Wind is the fastest growing energy industry

The Ararat Advertiser, Page: 16
Friday, 14 July 2006

Wind is the fastest growing energy industry in the world as can be seen with a visit to the Challicum Hills Wind Farm, near Ararat. The problem of climate change is not slowing down. The wind energy industry has never claimed to be the single answer to our future electricity needs, instead it aims to be a significant part of the mix of technologies that will supply our power for years to come. The difference between wind and many other emission-free energy sources is that wind is available and working now, both here and overseas, with proven, reliable technology.

Australia is blessed with some of the best and most reliable winds on earth. The Federal Government can ensure it is ready to take advantage of this inexhaustible natural resource by providing incentives for investment in wind. Despite misleading claims that there are now 600 wind farms in Australia, the real figures are:. Australia currently has 41 wind farms in operation, with two more now under construction.

In total there are 505 wind turbines now operating with another 93 yet to begin operating. Including those under construction, that amounts to one wind turbine per 12.739 square kilometres. South Australia, which has 51% of Australia's wind energy, has one turbine per 4, 553 square km.

Renewable wind energy contributes significant amounts of green electricity:. Australia's wind resources are already being harnessed to produce up to 738 megawatts of power. In an average year that creates 2, 262 Gigawatt-hours of electricity -enough to power 314,000 homes, or almost 80% of Adelaide's domestic consumption. This green electricity helps Australia cut its greenhouse gas emissions because:.

2, 262GWh of pollution-free wind energy means a saving of almost 3,000,000 tonnes of C02 every year. That is the equivalent of taking 680,000 cars off our roads or planting 4.39 million trees. The Australian wind energy industry does not exist because of taxpayer subsidies.

An individual wind farm project may cost anywhere from $100 million to $400 million and the renewable energy company must carry the entire financial liability without government funding. The only guarantee the wind energy sector receives is guaranteed access to a share of half a percent of the electricity market through the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MEET) scheme. MRET was created in. part to level the disparity between high carbon emitting and low carbon emitting generation systems.

MRET is now fully subscribed. Wind energy exists in a competitive market along with various other sources of electricity. The price of electricity from fossil fuel does not include any charge for the cost of the pollution it produces. If a carbon penalty was added the cost of wind energy would be easily competitive with so-called clean coal, nuclear or any fuel source that relied on carbon geosequestration.

Wind's electricity contribution:Wind power currently provides about 0.5% of Australia's electricity requirements, but this could easily rise as high as 20% without any negative effects on the distribution network. With an appropriate number of wind farms over a wide area this would provide consistent, reliable power to the grid. Denmark gets 20% of its electricity from wind, Germany gets 5%, and Europe is aiming to produce 12% of its total electricity consumption from wind by 2020. China has legislated for renewable sources, including wind, to provide three times as much electricity as nuclear power by 2020. This year alone the USA plans to install 3.000MW of wind power, which is four times Australia's total installed capacity.

Wind's economic contribution: The wind energy industry in Australia currently has $1.7 billion in capital investment with the potential for billions more, if there were incentives to invest. Already, every year, $2.5 million goes directly to landholders who host wind turbines on their land, while another $19 million is spent on operational and maintenance costs, much of it in regional areas.

This investment has created hundreds of jobs and a guaranteed income for many farmers who are still able to carry out normal farming activities on 98% of their land. Hundreds more workers in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania are directly employed in the manufacture and export of components for wind turbines. These jobs are not subsidised or government funded.