Windfarm helps to erase a stain from Snowtown's past

www.theaustralian.com.au
19 May 2013

ITS identity has been defined by one of the nation's worst and most high-profile mass murders, but the community of Snowtown is hoping towering turbines will bring a new future for the Mid North town.

Gusts blowing relentlessly across the rounded, largely treeless Barunga and Hummocks ranges have brought prosperity, jobs and even an image make-over in their slipstream as the town becomes the state's epicentre of wind-generated power.

Snowtown-"Gateway to the Barunga Ranges"-became a casualty of evil when eight murder victims were found stored in barrels of acid in a disused bank in May 1999. But the town has long moved on and is keen to put the blot behind it. Winds blowing cash are helping. Snowtown is earning a new title, the Wind Farm Capital of Australia, as the $700 million Snowtown wind farm proceeds at full pace.

Reliable wind and proximity to transmission lines make the site ideal, and Stage 1 opened in November 2008 with 48 turbines powered by 88m-diameter rotors mounted on 80m-tall towers. Stage 2, now being built, is due to start generation in September, as another 90 turbines are added. The full wind farm will be capable of generating almost 10% of SA's electricity, via two new substations in the area.

It will be the biggest in SA and second-biggest in Australia, again putting Snowtown on the map-but this time for the right reasons. Unlike some other areas, there has been little opposition to the development. The turbines are on non-arable land along 30km of rocky, windblown ridgelines distant from housing. Sheep can still graze on the hills, and congregate under existing towers.

Owner TrustPower says there have been no complaints about health effects but the flashing red lights on the top of the towers were turned off after some objections. More than 200 people are working on Stage 2 of the project and the completed wind farm will have 20 permanent jobs for the region.

This is now SA's "windy city". Farmers with turbines on their previously little-loved ridgelines are the most obvious winners of the wind-blown bonanza. TrustPower will pay 24 farmers a total of $2.4 million every year for the next 25 years with an option for another 25 years. It is a guaranteed income stream for farmers whose crops are beholden to the weather.

That reliance on the weather was evident when the Sunday Mail visited this week. Fourth-generation Snowtown farmer Peter Ebsury and son Jarrod could barely pause to chat about the benefits as they took advantage of the rains to spray and sow cereal crops-each has two turbines on their respective properties.

"We laugh at people who say they're ugly or make the chooks lay upside down-this has been great for us and great for the community", Peter says. "With four children and six grandchildren, I hope we're still here for generations to come-and this will help in lean years. "The community fund has benefits across the district and they have also put in all-weather roads which gave emergency access and acted as a fire break in a recent bushfire. "This area was unfairly tarred by an incident that had nothing to do with us and the wind farm has helped give us a new focus".

Neighbouring farmer Paul McCormack, also a fourth-generation Snowtown farmer with two sons on the land as well as a daughter, has one turbine now and seven coming with Stage 2. "The construction has been a bit of an inconvenience but we live just over 1km from a neighbour's turbine and have not had any problems with turbine noise", he says. "If we can't use the wind and sun in this great land there is something wrong. I come out each morning and look at my turbine and get greener with each revolution. "I see myself as a custodian of the land for future generations and would not be involved if I thought it jeopardised that".

The ripple effect does not end with farmers lucky enough to have windy ridgelines. TrustPower is putting $45,000 every year into a community fund managed by the Lions Club, spreading the benefits throughout Snowtown and nearby towns such as Bute and Brinkworth.

The Lend a Hand Foundation sees a good wind blow benefits far and wide, from a new skate park in Snowtown to underpinning Brinkworth's hall and new toys for Bute kindergarten-even to individuals with things from care alert bracelets to a hot water service. "The whole area is benefiting from us becoming the wind farm capital of SA", Lend a Hand Snowtown co-ordinator Alan Large says. "And, as well as the community fund, the extra dollars coming into town is helping with jobs and keeping young people here".

The benefits extend to local businesses and people who moved to Snowtown despite the bodies-in-the-barrels murders, who saw it as a strong, positive community. Nicole and Nigel McCauley moved from Adelaide seven years ago with daughter Mia after looking at a range of country centres to raise a family. "We felt this was the best-it has a facilities like a hospital, GP service, chemist, hairdresser, police station, kindergarten, school and has a lovely community feel", Nicole says.

The family bought the pub but later took over the IGA supermarket when second daughter Ava was born. Nicole's brother, Christopher, moved from Adelaide and works on the wind farm, while her parents also shifted to be close to family. "There has been a bit of an influx of people-a rental property that came up the other day had three families looking at it", Nicole notes in between chatting to customers.

"The contractors at the wind farm have been very supportive of the supermarket which has been wonderful. They are really nice people". Publican Phil Hyde is also enjoying increased bar and dining trade from workers on the wind farm after taking over the hotel three years ago. "The community spirit in this town is very good and it is a great place to live", he says. "You get the odd tourist asking about the bank but the town moved on from it a long time ago".

At the Snowtown Bakery and Delicaf, owner Chris Keynes is flat out when the Sunday Mail drops by at morning tea time. He took over the bakery two years ago with his son and now employs nine people, with two additional outlets at each end of the wind farm to feed hungry contractors on site.

"One of our big challenges is to find people to fill the jobs-there is employment here for people who want to have a go", he says as he prepares to take supplies to a wind farm canteen. "Snowtown became infamous through no fault of its own. Something like this which puts this great town in a positive light is certainly welcome.

"Tourists still ask about the barrels but the town moved on a long time ago. The wind farm has put a fantastic new focus on the area and I have not heard a single complaint about it. "There is even talk of making Snowtown a completely green-powered town from the wind farm-that would require new infrastructure but it would be a great symbolic point". For the optimistic people of Snowtown embracing the breeze, it appears the answer for an image make-over was blowin' in the wind.

Local firm leads energy future

www.brisbanetimes.com.au
17 May 2013

Geothermal energy could provide 9% of Australia's energy needs by 2035.

Milton firm GeoDynamics has used steam produced by boiling water tapped five km underground to generate electricity in an Australian first. Experts predict this geothermal energy gathered from turbines driven from the steam of boiling underground water will provide 9% of Australia's energy needs by 2035.

Queensland has already identified 11 high-priority sites-in southwest Queensland, near Surat, near Julia Creek and Cape York-from 33 potential targets. This month GeoDynamics successfully produced electricity to power its own test project in the South Australian desert at Innaminka, near Moomba. It now plans to provide electricity from its one MW pilot project to mining companies in the Cooper Basin by way of a longer-term commercial trial.

Managing director Geoff Ward said their plant was one of only three enhanced geothermal energy (EGS) plants worldwide at the trial stage and the first in Australia. ''What we are doing here is opening up the prospect of being able to use geothermal power in the long term, in the next 30, 40 years, 100 years in a whole lot of areas where you probably couldn't do so now,'' Mr Ward said.

GeoDynamics is running the successful Engineered Geothermal Systems trial from its Habanero well at Innaminka where is drawing boiling water from Innamincka granite deep underground. After 100 days of the pilot trial, it will move to a commercial trial over an extended period. ''We will take the results of the pilot plant trial and put together a 5 or 10 MW plant in a commercial project,'' he said. That will provide power to nearby mining companies.

Santos and Chevron are likely customers given their exploration of unconventional gas reserves nearby Moomba Mr Ward said. ''We are hoping to put together a scheme so that we can sell power, or direct heat to local gas producers or other industries in the Cooper Basin,'' he said. While geothermal enegy was first used in Italy in 1908 and tentatively explored around the geysers of Wyoming around World War II.

Traditional geothermal energy taps into volcanic conditions in places like California, New Zealand and Iceland and the Phillipines, where heavy rainfall run into the fault-lines and seeps underground. ''So you get a system where a lot of heat is bought to the surface and a lot of water that cuiculates quite quickly so generate the ability to generate a lot of heat,'' he said. ''That is the conventional geothermal system.''

But Australia is drier and different. That is why it encourages ''enhanced'' geothermal energy. ''What we do have is some of the world's hottest deep rocks,'' he said. GeoDynamics is exploring 1000 km² of Innaminka granite in central Australia, which is between seven and eight km thick, four km below ground. ''And extends seven to ten km, we think, below that.''

The boiling hot brine is tapped to the surface by steel-encased drill wells at temperatures of 240° celcius, tapped into turbines to produce steam which drive generators. Geoscience Australia estimates that 1% of Australia's geothermal energy shallower than five km and hotter than 150° Celsius, could supply Australia's energy requirements for 26,000 years.

Electricity produced from geothermal energy produces about one-tenth of the CO₂ per MW of electricity from brown coal, Mr Ward said. brown coal produces 1200kg of carbon per MW, gas around 600kgs per MW, while geothermal energy produces around 120kgs per MW, he said.

Coalition dances around renewables commitment – again

reneweconomy.com.au
17 May 2013

The politics over renewable energy get bleaker by the moment. As the election date gets closer and a change of government grows more likely, the voices of the pro-coal and anti-renewable interests are becoming more strident and, it would seem, finding larger cracks in the Coalition's supposed "bipartisan" support for renewable energy.

On Thursday, Opposition Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey refused to support the ongoing funding of renewable energy developments, saying the electorate would have to "wait and see" its policies on support measures for wind and solar power.

In an interview with the anti-wind and anti-carbon tax campaigner Alan Jones, which you can listen to here, Hockey was put on the spot several times about ongoing support for renewables, but would not be drawn on the extent of that support because he had "only just seen the budget papers".

"Why are you subsidising these people", Jones asked. To which Hockey replied: "Alan, I need to consult with my colleagues about the state of the budget". Later, asked again why the government would "cover the cost" of wind and solar power, Hockey said: "Well, please wait and see on that Alan".

Hockey may simply have been ducking the question, but the exchange was symptomatic of the sort of pressure the Coalition is under-both from within its own ranks in state and federal levels, and from outside business interests-over support for renewables.

There is increasing concern in the industry that the Opposition will pave way for the Renewable Energy Target to be diluted, under pressure from state governments, utilities and generators worried about sliding profits from their coal and gas generators, and noisy anti-renewable lobbies promoted by the likes of Jones.

This was more or less confirmed by EnergyAustralia this week, which said that it would "wait and see" the result of the election and the decisions taken afterwards. Renewable energy developers says commercial financing support for large scale renewables has dried up pending the result of the election, because no new power purchase agreements are being signed.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott reaffirmed in his budget reply on Thursday night that the carbon tax will be repealed, and the $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corp, will be dissolved. The fate of both will be decided by the make-up of the Senate. The Coalition is in favour of yet another review of the RET, and has expressed sympathy for the argument of utilities that the target should be diluted because of falling demand.

The Climate Change Authority last year rejected those arguments when it said the fixed target of 41,000GWh should be retained, adding that there was a need for investment certainty, and having more than 20% renewables was a good thing-seeing as that is where the country is inevitably headed in any case. Abbott has promised to dissolve the CCA as well.

Abbott's Coalition is littered with anti-wind members, many of whom are apparently going to speak against wind farms at a rally planned for Canberra on June 18.

Read More…

Denham invests in Australian wind power

www.stockjournal.com.au
9 May 2013

US PRIVATE equity firm Denham Capital Management has strengthened its commitment to Australia's renewable sector, investing $US75 million in a portfolio of wind power projects forming the basis of new entity OneWind Australia. Denham, which has more than $US7.3 billion in assets, is joining the Australian arm of Portugal's Enersis Group, National Power and Kato Capital to create OneWind.

The new venture will develop and finance several wind farms in NSW, South Australia and Tasmania with a total capacity of one GW, The Australian Financial Review reports. The projects, which would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to develop, would help meet Australia's 2020 renewable energy target, which is expected to be almost entirely filled by wind power.

The investment follows Denham's decision last year to set up a new office in Perth, where it has been scouting for opportunities in metals and mining. The firm already backs international solar power developer Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, which is developing solar ventures in Australia.

Denham co-founder Carl Tricoli said last November that the firm may invest up to $US600 million of its latest $US3 billion fund in Australia across its three key sectors: metals and mining, oil and gas, and power and renewables.

Scott Mackin, co-president of ­Denham and head of the firm's power and renewables team, said on Tuesday that Denham's investment would accelerate the pipeline of projects, which has been developed by the other partners.

"We believe that the combined skills, capital and projects that we collectively bring to the table create exciting opportunities for the partnership", Mr Mackin said. He said late last year that he was particularly interested in solar and wind projects that could undercut the cost of "brown" coal-fired power, including remote mining sites.

The portfolio of projects in OneWind includes the 100 MW Glen Innes wind farm in NSW, the 250 MW Lincoln Gap project in South Australia, and the 240 MW Cattle Hill venture in Tasmania.

Solar Power: Australian scientists successfully print solar panels

www.policymic.com
21 May 2013

3D printing is all the rage at the moment, from the debate over 3D printed guns to plans to print pizza with a 3D food printer. Scientists in Australia, however, have shown that regular printing can still do amazing things too. Researchers at Australia's Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium (VICOSC)--a collaboration between the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the University of Melbourne, Monash University and industry partners--have successfully printed an A3 sheet of photovoltaic cells.

The sheets are the largest flexible, plastic solar cells that have been printed in Australia, having gone from printing cells the size of a finger nail just a few years ago. Research Dr David Jones eventually sees the cells, which produce 10 50 watts of power per m², "being laminated to windows that line skyscrapers [and] we'll also be able to embed cells onto roofing materials". Given the cost of the printer alone, $200,000, and its size (see below), this is not exactly the kind of thing that just anyone can start doing.

Breakthrough in solar efficiency by UNSW team ahead of its time

www.smh.com.au
6 May 2013

Australian scientists have found a way of hugely increasing the efficiency of solar panels while substantially reducing their cost. The University of New South Wales researchers have come up with improvements in photovoltaic panel design that had not been expected for another decade. This has really got the industry very excited.

The breakthrough involves using hydrogen atoms to counter defects in silicon cells used in solar panels. As a consequence, poor quality silicon can be made to perform like high quality wafers. The process makes cheap silicon "actually better than the best-quality material people are using at the moment", the head of the university's photovoltaics centre of excellence, Professor Stuart Wenham, said.

Silicon wafers account for more than half the cost of making a solar cell. "By using lower-quality silicon, you can drastically reduce that cost", he said. "We've been able to figure out what the secret is that enables hydrogen to sometimes work the way people want it to, and sometimes doesn't". At present, the best commercial solar cells convert between 17% and 19% of the sun's energy into electricity. UNSW's technique, patented this year, should produce efficiencies of between 21% and 23%.

"This has really got the industry very excited, not only in China, but elsewhere as well", said Richard Corkish, head of the university's School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering. Alumni of the school hold senior positions at many of the leading PV producers globally.

Separately, the UNSW's Martin Green, dubbed the "father of photovoltaics" for his work to develop and commercialise silicon solar cell technologies, was last week elected into the UK's renowed Royal Society. Professor Green, whose work includes overseeing research teams and setting the current 25% conversion efficiency record for solar PV, joins 1,450 of the world's top scientists as a Royal Society Fellow.

Prices tumble
The price of solar panels has fallen by about 65% in two years, partly due to a huge rise in production in China. Australians have been taking advantage of lower prices, with the number of homes with solar panels exceeding 1 million.

The phenomenal growth has caused some casualties in the industry as companies have taken on massive debt to expand supply, then struggled with falling prices in saturated markets. Notable among them is the recent debt default by Suntech Power, once the world's largest solar panel maker, founded by former University of New South Wales researcher Shi Zhengrong.

Panel prices are predicted to fall much further. European producers predict they will be 60% cheaper by 2020. "Based on the technological advances we're making, we think that's certainly achievable", Dr Wenham said.

Eight commercial firms have signed up to be a partner in developing the technology to an industrial scale, including Suntech Power, which continues to operate from its base in the eastern Chinese city of Wuxi and has a research unit in Sydney. "It's the kind of advance that other people are anticipating is a decade away,'' Suntech Power R&D Australia managing director Renate Egan said. "It is quite a breakthrough".

Funding
Suntech Power funded much of the early work, including in China. "Suntech Power has the right to use that (intellectual property) and UNSW has the right to licence the technology to third parties", Dr Egan said. Funding to help commercialise the technology will total about $15 million over three years, with the UNSW seeking support from the federal government's Australian Renewable Energy Agency for part of that sum.

The annual funding of $5 million-equivalent to what bidders last month paid for the half-brother of champion race mare Black Caviar-is "a lot of money for us", Dr Corkish said. Already worth about $100 billion a year, the solar industry is expected to swell to about $140 billion by 2018, according to estimates published in April by Transparency Market Research.

Installed PV capacity probably surpassed 100 GWs, worldwide, in the March quarter, according to the International Energy Agency. Some forecasts project capacity will more than triple by the end of the decade. Australia ranked ninth, with installed capacity of 2.4 GW, at the end of 2012.

EU will proceed with duties on Chinese solar panels

www.businessspectator.com.au
6 May 2013

The EU's trade chief will recommend placing punitive import duties on billions of euros of solar panels from China, people close to the matter say, putting up a barrier to protect European producers but risking upsetting Beijing. The case, the biggest the Commission has ever targeted, highlights the balancing act facing Brussels as Europe tries to protect against cheap imports while needing China, the EU's second largest trading partner, to help it emerge from recession.

Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht is expected to tell his fellow EU commissioners on Wednesday that Brussels should levy the tariffs to guard against Chinese production that quadrupled between 2009 and 2011 to more than the entire global demand. "De Gucht is ready to go ahead", said one person close to the decision-making. "The Commission has a very solid case".

Following Wednesday's meeting in Brussels, De Gucht will then propose the measures at a meeting of trade specialists from all EU countries, who are expected to back them, diplomats say, allowing the provisional levies to come into force by June 6. However, the decision to levy duties would still leave the door open for a negotiated solution with Beijing before December and avoid levies that could be imposed for up to five years.

The United States levied its own duties on Chinese solar power products last year, arguing that China's rapid expansion into the industry has created a massive oversupply. Germany, the United States and China are the world's biggest solar markets and companies are in a race to win contracts as countries seek to limit pollution and global warming.

The initial EU duties on Chinese solar panels are likely to be set at 30% and above, which would make Chinese exports far less attractive in Europe, said one person involved. The European Commission declined to comment. China, which had barely any solar production capacity a decade ago, exported more than 21 billion euros ($27.45 billion) in panels to the European Union in 2011.

European solar panel manufacturers, led by Germany's Solar World, accuse Chinese counterparts of dumping panels and related components on the EU market and seeking to put European peers out of business to corner the market.

German support
SolarWorld, once Germany's biggest solar group, partly blames Chinese overcapacity for its problems, including €900 million ($A1.15 billion) in liabilities, while its smaller rival Q-Cells filed for insolvency last year. "Germany has thrown all its weight behind this case", said another person close to the case. "Germany does not usually do so in trade defence measures, but this is an important industry under attack".

Germany is Europe's largest exporter to China, and Chancellor Angela Merkel has made numerous trips to Beijing, last year striking a conciliatory tone by saying Europe has no interest in starting a trade war over solar panels.

French President Francois Hollande also flew to Beijing last month for a visit to try to increase France's exports. Europe's stance on solar power is complicated by the fact that some in the EU solar sector, notably importers and installers, support cheap panel imports from China They say EU tariffs would be damaging for efforts to develop clean energy, and who fear retaliation by Beijing.

In April, trade groups representing users of solar panels in six EU member states sent an open letter to De Gucht urging him not to seek duties, saying the prospect of duties on Chinese solar panels had already resulted in cancelled orders.

But EU producers from a range of sectors want protection against Chinese imports, and the European Commission, which handles trade issues for the EU's 27 members is investigating 30 dumping and subsidy cases, 19 of them involving China.

Climbing robotic wind turbine inspector

www.engineering.com
28 Apr 2013

How do you inspect the outside of a wind turbine? Either stand on the ground and use a telescope, or set up some climbing gear and scale the tower. The first solution is imprecise and the second is expensive and dangerous. Both are time-consuming. Now there's a third option: the HR-MP20 Light Weight Magnetic Climbing Robot by Helical Robotics. This remote-controlled robot can scale a turbine tower while carrying up to 9kg (20 lbs) of inspection gear such as cameras and ultrasound. It clings to the tower using five neodymium magnets, the strongest type of permanent magnet available. A technician stands on the ground with a transmitter, directing the robotic inspector to various places on the turbine. (I know-technically that makes it a radio-controlled vehicle, not a robot. The company named it, I didn't.)

The HR-MP20 features a zero turning radius and it can climb at a rate of 20 meters per minute (65 ft/min) and descend at 27 m/min (90 ft/min). It uses a 15 Ah lithium-polymer battery pack for its drive motors, a 10Ah NiMH battery pack to power its payload, and a 4.5Ah NiMH battery for its radio. The radio operates in the 2.4GHz band with a range of 762 m (2500 ft). Its size and capacity can be custom-engineered according to client needs.

Inspecting the blades of a wind turbine requires that the blades be stopped. Using the telescope method, a technician stands away from the turbine and looks at the blades through a telescope. This process can take up to four hours per turbine. Climbing a turbine requires a lot of rope, a strong technician, and a hefty insurance premium. Robotic inspection is faster, safer, less expensive, and more reliable than the telescope or climbing methods. Less down-time translates into more energy production. The HR-MP20 has been proven to work in high winds (which you're likely to find on a wind farm, right?) and bad weather, both of which will delay manual inspections. Of course, you still need a technician to climb up the inside of the tower to perform maintenance on the internal gears, generator, and other moving parts. But the towers have ladders on the inside, and wind is not a factor inside the tower.

John Laing plans $76 million investment in wind and solar energy

www.bloomberg.com
25 Apr 2013

John Laing Plc, a U.K, developer of hospitals, schools and roads, estimates it will spend about 50 million pounds ($76 million) this year on onshore wind and photovoltaic power projects in Britain and Sweden.

The company plans to invest in five developments this year, using debt to fund 50% to 70% of each plant, Ross McArthur, head of renewable energy for London-based John Laing, said in an interview. It wants to invest in areas with different regulatory structures to reduce reliance on one kind, he said.

The company completed three wind and two solar deals last year. While it's currently focused on northern European markets including the UK, John Laing is able to access the Australian and North American markets through locally based teams, said Andy Harmer, head of waste and energy. This may bring opportunities over the next year to 18 months, he said.

Sweden plans to get half of its energy from clean sources by 2020, from 47% now, and the U.K, is aiming for 15%, up from about 9.4%. Both subsidize renewable energy by placing an obligation on electricity suppliers to buy a certain portion of their power from low-carbon sources.

Authorities examine complaint against anti-wind farm activist

www.crikey.com.au
23 Apr 2013

Prominent anti-wind farm activist Sarah Laurie is being examined by the National Health and Medical Research Council's ethics committee regarding claims she has breached ethical research codes.

Well-known anti-wind farm campaigner Sarah Laurie is being examined by the national peak body for medical research over claims she breached ethical codes of research conduct.

The National Health and Medical Research Council confirms it has received a complaint regarding the research being conducted by Laurie, the CEO of the Waubra Foundation (a small but powerful anti-wind farm activist group). A spokesperson told Crikey: "NHMRC takes all complaints received seriously and are following up on this matter".

The concerns about Laurie's research ethics are outlined in a document written by an anonymous academic and first sent to the Public Health Association Australia. The document alleges Laurie is not currently registered as a medical practitioner but has been conducting activity that meets the definition of medical research involving human subjects. On her website, Laurie uses the title of "Dr" and describes herself as a former GP.

The dossier outlines the incidents where Laurie claims to have conducted interviews with residents affected by wind turbine health issues, collected blood pressure data, given medical advice and/or clinical judgment, referred to people as "research subjects" and discussed accessing medical records and personal health journals. It also asks if Laurie's research has been reviewed by a Human Research Ethics Committee:

"The Medical Board of Australia in conjunction with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency advises that medical practitioners should be registered if they have any direct clinical contact with patients or provide treatment or opinion about individuals".

After examining the document, the CEO of the Public Health Association Australia, Michael Moore, forwarded it on to the heads of the NHMRC, the Australian Health Practioner Regulation Agency, the Health and Community Service Complaints Commissioner of South Australia and the Waubra Foundation.

"It was something which should not be ignored because I thought there were serious ethical issues which had been raised, ethical issues that would distort the debate over the appropriateness of wind farm technology", Moore told Crikey.

For years Laurie and her Waubra Foundation (named for the Waubra wind farm in Victoria) have campaigned against the use of wind farm technology, claiming wind turbines have serious health impacts--known as "wind turbine syndrome"--for local residents. As Australia's most prominent anti-wind farm campaigner, Laurie is regularly used as a media commentator about wind farm health issues; she recently appeared on ABC Radio National and 2GB.

"From our perspective, it's a matter of ensuring that policy debates take place on sound evidence and that the research is appropriately conducted", said Moore.

A new study by public health professor Simon Chapman indicates health complaints about wind turbines were rare until anti wind farm groups began a campaign against supposed medical issues in 2009. Another recent study led by University of Auckland researcher Fiona Crichton demonstrates that residents who expect health issues from wind turbine health issues are more likely to develop the symptoms.

When called to ask about the document and its claims, Laurie told Crikey it was "inappropriate for me to comment at this time".

The Health and Community Service Complaints Commissioner of SA and the Australian Health Practioner Regulation Agency told Crikey they don't comment on individual cases. An AHPRA spokesperson notes it is an offence under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law to present as a registered medical practitioner if you are not, and a court may impose a maximum penalty of $30,000 for an individual "holding out".

Top-rated weather services get wind turbines up and running faster

www.utilityproducts.com
18 Apr 2013

Wind farms rely on the weather around the clock, for better or for worse. Windy days help turbines pump clean power across the grid, while quiet days require other forms of electricity to keep reliable power flowing.

But, how weather impacts wind farm construction is considered less often. Towering turbines and wide-open locations mean crews must be certain about weather conditions before bringing in equipment or scaling structures. To ensure the safety of crews, efficient project budgets and reasonable customer expectations, a weather forecasting service is an essential, indispensable tool during construction and subsequent maintenance.

Relying on generic, publicly available weather forecasting is risky to crews and is not cost-effective for operations. Instead, location-specific, customizable weather forecasting and alerts that display conditions in real-time will give construction crews the information they need to complete work and communicate project expectations or delays to the customer. Users of Schneider Electric's MxVision WeatherSentry Online, for example, find its real-time lightning displays and detections are critical for determining when to continue construction and when to leave the area. When using another tool that doesn't display lightning until long after it has happened, crews have less certainty about whether to continue working, which can cost time and money.

Read More…

Meridian Energy receives consent for Hurunui Wind Farm

www.voxy.co.nz
18 Apr 2013

The New Zealand Wind Energy Association (NZWEA) congratulates Meridian Energy on receiving consent for its proposed Hurunui Wind Farm in North Canterbury. The project was approved by the Environment Court earlier this week.

"It is evident from the decision that the Court has given careful consideration to the full range of issues raised by the community. It is a reasonable decision for both the community and the developer", says Eric Pyle, Chief Executive of NZWEA. The Court approved 31 of the 33 proposed wind turbines.

"The project is a valuable addition to Meridian Energy's pipeline of projects. Hurunui is a solid option for new generation, even given the uncertainty in the electricity market and flat electricity demand", said Mr Pyle. "The project is located in a region where there are transmission constraints and limited local generation. Wind is one of the lowest cost options for new generation in NZ. And if the forecasts related to the reducing cost of wind power hold true, the wind could undercut existing thermal generation within a few years".

Globally, wind is one of the leading sources of new electricity generation. A report released yesterday by the Global Wind Energy Council shows that 44.8 GWs of new wind generation was installed around the world in 2012. This is more than four times New Zealand's total generation capacity. Steve Saywer, GWEC's Secretary General recently commented that wind is now competitive in an increasing number of markets, despite fossil fuel subsidies which last year amounted to an incentive to emit CO₂ of about $110 per tonne.

Somaliland gets wind in its sails for revamping power sector

www.guardian.co.uk
15 Apr 2013

In 2009, Hassan Ahmed Hussein brought an industrial bread-making machine from abroad to install in his hotel in downtown Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. Hassan's idea was part business, part self-interest. Wholewheat bread is not available in Somaliland, and he envisioned selling it to small-scale vendors.

He baked bread for four months before coming to the unfortunate conclusion that the machine wasn't cost effective. Electricity in Somaliland is too expensive. While the rest of the world pays an average $0.15-$0.30 per kW hour, Hargeisa's residents pay $1 per kW.

He abandoned the bakery and, in 2009, bought a diesel generator, poles, wires and transformers to start his own power company, Iftin, which rapidly gained nearly 2,000 customers in a catchment area of 10,000 residents. He has since merged his power stations with the city's largest provider, KAAH, and now serves more than 4,500 people on the same grid.

Hassan is not the only local power provider. There is little government support for power generation (pdf), and many of Hargeisa's wealthy residents import diesel generators to power homes and businesses. The independent providers depend on the price of diesel and Middle East exporters.

When Somalia collapsed in 1991, wires, poles and generators in Hargeisa were taken over by the emerging Somaliland government. The new government had no money to invest in the power grid, so independent providers began to appear. As a result, a system whereby neighbours pay neighbours for electricity has gone unchecked.

Somaliland rates are high due to a disjointed network of independent providers that have their own grid and use unreliable, dilapidated equipment. Somaliland's minister of energy, Hussein Abdi Dualeh, says the city loses nearly 40% of its electricity due to technical problems and antiquated materials.

Read More…

Ballooning gas exports to leave Australian – Wind winner: Energy

www.bloomberg.com
10 Apr 2013

Australia's $65 billion of projects to export liquefied natural gas from the east coast are set to push up domestic prices, opening the way for record investment at home in competing energy sources to produce power.

Prices are forecast to double this decade closer to levels customers in Asia will pay for Australian LNG after companies including BG Group (BG Group/) Plc and Santos Ltd, open terminals to ship gas that could have been supplied to the local market. That will help drive the A$33 billion ($34 billion) of wind-and solar power projects developers plan to build through 2020 in Australia, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

"With high, LNG-driven domestic gas prices, renewable energy is the cheapest source of new electricity generation", according to Kobad Bhavnagri, a Sydney-based analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. "It is quite conceivable that we could leapfrog straight from coal to renewables to reduce emissions as carbon prices rise".

Electricity can be supplied from a new wind farm in Australia at a cost of as little as A$80 per MW when a price on carbon emissions is included, compared with A$143 a MW from a new coal-fired power plant or A$116 a MW from a new station powered by gas, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report said in February. Solar power in Australia will be competitive with gas in 2015 or 2016, according to Bhavnagri.

Contrasting Policies
Policies embraced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard's government to sell natural gas to the priciest market and tax carbon emissions are making renewable energy more competitive with fossil fuels. New wind farms are cheaper than gas-fired plants this year for the first time, improving opportunities for turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS) and wind farm operator AGL Energy Ltd. (AGK) Australia has committed to get 20% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2020.

That contrasts with the US, where President Barack Obama approved just one gas-export terminal for destinations such as Japan and has failed to mandate a federal clean energy standard. "Australia has essentially said 'we should be subjected to global markets and let our products move to the highest value use,'' Tim Jordan, a Sydney-based analyst at Deutsche Bank AG, said by phone. ''We're getting a better return by exporting our gas rather than reserving it.''

Read More…

Personality clue to 'wind turbine syndrome'

phys.org
22 Mar 2013

Public concern about new technology infrastructure like mobile phone masts has been shown to trigger reports of ill health… and recently even the new 'green' technology of wind turbines has been blamed for medically unexplained non-specific symptoms. But now, for the first time, a study by psychologists, engineers and built environment experts at The University of Nottingham, has found no link between the 'measured' level of noise from small and micro wind turbines and reports of ill health.

The research could be helpful in prompting pre-emptive action in future planning applications for small and medium sized wind turbines to help reassure those concerned about the impact of small and micro wind turbines on their wellbeing.

Midlands survey
This collaborative study involved researchers from the Faculty of Engineering as well as Social Sciences and was funded by the UK Energy Research Centre . It is the first project to examine how personality, and specifically 'negative orientated personality' (NOP), affects reported levels of non-specific symptoms like headache, sleeplessness, stomach upsets and general malaise. It was carried out as a public survey of 1270 households within 500 metres of eight 0.6kW micro-turbines and within 1 km of four 5kW wind turbines in two Midlands cities.

Dr Claire Lawrence from the University's School of Psychology said: "We measured the actual noise from the turbines and used environmental noise modelling software that helped us to predict how much sound is actually heard by those living in the vicinity. We found there was no relationship between the 'real' level of noise and reports of ill health. "

The personality traits measured from the 138 returned questionnaires were neuroticism, (propensity to be more anxious, to take longer to revert to an equilibrium), negative affectivity (the propensity to feel negative emotions), and also frustration intolerance (sensitivity towards frustrations, discomforts and annoyances).

Sounds of a turbine
The research involved extensive fieldwork to gather data to create a series of geographical sound maps using state of the art computer software. Ten sound types were selected based on previous published research into wind turbine noise. The sounds were; swooshing, screeching, whistling, humming, throbbing, thumping, scratching, high frequency, low frequency and buzzing. For each, participants were asked to rate how often they had heard each sound from the micro or small turbine near their home, and how loud each sound was to them on a scale of 0 (never noticed) to 4 (extremely loud.) A mean score was calculated for both the occurrence and loudness for each participant.

To take into account people's attitude to wind power the survey asked them about their attitude to it using a scale of 1 to 7, from very positive to very negative. The participants also reported their experience of 12 common symptoms such as headache and fatigue over the preceding six months.

No evidence of a link
The researchers concluded that the people who live near a turbine and can hear some noise, did not suffer more non-specific health symptoms than people who could not in reality hear the same sound. The study indicated that generally it is not the turbine noise per se that is causing the symptoms. Indeed, for those individuals who did not score highly on these negative orientated personality traits, reporting hearing the sound was not associated with symptoms. This association was only evident for those higher in these traits.

While there is general public support for renewable energy, and indeed the majority of respondents in the reported study were positive about wind power in general, it is acknowledged that individuals are often more negative when faced with the prospect of having wind turbines near their homes. This research is the first study ever carried out to show the relationship between personality and perception of wind turbine noise in relation to a so-called 'green technology'. The results could be significant in informing local authority decision-making on the increasing number of planning applications for wind turbines across the UK.

Germany grabs renewable lead as Australia drops back

www.theage.com.au
14 Mar 2013

In 2009, Germany sprinted past the European Union's 12% Renewable Energy Target three years ahead of schedule. Germany's response? Raise the bar.

Europe's biggest economy is now aiming for 35% of energy to be derived from renewable sources by 2020, 50% by 2030, 65% by 2040 and 80% by 2050. Meanwhile, 7,000 km to the east, China-a nation with a less stellar record than Germany on the energy and environmental front-is making similarly aggressive strides towards renewable energy targets.

When China hit its solar-specific goal of 5 GWs of capacity by 2012 also three years ahead of schedule-it lifted the target to 21 GW by 2015. An ambitious quadrupling of the goal, and then some. Since then, the Beijing bureaucrats have started to ponder whether the new target is ambitious enough. The talk, perhaps encouraged by the dire pollution dogging the Chinese capital, suggests the new 2015 goal will be more like 40 GWs.

Surprise surge
And Australia? As power demand continues to decline in eastern states, catching the big private and public utilities off guard, the energy debate is shifting-in the other direction. The 41,000 GW-hour goal for renewable energy by 2020 now looks like being closer to 25% of total generation by 2020 rather than the 20% envisioned by the scheme's designers.

As a result, the Climate Change Authority, the government and the coalition are under immense pressure to pull back. To recap: Germany and China achieve their aims early and respond by lifting their sights. Australia is on course to reach its target and is now considering a cut.

Slow-mover disadvantage
Figures out this week from Pitt and Sherry show the share of coal-fired power to the National Electricity Market Management Company dropped below 75% last month for the first time. That trend, now more than four years long, has prompted incumbent generators to mobilise. Activity, though, is not being focused on grabbing a bigger share of the renewable energy market but rather the marshalling of lobbyists to get a softer RET. The target may be unwelcome for some private-and state-owned generators but is it bad for Australia?

The Climate Change Authority found the cost of the RET policy was negligible-that it was delivering substantial benefit to the economy and that its compliance cost was balanced by the resultant reduction in wholesale electricity prices. Meanwhile, studies continue to show that a transition to 100% renewable energy is technically and economically feasible for Australia-and would be highly popular. Even the government's own energy economics forecaster advised that renewable energy would be the cheapest form of electricity by 2020.

In spite of this, it appears Australia seems content to lag its international competitors. According to the Climate Change Authority, only 10% of Australian energy production in 2010 11 was from renewable energy sources-and half of that came from pre-existing hydroelectric. Of the $5 billion invested in renewable energy deployment in 2011, more than 80% was by households purchasing solar power systems. By contrast, more than $50 billion was spent by both the USA and China in the same year.

All up, entrenched interests are lobbying for a reduction in Australia's Renewable Energy Target, our competitors are increasing their lead, often mastering technology and skills-think solar PV-developed in Australia. The government needs to consider whether ceding further ground-which would no doubt occur if the RET were weakened-is the wise move to make.

Bumper year for solar and wind energy

www.smh.com.au
12 Feb 2013

2012 was another bumper year for renewable energy worldwide with solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity surpassing 100 GWs for the first time and wind power capacity expanding by almost one-fifth. Rapid growth outside Europe saw a total of about 32 GW of solar PV capacity installed, bringing capacity to 101 GW and narrowly pipping the 30 GWs taken up in 2011, the European Photovoltaic Industry Association said, citing preliminary figures.

"No one would have predicted even 10 years ago that we would see more than 100 GW of solar photovoltaic capacity in the world by 2012", said EPIA President Winfried Hoffmann. "The photovoltaic industry clearly faces challenges but the results of 2012 show there is a strong global market for our technology. Solar photovoltaic plants can now generate as much electricity in a year as about 16 mid-sized coal-fired or nuclear power stations, the lobby group said.

Australian surge
Australia added about 1 GW of solar PV capacity last year, lifting the country's capacity about 70% to 2.4 GW, according to the Australian Solar Council. The wholesale price of solar PV is now as low as 55¢ per watt of power, down from an average of $7 in 2008, said John Grimes, chief executive of the Australian Solar Council.

With some consumers in NSW, for instance, paying more than 50¢ per kW-hour for peak power, solar power is becoming "an absolute no-brainer", Mr Grimes said. "The fundamental economics are now driving the uptake of solar, rather than government support".

Demand for new PV panels was quiet at the start of the year but has picked up in recent weeks, suggesting 2013 demand will probably land between the 840 MW to 1 GW levels installed in the past two years, he said. Policy uncertainty remains, though, with the government now considering a recommendation by the Climate Change Authority in its review of the Renewable Energy Target to cut the size of commercial PV installations eligible for the small-scale solar scheme from 100 to 10 kW capacity.

"That would be an enormous brake on the take-up of solar in commercial and industry areas'' if accepted by the government, and curb job growth in a sector already employing about 25,000 people, Mr Grimes said. The crash in solar PV prices has largely been prompted by Chinese producers flooding the market with low-cost panels. The expansion of the global market came even as new European capacity slumped amid subsidy cuts by governments.

Countries outside Europe added more than 13 GW of solar capacity last year, compared with less than 8 GW in 2011, driven by China, the US and Japan, the data show. Germany, home to a third of the world's solar panels, remained the biggest market after adding 7.6 GW, while Europe as a whole installed 17 GWs, down from 23 GW. Research by Bloomberg New Energy Finance released last week found that new solar and wind capacity is now cheaper than the cost of building new coal-fired power plants in Australia.

Wind power accelerates
In a separate statement, the Global Wind Energy Council said installed capacity expanded 19% last year, with 44.7 GW of turbines built. The total of new capacity beat the previous record 40.6 GW installed in 2011 by just over 10%. Figures for Australia show the country added 358 MWs of new wind capacity, lifting the total by 16% to 2.584 GW, the Council said.

A rush by wind farm developers in the US to beat an anticipated expiration of the US Production Tax Credit saw the country install more than 8 GW of capacity in the final three months of 2012 alone. All up the US added 13.1 GW of capacity in 2012, leaving it just shy of the estimated 13.2 GW added by China.

"While China paused for breath, both the US and European markets had exceptionally strong years", Steve Sawyer, Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council, said in a statement on the group's website. "Asia still led global markets, but with North America a close second, and Europe not far behind".

Europe set a record with 12.4 GW of wind power added, as markets such as Sweden, Romania, Italy and Poland posted quicker growth. The outlook remains uncertain, though, as the region's on-going sovereign debt crises limits government support, the council said. The region, though, continues to lead the market for offshore wind farms, with 1.166 GW added, accounting for more than 90% of total offshore installations of 1.293 GW in 2012, the council said.

Danish energy gets super-sized: meet the world's largest wind turbine

www.wired.co.uk
2 Mar 2013

When it comes to wind turbines, size matters. Besides air density and wind speed, the most important factor affecting energy yield is the rotor's swept area, where wind flows over the rotor blades. That's why Siemens has built the B75, a record-breaking 75 metre blade. When three of them are combined with a new 6MW turbine, these fibreglass giants will--when the wind blows at the right speed--generate around 65% more energy than Siemens' previous best models.

Weight is crucial--lighter blades allow for less bulk elsewhere in the structure, reducing infrastructure costs. So Siemens' engineers devised a new manufacturing process called IntegralBlade, in which glass-fibre-reinforced epoxy and balsa wood are poured into a single mould, eliminating the need for adhesives or overlapping materials. Cast in one piece, with no weight-adding seams or joints, each blade weighs 25 tonnes--up to 20% lighter than conventional fibreglass blades.

Last summer three B75 blades were transported 320km from Esbjerg, Denmark, to Siemens' offshore test site at Osterild, where their rotations will, when the four-metre-wide hub is included, cover a swept area of 18,600 m²--that's the equivalent of two-and-a-half football pitches, or the wingspan of two Airbus A380s. Scaling up green energy? We're big fans.

Texas wind energy sets record; grid expansion planned in Sweetwater area

www.reporternews.com
1 Mar 2013

Texas set a record for the%age of electricity generated by wind power--a staggering 28% of total supply across the state's main grid system--with wind generation providing 9,481 MWs of power at 7:08 p.m. Feb. 9, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said Friday.

This surpassed the previous record of 8,667 MW set Jan. 29, when 32.5% of wind integration was recorded, the council said. Twenty-three days in February topped 20% as far as wind integration is concerned.

More than 7,000 of the 9,481 MW on Feb. 9 came from West Texas wind farms. One MW is enough electricity to power about 200 homes during periods when electricity use is highest and about 500 homes during periods of typical consumption.

ERCOT has more than 10,400 MW of commercial wind power capacity, and wind power comprised 9.2% of total energy used in the ERCOT region last year, compared with 8.5% in 2011, according to ERCOT, which manages the grid for the state's total electric load, matching supply and demand for 23 million customers across 40,500 miles of transmission lines.

"What that (%age of wind integration) represents is the highest portion of load served on record by wind power", said Robbie Searcy, spokeswoman for ERCOT. "It tells us at what point in the day wind generation hit its (highest)%age: Wind power can change all throughout the day".

Wind energy hits new milestone in China

www.hydrogenfuelnews.com
27 Feb 2013

China has been making significant progress toward meeting its sustainability goals through the adoption of renewable energy. The country has become a leader in the global solar power industry, with its presence helping drive down the cost of solar panels in numerous markets around the world.

The country receives only moderate attention for its wind power sector, however, which has reached a major milestone. GTM Media Research, a leading market analysis firm, has announced that China's wind power capacity has reached new heights.

Read More…