Wind power flagged for city sites

Hobart Mercury
15 August 2011 Page: 3

WIND turbines could be installed on buildings across Tasmania, making the state a national leader in wind power, an expert says. wind turbine and sustainable energy specialist Brian Kirke said Tasmania had no shortage of wind and plenty of buildings suitable for housing turbines. Turbines in cities such as Hobart, Launceston and Burnie would improve the energy rating of buildings and could make Tasmania lead the nation.

Mr Kirke's comments come as four wind turbines atop the Marine Board building in Hobart were replaced yesterday. Two of the turbines were damaged in a $100,000 mishap in August last year, just weeks after they were installed. The human error sparked fears that the turbines were unsafe. As a result, all four turbines had been switched off for the past 12 months. All four were removed yesterday and replaced with new turbines and are expected to be switched on within weeks.

Workmen arrived at 6am yesterday to set up a crane and closed a section of Morrison St Teams of workers removed the 500kg vertical-axis turbines and lifted them down one by one before raising the new turbines and securing them in place. The work was completed by the afternoon. Project director Keith Drew, who manages the turbines for building owner Robert Rockefeller, said last year's mishap was unfortunate but he was confident it would not happen again.

He said the replacement turbines were the same size and design as the original ones but came with some modifications, including a stronger main shaft and a better braking system. The equipment and control systems will be wired up and tested in coming days. "We won't have an incident like last year, we know that for sure", Mr Drew said. "We've done everything possible to make them as safe as possible". Mr Drew said the turbines had a 12-to 15-year lifespan and could produce 120.000kW hours of power each year, 10-15% of the building's energy use.

Mr Kirke, from South Australia, was called in to oversee the installation process. He said the type of turbines on the Marine Board building was quite new to Australia but was being used effectively overseas. Mr Kirke would like to see turbines elsewhere in Tasmania and on more Hobart buildings, nominating the Hydro building as a perfect spot. He said Tasmania's southerly position meant wind was plentiful: "You're definitely in the right part of the world for wind".