Potential in wind power

Ballarat News
Wednesday 27/9/2006 Page: 49

Wind power will be a major contributor to man's future energy needs. with the potential to provide more than a third of the world's electricity by 2050, a new report says. Launched by Greenpeace and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the report said wind power was second only to solar power as the world's fastest growing energy source.

It could eliminate 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by 2020. But the report also warned that the industry was faltering in Australia, with the Federal Government persistently choosing dirty fossil fuels over clean, renewable energy.

"Australia has world-class wind resources," said Greenpeace Australia Pacific energy campaigner Mark Wakeham. "While states such as Victoria and South Australia have made some progressive steps in legislating renewable energy targets, the wind industry still lacks the long-term support it needs to match its prospects overseas.

"Federal and state governments should support wind power development via mandatory targets and by cutting back subsidies for fossil fuels."

Report author Sven Teske said Australia could be a global wind leader but needed an economically integrated industry with a manufacturing base, not just stand-alone projects.

"Wind is already cost competitive with gas in some locations and will become cheaper than coal in the future," he said. "If Australia fails to develop a wind industry, technology will have to be imported from overseas and our reliance on burning coal, the biggest contributor to climate change, will continue.

GWEC chairman Arthouros Zervos said wind energy was the most attractive solution to the world's energy challenges. "It is clean and fuel-free," he said. "Moreover, wind is indigenous and enough wind blows across the globe to cope with the ever-increasing electricity demand. "This report demonstrates that wind technology is not a dream for the future, it is real, it is mature and it can be developed on a large scale."