefit the Glenthompson community.

"Detailed studies into impact on flora and fauna, the landscape, visual impact and noise have been undertaken as a part of initial planning. Once these studies and the consultation process have been completed a development application will be lodged for consideration by the Minister for Planning. It is intended that on-site construction will start in 2008 with the aim of commissioning the wind farm by the first quarter of 2009.

A public open day for the project will be held at the Glenthompson War Memorial Hall between 10am and 4pm on Saturday, March 3.

For more information about the proposal visit www.oaklandshillwindfarm.com.au

Carnarvon Solar given little credit

Northern Guardian
Wednesday 21/2/2007 Page: 3

THE Carnarvon Solar Farm cannot trade its carbon credits overseas because of the Federal Government policy on the Kyoto Protocol.

Federal Member Barry Haase, who represents the Gascoyne in the Australian Parliament, said profitable industries and making money were more important to people than the "hype" of climate change. "People are not as concerned with buzz-words like "global warming" and "climate change" as they are with making a quid," Mr Haase said.

It was hardly surprising the Carnarvon Solar Farm was the largest privately owned electricity generator of its type in Australia, he said. "This suggests that without government subsidies, solar farms, like wind farms, would not be profitable," Mr Haase said. "They are being subsidised with tax-payers' money." Carnarvon Solar Farm founding owner Lex Fullarton said the primary source of income for the solar power station was selling its electricity to Horizon Power.

He said if the Government ratified the Kyoto Protocol and put in place the enabling legislation, Australia's carbon credits could be sold offshore. "Australia essentially has a carbon trading system though the Office of Renewable Energy," he said. "But we can only trade these certificates within Australia." The Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act was introduced in 2000 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the Renewable Energy Act, operators of fossil fuel power stations of 100mW capacity or more were required to hand up Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) or face fines. Renewable energy power stations received RECs for the power they produced from the Office of Renewable Energy. Non-renewable, or fossil fuel energy producers bought their RECs from renewable energy producers.

The Carnarvon Solar Farm was banking on the price of RECs going up, Mr Fullarton said. "We are taking the risk that Australia will sign Kyoto, and we will be able to sell these certificates to Japan," he said.

Prime Minister John Howard said last week he would not ratify the Protocol because it would damage Australian industry. He was responding in Parliament to a question from Mr Haase on the effect ratifying Kyoto would have on the mining industry in his electorate of Kalgoorlie. "In responding to climate change, no rational government would enter into an arrangement that reduced the competitiveness of Australian industry," Mr Howard said.

Australia and the U.S. were the only two countries that signed the Kyoto Protocol but refused to ratify it. Australia and the U.S. were also the highest per capita emitters of greenhouse gases in the world.

Emission cuts yes, at a price

Canberra Times
Wednesday 21/2/2007 Page: 1

A national emissions trading scheme is the only way to make deep cuts in Australia's escalating greenhouse emissions, but electricity costs will rise substantially as a result, according to Australia's major power generators.

The National Generators Forum - the industry body representing Australia's 21 major power generators - says it supports emissions trading in preference to a carbon tax, but a carbon permit price of around $40 per tonne would be needed to halve Australia's greenhouse emissions by 2050.

In a report issued yesterday, it warns emission cuts will come at a price, with wholesale electricity prices rising by 100 per cent and retail prices by 40 per cent over the next 12 years to meet projected greenhouse reduction targets.

The $40 billion industry body also wants coal-fired electricity generators to be "compensated fairly'' for any impact government-imposed greenhouse polluter penalties would have on the value of their assets. But the Australian Conservation Foundation has described the suggestion as outrageous and unthinkable.

"We wouldn't think of compensating James Hardie or Big Tobacco for lost revenue as a result of changes in government policy decisions. We wouldn't contemplate it for one minute with industries like asbestos or tobacco, so why should we think any differently about a big greenhouse polluter like the coal industry," the organisation's climate change spokesman Tony Mohr said.

Carbon dioxide emissions from Australia's electricity generation sector are about 190 million tonnes per year and expected to exceed 400 million tonnes by 2050.

The report claims halving present greenhouse emissions from the industry by 2050 can only be achieved by closing or rebuilding most existing coalfired power stations. This would require $128 billion capital expenditure compared to $78 billion for "business as usual".

The report says a "poorly managed transition to a lower carbon future" would incur major costs and devaluation of assets and compensating businesses affected by loss of asset value resulting from policy change is a key issue for electricity generators.

"There must be recognition that Australia's electricity generation sector, in particular coal-fired generators, face an uncertain future as the drive for emission reduction escalates." Brown coal generators - like the Loy Yang power plant in Victoria's industrial La Trobe Valley - would be substantially affected by government policy mandating deep cuts in carbon emissions, with revenue per megawatt of installed capacity falling by 91 per cent. Black coal generator revenue was likely to fall by 20 per cent.

National Generators Forum executive director John Boshier said to preserve the confidence of investors and "stop them losing boatloads of money", generators should be allocated sufficient free carbon emission permits by the Federal Government to preserve the value of their assets and prevent them being stranded.

"If an emissions trading scheme is introduced and a brown coal power plant can't lower its emissions to the required level, it would be unable to operate... The business would be almost immediately bankrupted because of government policy." Mr Boshier said if an emissions trading scheme was imposed and the Federal Government earned money from it, it should be required to compensate owners of assets who were left "stranded". This was a fair exchange considering electricity generators had already invested more than $2 billion in research and development for low emissions technologies in Australia, he said.

The report says "two key base-load technologies" - nuclear and advanced coal with carbon capture and storage - are essential to achieve cuts.

Chief executive of Renewable Energy Generators Australia Susan Jeanes has called for nationally consistent market based policies to "deliver an incentive between the cost of providing electricity generated by burning coal and the cost of delivering emissions-free electricity." She said economic modelling showed the cost of generating electricity from geothermal energy would reduce from a $50 per megawatt to $30 in 2050, and the cost of wind energy would drop from $70 to $45 over the same period.

Green light for new wind farm

Ballarat Courier
Wednesday 21/2/2007 Page: 5

Hepburn Shire Mayor David Smith used his casting vote to give the green light to a wind farm at Leonards Hill.

At a council meeting at Drummond last night, Cr Janine Booth also voted in favour, while councillors Heather Mutimer and Bill McClenaghan both voted against the Hepburn Renewable Energy Association application. Cr Tim Hayes did not attend the public meeting, where a vote was also taken to stop a videographer from filming.

The wind farm proposal consists of two wind turbines, with an overall height of 109 metres, to be built on farmland at 2040 Ballan-Daylesford Rd, Leonards Hill about 10km south of Daylesford.

A council report said there had been 18 objections to the wind farm including noise pollution, visual impact, a reduction in land values, close proximity to David Smith houses, problems with shadow flicker and glint and possible effects on flora and fauna. However, the report said on balance it is considered the wind farm will contribute positively to the environment of Leonards Hill".

The community shall be provided with a sustainable and environmental friendly renewable energy source which will meet a large part of its needs for at least 25 years," the report said.

After the meeting, objectors said they would appeal the councils decision at VCAT where they were "hopeful their objections would be heard". Speaking against the application, Cr Mutimer told the meeting the steel and concrete structures would be as high as two 30-storey buildings and the proposal was based on inadequate and questionable studies.

Cr McClenaghan said he could not support "a project like this and sleep at night if it is going to destroy a community". The application was deficient in a range of data, including its indigenous survey and current background noise study, he said.

Speaking in favour of the application, Cr Booth said wind farms were an emotive issue, but she needed to balance residents concerns with "research, reports and evidence provided". Cr Smith said placing two turbines in each of the shires towns would make them self-sufficient for domestic needs.

New energy is the answer

Adelaide Advertiser
Saturday 17/2/2007 Page: 54

RENEWABLE energy on a large scale has been rejected by critics who claim that it can never supply more than 10 per cent of Australia's power needs.

They insist renewable energy can never supply base load power. They also claim that it is too expensive. But these assumptions are being challenged by new ways of using renewable energy and the new economy of carbon trading.

Because we have some of the hottest and most suitable rock formations accessible in the Earth's crust, we are natural leaders in geothermal energy through companies such as Petratherm at Paralana and Geodynamics near Moomba.

Geothermal energy - drilling 4km-deep shafts and preparing the 200C hot rocks to be massive steam generators - has the potential to supply abundant baseload energy.

Like many new technologies, it takes a certain amount of bravura to be involved. But the rewards, both natural and economic, could be huge for SA.

The more immediate sources of renewable energy are solar and wind. Solar is criticised for being diurnal, but this does have some natural advantages. For example, solar panels can be set to match late afternoon air-conditioner use, when summer power demand peaks.

Wind is also regarded as intermittent. But wind power is available in such abundance that if required, it can be matched to jobs that don't need continuous power - such as pumping water or running a desalination plant.

But the more we think about it, the more subtle the ways have become. For example, solar concentrators in NSW work alongside a coal-burning power station to produce steam to top up its power generation.

There are myriad developments: clever ways of storing energy, passive designs that radically cut power use and a new generation of tide and wave power generators. The point is SA is ideally situated to lead the field in generating renewable energy, and how best to use it. Economic benefits can far outweigh the extra cost, if any, of renewable energy.