Two wind turbines best: study

Albany Advertiser
Tuesday 10/10/2006, Page: 8

THE Denmark Community Windfarm group has announced that an independent feasibility study it commissioned confirms that two wind turbines would prove to be technically and financially possible at Wilson Head.

The study was done by civil engineering company GHD Pty Ltd, which recommended the windfarm would have to be downgraded from three to two wind turbines to be viable. DCW chairperson Craig Chappelle said his group would now seek planning approvals, investors and grid-connection agreements for the $2.6 million project.

"This study vindicates the local community's vision to move Denmark towards a sustainable energy future and do it profitably," Mr Chappelle said. But spokesperson for the South Coast Landscape Guardians group Peter Mortimer said most of the Denmark community was opposed to the windfarm's placement.

The group has been campaigning against putting it on Wilson Head. "I don't know why DCW are so blindingly ignorant in their planning," Mr Mortimer said. "If they did their research it could be win/win for everyone.

"Why not build a large windfarm in a large windy area? "I can't see why DCW won't consider an alternative," he said. "It doesn't get more bloody-minded than the way Craig Chappelle leads DCW down the path of no return in the face of community opinion," he said.

Mr Chappelle said there was increasing community support for the windfarm and compared community opposition to that which had surrounded the Albany windfarm before it was established.

"Albany's windfarm is on land similar to the Denmark proposal and attracted considerable criticism at first, but you would be hard pressed to find anyone opposed to it now," Mr Chappelle said.

Mr Chappelle said the two turbines could provide up to 60 per cent of Denmark's annual power consumption and prevent more than 7000 tonnes of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere each year.

"Our success will open the door for many other small rural communities to create similar projects," he said. Current worldwide demand for wind turbines means it is unlikely the Denmark windfarm will be operational before 2009.