Researchers poke holes in solar cells to improve efficiency

www.designnews.com
3 Jun 2013

Researchers have been working on a variety of ways to improve the efficiency of solar cells, including the use of a spray-coating technique and by working with electrons and photons. Now, government researchers have come up with yet another way--poking holes in silicon wafers so they don't reflect and waste valuable sunlight.

The method, called "dark solar", has been developed by the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and it enables the cells to reflect only 2% of the sunlight that reaches them. The solar cells they've produced through this technology can work at an 18.2% efficiency rate, which is competitive for the type of black silicon cells researchers are working with.

The development of the black solar cells is "quite simple", but is enhanced by the hole-etching technique, according to information about the work provided to Design News by NREL spokesman William Scanlon.

To develop the cells, researchers first put the silicon silver/gray-colored wafer in a liquid solution of silver nitrate and hydrofluoric acid. In that bath, the ionic silver changes to silver nanoparticles. The wafer is then placed in a second bath of hydrofluoric acid and hydrogen peroxide, where the silver nanoparticles act as a catalyst for the oxidation of silicon, according to researchers.

While this process of making black silicon is not new, it's the etching of holes in the second bath of hydrofluoric acid and hydrogen peroxide that NREL has developed to bolster cell efficiency. These holes maximize the cell's sunlight conversion by preventing reflection of sunlight off the cell. To ensure the cells achieve top efficiency through the process, researchers had to consider the depth and size of the cells--they had to be deep and small enough to suppress reflections, but not too deep to impact the conversion efficiency.

"As the wavelengths move deeper and deeper into the holes they change gradually from wavelengths of air to wavelengths of silicon", researchers said in the NREL document provided by Scanlon. "That gradualness is the key. The photons never perceive an abrupt change from gas (air) to solid (silicon), and thus don't bounce back toward the atmosphere". That lack of bounce-back is what allows the photos to be absorbed in the silicon holes and thus non-reflective.

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Abbott strangles $20bn green investment – to save 50c/week

reneweconomy.com.au
3 Jun 2013

Two news stories over the weekend give a chilling insight into what might await the Australian renewable energy industry under a Federal Coalition government.

The first story was mostly symbolic in nature. The Newcastle Herald reported that the only wind turbine in Newcastle, the 600kW Kooragang turbine that was constructed in 1997 to "promote the emerging green energy market" is to be removed by Ausgrid-to make way for a new coal loader.

It is just a single turbine but, amazingly, apart from a small demonstration turbine at the CSIRO energy centre nearby, it is the only one in NSW north of Sydney. In fact, going north, you need to travel 2,000kms to the Atherton Tablelands before coming across another commercial wind turbine, 20 small towers amounting to 12MW at Windy Hill in the Atherton Tablelands. There are two other small turbines on Thursday Island, at the tip of the country and that is it-just 12.45MW of wind power north of Sydney, out of a total of 2,500MW across the country.

How many other turbines are built in NSW will likely be influenced by key decisions being made by NSW Cabinet as early as today about rules governing wind farm developments and the state's renewable energy plans. That, of course, and the fate of the large-scale renewable energy target-a federal decision.

The second story was not just one, but a barrage of media placements from Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and others seeking to lay the blame for the state's stunning 22.5% average rise in electricity costs in 2013/14 on green energy schemes, glossing over the fact that the overwhelming majority of the bill increases come because the cost of the billions of dollars of network upgrades is being borne by the consumer.

These are dangerous times for the renewables industry in Australia, particularly those looking to construct some $20 billion of utility-scale installations-be they wind or solar. Newman threw in large-scale renewables as part of the cause of rising prices, but the analysis by the Queensland Competition Authority shows that only 3.5% of the average customer bill of $1451 a year will go to support the renewable energy target, including the small and large-scale schemes. That's less than $1 a week for the average household.

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New wind farm guidelines ensure better consultation

www.thecourier.com.au
3 Jun 2013

A NEW set of guidelines has been released to ensure better consultation with regional communities where wind farms are proposed. Renewable energy peak body the Clean Energy Council has also published a community expectations guide to better inform people of what to expect from a wind farm development.

It is hoped the two documents will help guide planners, wind farm developers and communities through the process of building a wind farm. ACCIONA Energy managing director Andrew Thompson said the community expectations guide would help clear up some of the misinformation around wind farms.

ACCIONA Energy operates the Waubra wind farm, which has been the subject of protests from local residents. "The key for industry is to engage early in the process ", he said.

Scientists develop new way to store renewable energy

www.digitaljournal.com
2 Jun 2013

Scientists based in Canada have developed a new technique for converting electricity into chemical energy. This could lead to improvements to the way that homeowners and businesses capture and re-use solar power. Researchers based at the University of Calgary, Curtis Berlinguette and Simon Trudel, have developed an innovative way to make new affordable and efficient catalysts for capturing solar power.

The innovation, as detailed in the research brief, is a new type of electrolyzer device that uses catalysts to start a chemical reaction that converts electricity into chemical energy by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen fuels. These fuels can then be stored and re-converted to electricity for future use. Key to the new method is the catalyst, the Technology Review notes,which the researchers report is faster, more efficient, and most importantly, cheaper than anything else available.

The technological breakthrough offers a relatively cheaper method of storing and reusing electricity produced by wind turbines and solar panels. The technology is set to be commercialized through a new start-up company called FireWater Fuel Corp. FireWater Fuel Corp, expects to have a commercial product in the current large-scale electrolyser market in 2014, and a prototype electrolyzer--using their new catalysts--ready by 2015 for testing in a home.

Solar power users will fight back, LNP warned

www.brisbanetimes.com.au
3 Jun 2013

Solar users could use their power as a voting bloc against the state government if it continues to make false claims about the green power, a Queensland solar installer warned today. Anthony Buckwell, who runs Sun State Solar, said 308,000 Queensland homes had solar power systems, representing more than 23% of Queensland's detached and semi-detached houses, according to the 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics.

"It is supporting a $2 billion industry, supporting close to one thousand solar installers, so that would be several thousand workers", he said. "It really is 'small business'". "And if we want to get away from a one-dimensional mining economy, these are the types of businesses that should be supported".

Mr Buckwell said some groups had begun to discuss expressing their frustration as a voting bloc, using the theme "I have solar and I vote". "People are thinking of ways to get the views of solar families heard", he said. "We are talking almost 25% of households-if they start to feel unfairly targeted I think some of them will come on board".

He said solar users remained connected to the grid, but did not use the grid permanently. He said the money solar users received was reasonable because the energy they produced was 100% green. On Monday morning Mr McArdle called for a debate about the impact of solar use in Queensland. "In the 2012 13 year, $67 on each person's power bill relates to the solar benefit scheme", he said.

"By 2015 16 the QCA [Queensland Competition Authority] is saying to us, $276 on each person's power bill relates to solar benefits. Now those are people who can't afford to put solar on their roofs". "...The perverse outcome is 92,000 homes don't pay any power bills at all. I don't believe that was the intent of the scheme and a debate must be had about who should pay what in regard to their power bills when you consider that a large number of people pay no power bill at all".

Mr Buckwell accused the government of spin-doctoring, saying Friday's QCA report showed maintaining the network made up the bulk of the costs. "It is just not true", Mr Buckwell said. "If you look at the report that the Queensland Competition Authority issued on Friday, it clearly shows the breakdown", he said.

That report shows the solar feed-in tariff made up 3.9% of a typical residential bill, green schemes made up 3.5% of the bill, and the carbon tax made up 7.4% of the bill. Almost 82% of the increase to power bills will cover generating power, expanding the network of "poles and wires" and getting bills to homes. More than 46% of the increase comes from increases to the network of poles and wires.

Mr Buckwell added the federal government compensated householders for the carbon tax. "obviously they are spin-doctoring the figures", he said. "There is a 7 8% rise in the price because of their own decision to freeze tariff 11 when they first came in". Mr Buckwell said the state government was also ignoring the fact that people taking up solar power generally spent between $8000 and $15,000 to set up a system. "And local generation contributes to the local network, so it means there is less of a need to upgrade [the grid]", he said.

Japan: Floating wind farm

www.compositesworld.com
1 Jun 2013

Qualified international subscribers can receive full issues of High-Performance Composites and Composites Technology delivered in a convenient and interactive digital magazine format. Read at your convenience on your desktop or mobile device.

Since the 2011 tsunami and related nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, that country's political leaders have been reassessing the country's energy policy. One result has been the introduction, this past year, of a more attractive financial incentive for offshore wind farm development. In response, a host of Japanese firms announced plans to develop conventional, fixed-foundation offshore wind farms.

A recently announced project, known as Forward (Fukushima floating offshore wind farm demonstration), will be delivered by a consortium of 11 companies and join two floating scale pilots already in Japanese waters. Funded entirely by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the project will have a leadership team provided by conglomerate Marubeni (Tokyo, Japan), with the University of Tokyo acting as technical advisor.

Another effort is a 300 MW project led by Hitachi Zosen Corp. (Osaka, Japan). This is problematic, however, because Japan's long coastline boasts relatively few locations where the water is shallow for some distance from shore, maming them suitable for large fixed-foundation projects. Instead, water depths plunge quickly near the shoreline. The conditions are similar off the coasts of Portugal and the U.S, state of Maine, and research proceeds in both locations to develop cost-effective floating technology. Japan is following suit.

Forward will initially consist of three floating wind turbines and one floating power substation off the coast of Fukushima. The first stage, already underway, consists of one 2 MW floating wind turbine, the world's first 66 kV floating power substation and an undersea cabling system. In the second stage, two 7 MW wind turbines will be installed between 2013 and 2015. Industrial development partners will include Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; shipbuilder Japan Marine United Corp. (formerly IHI Corp Marine); Hitachi Zosen, which purchased Fuji Subaru's wind turbine business; and Mitsui Engineering. All are based in Tokyo, Japan. Reportedly, Mitsui will be responsible for the foundations, wind turbines and blades for the initial phases.

The floating foundations, it is rumored, will be of the semisubmersible type. The project will ultimately include 143 floating wind turbines stationed 10 miles off the coast and could generate up to 1 GW of power as part of a national plan to increase renewable energy resources.

Project manager Takeshi Ishihara of the University of Tokyo has said in published reports that "this project is important--I think it is impossible to use nuclear power in Fukushima again". For their part, political leaders within Fukushima prefecture have made it known that they intend for it to be completely energy self-sufficient by 2040.

CIG enters windfarm market

www.maritimejournal.com
30 May 2013

The Central Industry Group (CIG), a group of ten predominantly Netherlands companies which all provide goods and services to the international shipbuilding market, has come up with a unique new vessel for offshore wind installation.

Two subsidiaries of CIG, Shipkits and Vuyk Engineering Groningen, working under the collective name of CIG Shipbuilders, have developed a new vessel called the VG 6000 E-a multipurpose vessel for the offshore wind power market. CIG says that compared to the traditional use of tugs and jack-up barges on offshore wind farm operations the VG 6000 E is "faster, easier to handle and cheaper to run".

CIG's VG 6000 E is an unique twin-screw diesel-electric concept based on active front end and DC-bus technology. It's an extremely versatile multipurpose open topped special cargo vessel of 6000 dwt designed for open top and with a limited draught.

The vessel can be manoeuvred easily through a wind farm site and docked alongside a construction vessel and it can act as a wave breaker and create a lee for other small service or personnel craft. Its anti-roll and anti-heave abilities mean that more working days can be achieved. The vessel also uses a "smart" passive heave load and unload system.

Though the vessel is classed for worldwide trade and unrestricted services, CIG says it will initially be used for short sea services and offshore wind market support. The vessel can also be fitted out as a offshore feeder vessel, accommodation vessel, cable layer or platform supply vessel.

Hans Vogelzang, Central Industry Group, said to Maritime Journal: "We've anticipated the need for new development of specific types of vessel for the wind farm market and CIG is now now ready to enter into the market. Our background is in building dry cargo and short sea vessels and we have a lot of experience and knowledge of what operators and shipping companies want.

We think that we know what's important for these companies in terms of cost of ownership, service, power consumption, reliability, ease of use and greener emissions. At the moment there's still a large difference in transport concepts and compared to the oil & gas industry no real standards. We would like to set this new standard".

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First floating wind turbine in North America hits the water in Brewer

bangordailynews.com
31 May 2013

BREWER, Maine--VolturnUS, the first offshore floating wind turbine in North America, hit the water Friday.

The University of Maine's Advanced Structures and Composites Center unveiled its new turbine at Cianbro in Brewer, where the pieces were assembled and placed in the Penobscot River. A crane lowered the turbine into the water during a ceremony late Friday morning.

"If there's one thing apparent to me today, it's how hungry the people of Maine are for a celebration of success", Cianbro Chairman Peter Vigue said at the beginning of Friday's event, which was attended by members of Maine's Congressional delegation, university and business officials.

Vigue said this project shows Maine is primed to be a leader in renewable energy production in the United States. The effort to get 20 GWs of offshore wind capability by 2030 could bring as much as $20 billion of private investment to Maine and create thousands of jobs, according to UMaine officials.

Maine has 156 GWs of offshore wind capacity within 50 miles of its coastline, and this is one of the first major visible steps after years of research toward harnessing that energy, according to composites center Director Habib Dagher, who has lead the project since its infancy "We are energy rich, we just haven't taken advantage of this energy richness that we have", Dagher said. The turbine design is called VolturnUS, a combination of the words volt, turn and US, a name that happens to be shared by Volturnus, the Roman god of the east wind.

The 65 foot turbine is a one-eighth scale model of the full-size version UMaine plans to place in the Gulf of Maine by 2016. By 2030, the university hopes to install a farm of roughly 170 huge, 6 MW turbines--each taller than the Washington Monument and with blades longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 747 -that would produce 5 GWs of electricity for the mainland. That's roughly equal to the energy five nuclear power plants would provide.

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Push for $50m fund to support community energy projects

reneweconomy.com.au
31 May 2013

Community energy and pro renewable NGOs are calling for the Federal government to establish a $50 million fund that would seek to leverage up to half a billion dollar of investment in community-owned renewable energy projects.

The call for a Community Energy Grant Fund is an attempt to offer a catalyst for growing community interest in renewable energy projects, and to fill in a gap in the country's portfolio of renewable energy projects of between 10kW and 50MW.

According to a proposal led by the Community Power Agency, Yes2Renewables and other NGOs and community energy groups, the funding could cover early stage development costs for around 75 projects and bring them to the stage of being investment ready and able to release share offerings to the community.

This would include feasibility studies, resource assessment (such as wind monitoring), community engagement, planning studies, business case development, and legal advice.

The proposal seeks to tap into growing interest in the community renewables space, as outlined in RenewEconomy last week. On Thursday, the NSW Government confirmed our story that it is awarding $441,000 to help 9 local groups lay the groundwork for some community energy projects-mostly commercial scale rooftop solar-and to conduct feasibility studies.

Many more projects are being contemplated, organisations such as Community Power, Embark, and Starfish Enterprises have numerous proposals on their books, and say this fund would take the concept of community energy onto a national scale.

Community Power's Nicky Ison said more than 35 communities across Australia are developing community owned wind and solar projects, but only two are up and running-the Hepburn wind farm in Victoria and the wind farm in WA. "If the other 33 groups don't receive start-­up assistance soon, they risk dying on the vine", she said.

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Wind industry angered over red tape

www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au
30 May 2013

WIND energy producers are in a twist after being forced to demonstrate they are operating within noise limits every time they seek to surrender Renewable Energy Certificates.

As of the start of June, all large-scale power stations accredited under the renewable energy target will have to submit a "standing notice" of ongoing compliance with all local, state and federal planning and approval requirements. Operators say they were only advised of the change late last week. Power stations, including hydroelectric, will continue to be required to complete an annual electricity generation return as before.

"The standing notice was introduced to enhance the integrity of the large-scale renewable energy target", a spokesperson for the Clean Energy Regulator said. "The standing notice will ensure the [regulator] is able to identify issues related to non-compliance as large-scale generation certificates are created".

The change follows debate in the Senate last November over wind farm noise, with Democratic Labor Party's John Madigan from Victoria calling for wind farm operators to provide wind and noise data to an independent authority every three months.

Senator Madigan stirred bemusement from the industry at the time with his call for the regulator to cancel a wind farm's accreditation should it operate in contravention of a law "whether written or unwritten". Even though the proposed amendments failed, the regulator opted to require compliance proof before certificate payment "to avoid a hint of a hint" that the industry was falling short, an official said.

Jonathan Upson, senior development manager of regulatory affairs with wind farm owner Infigen Energy, said while all power generators should operate according to the regulations, state governments are the responsible authorities to ensure compliance with planning decisions. This includes having acoustic experts on staff.

"The benefit of having a federal energy regulator attempt to duplicate the compliance role of state government planning departments is not clear to us", Mr Upson said.

Welcome to Victoria, no wind farms allowed

www.guardian.co.uk
30 May 2013

Welcome to my home state of Victoria, Australia's hub of art and culture, lane-way cafes and wonderful coffee, Aussie Rules football, the miraculous Leadbeater's possum, and magnificent forests. And also, after law changes in 2011, one of the most difficult places in the world to build a wind farm.

Back in 2011, the then-premier of Victoria, Ted Baillieu, enacted laws that, according to The Conversation website, effectively imposes a blanket ban on wind farms in many parts of the state:

• They effectively give the owners of any dwelling within 2km of a proposed wind farm the power to decide whether or not the development should proceed.

The laws were part of the conservative Liberal-National coalition's 2010 election platform to "restore fairness and certainty to the planning process for wind farms". The laws have definitely provided certainty.

A recent report commissioned by the opposition planning spokesperson Brian Tee, demonstrates the kind of certainty that banning wind farms can bring:

• While the Baillieu Government's reforms were targeted at new wind farms, they have had a major impact on those who already had permission to develop wind farms, prohibiting the extension of permits and making it harder for developers to make small changes to their planning approvals to incorporate state of the art technology and improve efficiency.

If a wind farm company wants to amend their permit or get an extension, they have to apply under the new constraints. The impact of the laws has been to not only stop the development of new wind farms but to also hinder the development of farms already approved.

Andrew Bray, state coordinator of non-profit pro-wind farm community group VicWind noted that many developments that were approved under the earlier laws now would have no chance under the new regime. "Technology has moved on substantially since granting of permits 3-5 years ago", said Bray, "so developers want to alter key aspects such as number of turbines, often using higher capacity turbines to decrease the total number of turbines, turbine placement, or blade tip height to improve viability of the project".

The chilling effect of these planning laws is plain. Only one application to build a new wind farm has been made since the new laws came into effect.

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Bac Lieu wind-power project comes on line

www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn
30 May 2013

A wind-power project in the Mekong Delta city of Bac Lieu was connected to the national electricity grid yesterday. The wind-power project is the second in the country to be connected to the national grid. The first project began operating in April of last year in central Binh Thuan Province.

Work on the first phase of the Bac Lieu project, with installation of 10 turbines totalling 16MW, was completed after nearly three years of construction, according to the Bac Lieu-based Cong Ly Construction and Trading Co Ltd.

Cong Ly Co invested VND2 trillion (US$95.2 million) in the first phase of the wind-power project, which can generate 56 million kW per year. The project's 62 turbines, provided by US company General Electric Co (GE), have a capacity of 1.6 MWs each. They will help generate 320 million kW per year.

All the turbines, which have total output of 99.2 MW, will become operational in June 2014, the company said. Cong Ly Co will invest a total of VND5.2 trillion ($247.5 million) in the project, which is located on 500ha in Vinh Trach DONG Energy Commune in Bac Lieu City. Capital for the project is sourced from loans provided by the US Import and Export Bank. This is the first wind-power project in the Mekong Delta.

E.ON starts work on 288MW offshore wind farm

www.upi.com
29 May 2013

DUSSELDORF, Germany, May 29 (UPI)--German utility company E.ON said it started laying down special containers to support foundations for a new wind farm off the northern German coast.

E.ON said it started preparation for the construction of the 288 MW Amrumbank West offshore wind farm, to be northwest of German archipelago Heligoland. E.ON said it was deploying a special type of sand bag made from geotextiles that would prevent seabed erosion from around the foundations of the turbines.

"Separating the scour protection from the installation of the foundations has significant logistical advantages and helps to further reduce the cost of offshore wind power", the company said in a statement. "E.ON's aim is to reduce the construction and operating cost of offshore wind farms by 40% by 2015".

Amrumbank West is one of three wind farms planned by E.ON for the North and Baltic seas. The company said it work to install 80 turbines at Amrumbank West this year.

Amrumbank West will have a peak capacity of 288 MW, enough to meet the yearly energy demands of 300,000 households. E.ON said the project would be finished by 2015 and reduce carbon emissions by more than 740,000 tons per year.

Organic polymers show sunny potential

phys.org
29 May 2013

(Phys.org)--A new version of solar cells created by laboratories at Rice and Pennsylvania State universities could open the door to research on a new class of solar power devices.

The photovoltaic devices created in a project led by Rice chemical engineer Rafael Verduzco and Penn State chemical engineer Enrique Gomez are based on block copolymers, self-assembling organic materials that arrange themselves into distinct layers. They easily outperform other cells with polymer compounds as active elements. The discovery is detailed online in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters.

While commercial, silicon-based solar cells turn about 20% of sunlight into electricity and experimental units top 25%, there's been an undercurrent of research into polymer-based cells that could greatly reduce the cost of solar power, Verduzco said. The Rice/Penn State cells reach about 3% efficiency, but that's surprisingly better than other labs have achieved using polymer compounds.

"You need two components in a solar cell: one to carry (negative) electrons, the other to carry positive charges", Verduzco said. The imbalance between the two prompted by the input of energy-sunlight-creates useful current.

Since the mid-1980s, researchers have experimented with stacking or mixing polymer components with limited success, Verduzco said. Later polymer/fullerene mixtures topped 10% efficiency, but the fullerenes-in this case, enhanced C-60 buckyballs-are difficult to work with, he said.

Read More…

Wind industry angered over red tape

www.smh.com.au
29 May 2013

Wind energy producers are in a twist after being forced to demonstrate they are operating within noise limits every time they seek to surrender Renewable Energy Certificates.

As of the start of June, all large-scale power stations accredited under the renewable energy target will have to submit a "standing notice" of ongoing compliance with all local, state and federal planning and approval requirements. Operators say they were only advised of the change late last week. Power stations, including hydroelectric, will continue to be required to complete an annual electricity generation return as before.

"The standing notice was introduced to enhance the integrity of the large-scale renewable energy target", a spokesperson for the Clean Energy Regulator said. "The standing notice will ensure the [regulator] is able to identify issues related to non-compliance as large-scale generation certificates are created".

The change follows debate in the Senate last November over wind farm noise, with Democratic Labor Party's John Madigan from Victoria calling for wind farm operators to provide wind and noise data to an independent authority every three months.

Senator Madigan stirred bemusement from the industry at the time with his call for the regulator to cancel a wind farm's accreditation should it operate in contravention of a law "whether written or unwritten". Even though the proposed amendments failed, the regulator opted to require compliance proof before certificate payment "to avoid a hint of a hint" that the industry was falling short, an official said.

Jonathan Upson, senior development manager of regulatory affairs with wind farm owner Infigen Energy, said while all power generators should operate according to the regulations, state governments are the responsible authorities to ensure compliance with planning decisions. This includes having acoustic experts on staff.

"The benefit of having a federal energy regulator attempt to duplicate the compliance role of state government planning departments is not clear to us", Mr Upson said. The imposition of such requirements on the renewable sector-particularly the wind industry-was also discriminatory unless similar measures are applied to other energy providers.

"The next logical step would be for the Australian Energy Regulator to require monthly declarations from gas and coal-fired power stations, and their associated coal mines, that they are compliant with all air, water and noise pollution laws and regulations", Mr Upson said.

wind farm operators are also nervously awaiting a decision from the NSW cabinet, perhaps within three weeks, on whether to adopt tough new guidelines for the industry in the state.

Cold climate wind energy showing huge potential

esciencenews.com
28 May 2013

Wind energy capacity is growing rapidly in the cold climates of the world. According to the latest forecasts, between 45 and 50 GWs of wind power will be built in cold climates by 2017, which would mean an increase of as much as 72% since the end of 2012 and investments amounting to approximately EUR 75 billion. "This is a huge opportunity", says Research Scientist Tomas Wallenius from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. "There has been a lot of talk about the potential of offshore wind power, but the market for cold climate wind power is more than ten times greater. We already have the tools to harness the potential of cold climate wind power cost-effectively, while offshore wind power is still at the research and development stage".

VTT has conducted the first ever study into the feasibility of building wind turbines across the globe in areas where cold climate and icy conditions place special demands on wind turbine technology. In addition to Scandinavia and Canada, these areas also include parts of Central Europe, the United States and China. The VTT study has been incorporated into the BTM World Market Update 2012 report (Navigant Research 2013). Cold climates represent encouraging potential for wind power companies because of their sparse population and favourable wind conditions. These areas experience higher winds in winter than in summer, and the density of cold air increases production capacity. However, turbine blades are highly susceptible to icing. Although icing causes production losses of 3 10% per year, losses can be reduced with the help of anti-icing systems.

The global financial crisis has made it more difficult to find funding for all kinds of energy investments. Nevertheless, both electricity producers and consumers are still interested in green energy. Wind energy also has the added benefit of predictability: production costs are easier to calculate in the absence of fuel price variations.

"Our research shows growing demand for anti-icing solutions, which are also developed by VTT in Finland. Another good example of a pioneer in this field is Labkotec Ltd, which is the global market leader in ice detection technology. Competition in this sector is fierce, but products and services for cold climates require specialist expertise which we in Finland have and which we can continue to develop. With good engineering, the challenges posed by cold and icy conditions can be overcome in a financially viable manner".

Dyesol exceeds PV durability test by 400 per cent

www.pacetoday.com.au
29 May 2013

Dyesol Limited has revealed that its solar-enabling technology has exceeded a key international photovoltaic industry standard test for long-term durability by 400%.

Speaking at the European Materials Research Society Conference in Strasbourg, France, Dyesol Limited Chief Scientist, Dr Hans Desilvestro, explained that the "gold-standard" of novel photovoltaic device development is certification by an international standard such as IEC 61646, where one of the harsher tests requires product stability at a constant temperature of 85°C for over 1000 hours.

Dr Desilvestro announced: "Dyesol Limited has tested its industrially scalable Dye Solar Cell (DSSC) materials and the material set maintained over 90% of initial performance after an extremely stressful test of 5000 hours at a constant temperature of 85°C".

This follows the company's recently announced breakthrough in solid state DSSC energy output efficiency performance. Dyesol Limited and its R&D collaboration partners will continue to develop liquid-based and solid-state technologies in parallel to suit applications most relevant to their specific attributes.

Dye Solar Cell technology is a third generation photovoltaic and nanotechnology which is printed onto glass, metal or plastic substrates in a series of very thin layers-many times thinner than a human hair.

The technology can be transparent or opaque, and a number of colour options are possible. On glass, Dye Solar Cell technology can appear like a modern stained glass window-the value-add being it produces clean energy right at the point of consumption. Key markets for Dye Solar Cell technology include: Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), consumer electronics, and remote sensors.

Wind power in the sights of climate change deniers the Australian Environment Foundation

www.couriermail.com.au
28 May 2013

DUANE Gish was an American biochemist, best known for his unshakeable belief in creationism over evolution.

When debating his detractors, he would seek to overwhelm them by spewing forth a torrent of pseudo-science, half truths and utter fancy rapidly shifting over a multitude of angles, leaving his opponents little hope of refuting the barrage of BS in any reasoned or logical fashion, and certainly not within the confines of a formal debate.

The technique has come to be known as the "Gish Gallop", which Project Reason founder Sam Harris once described as "starting 10 fires in 10 minutes" and leaving your opponent no opportunity to douse every falsehood, no matter how brazen the untruth.

Another Made in America phenomenon in recent years has been astroturfing, where vested interests establish a (arm's length) movement that is ostensibly independent or grassroots yet largely serves to further their own ends. This is particularly prevalent in areas of environmental debate such as climate science, and gun law reform.

As with most things American, both practices have made their way here in recent years, with the likes of right-wing lobby group the Institute of Public Affairs being an enthusiastic adopter of the astroturf strategy. A case in point here is the Australian Environment Foundation, which was spun out of the IPA back in 2005.

The AEF (donations over $2 are tax-deductible) casts itself as being for "practical" environmentalists, while its past five press statements are headlined as follows: "Rally to support wind farm noise bill"; "Council rejects wind farm application"; "Climate Commission not fair dinkum"; "Climate Commission report relies on faulty data"; and "Carbon Tax hoax begins". Get the picture?

One of the AEF's favourite targets, aside from its love of links to sites promoting climate-change denial (such as junk science queen and conspiracy theorist Jo Nova), is wind farms-an aesthetic act of vandalism, an acoustic affront and a potentially deadly health hazard, apparently.

The AEF is not alone in its wind power crusade, with various other self-appointed Don Quixotes charging around the countryside whipping up fear and loathing. The latest is a strange mob called Stop These Things. (Which "things", one wonders?)

The anonymous urgers at Stop These Things are organising a rally at Parliament House in Canberra next month to protest the folly of renewable energy, and claim to have already enlisted the support of Liberal climate change deniers such as Alby Schultz and Craig Kelly, along with Senator John Madigan-Australia's first Democratic Labor Party senator in 40 years, and who invited climate change denial pin-up boy "Lord" Christopher Monckton to speak in his hometown of Ballarat this year.

The director of the Institute of Public Affairs' deregulation unit, Alan Moran, will also address the rally on "the failed economics of wind power". Serial ratbag, radio demagogue and leader of the rent-a-rage crowd, Alan Jones, will act as ring master at the circus.

The STT website, though, is worth spending a bit of time at, if for no other reason than to marvel at the intellectual garbage littering the pages. Take, for example, claims that "giant wind turbines are being deployed as weapons of mass destruction" by the US Defence Department. No, I'm not making this up-the whole site is a veritable swamp of such tosh.

While the identity of the things behind things that need stopping remains secret, it will be interesting to see just who else from the incestuous network of wind power opponents make it to Canberra. It might be worth a trip just to listen to the IPA's Moran, who will, according to STT, "put some knobs on common sense". Couldn't have put it better myself.

Nearly 20% of Australia’s PV home systems substandard, watchdog finds

www.pv-magazine.com
27. MAY 2013

Up to 200,000 photovoltaic units on homes across Australia could be improperly installed and some even posing a danger, according to the country's Clean Energy Regulator. Australia's Clean Energy Regulator estimates that up to 200,000 solar panel systems on homes throughout the country may have been improperly installed. While Australia boasts more than a million homes installed with photovoltaic systems throughout the country, the federal watchdog reckons nearly 20% could be in less than acceptable condition.

The regulator conducted random checks on 7,000 photovoltaic units and determined 19% were substandard and in need of repairs and shut down 4% of the systems on the spot, saying they were found to be unsafe. Based on the review, the regulator estimates that 190,000 systems could be in poor condition and up to 40,000 units possibly posing a danger, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Speaking to a parliamentary committee on the matter, Andrew Livingston, the Clean Energy Regulator's executive general manager in charge of renewables and carbon farming, said installers had reacted quickly to requests to repair the substandard or unsafe photovoltaic units, the newspaper said. While the watchdog lacks the power to force installers to make the necessary repairs, it can fine the licensed agents who contracted installers for the jobs up to A$3,500 ($3,378, €2,610).

The regulator is currently weighing legal action against installers in five cases, Livingston added. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission received 1,613 complaints about solar systems in 2012, up from 1,229 the previous year, and in addition to grievances made to state-based authorities.

German ZSW produces Lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, solar power storage systems with 10,000 charge cycles

www.solarserver.com
25 Jun 2013

Scientists at the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Wuerttemberg, ZSW (Germany) have developed top-class lithium-ion batteries. In terms of the cycle stability-an important parameter for the lifetime-the high-performance cells now exceed the current international state of technology: more than 10,000 full cycles have been achieved so far, ZSW reports in a press release.

More than 85% of the initial capacity remaining after 10,000 complete charging, discharging cycles With other values, such as the power density, the batteries are equivalent to those produced by leading Asian manufacturers. The active materials for the batteries exclusively originate from German companies. ZSW has designed the cells, developed the manufacturing process and produced a small sample series in the 18650 format. The technology has created the basis for manufacturing large size pouch cells and large size prismatic cells. Lithium-ion batteries are intended for use in electric vehicles and as solar power storage systems.

"After 10,000 complete charging and discharging cycles with a complete charge and discharge cycle per hour (2 C), our lithium batteries still have more than 85% of the initial capacity", reports Dr. Margret Wohlfahrt-Mehrens, Head of the Accumulator Material Research Department in Ulm. "That also provides excellent prospects for a long calendar life".

A long service life, such as for electric mobility, is an essential requirement from automotive companies. Batteries with the lithium-ion technology must be able to do their work in cars for at least ten years without the battery capacity dropping to less than 80% of the rated value.

Read More…

Wind power blows into Africa

www.capitalfm.co.ke
26 May 2013

CAPE TOWN, May 26 Giant turbines churning in the wind are a rare sight in Africa-but that will not be the case for long. Until now the meagre amounts of investment in African wind power have predominantly come from governments and foreign donors. But this is changing fast, say experts.

Private investors smell profit in beefing-up the continent's over-stretched power grids and swarms of new wind turbines are soon expected to emerge. If all plans on the table come to fruition, capacity will increase tenfold. "When you look at the on-going and planned projects, you see actually over 50% of the projects being sponsored by the private sector", said African Development Bank economist Emelly Mutambatsere.

Today wind makes up one% of electricity production, or just 1.1 GWs. But an additional 10.5 GWs is in the pipeline. According to an African Development Bank study of 76 wind projects, two thirds are pending. Liberalisation of electricity markets has helped prise open the sluice gates for investment. "The state still plays a big role in a lot of the countries", Mutambatsere told AFP. "But a number of countries have liberalised to some extent".

North Africa-including Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco-have led the way. But sub-Saharan Africa is catching up. This year saw the first large commercial wind farm in the region come on line, a 52 MW project in Ethiopia. Further south, the continent's heaviest carbon emitter South Africa is a striking example of the sector's growth.

The coal-rich nation-gunning for an extra 18 GWs of capacity from renewables such as wind-has opened power production projects to private bidders for the first time. The first bidding round of 28 projects drew $5 billion in investments, according to the energy ministry.

"There's a huge boom going on in South Africa in wind and renewables", said South African Wind Energy Association CEO Johan van den Berg. "South Africa previously had eight operative wind towers or turbines and there's about 250 under construction at the moment".

Last year, investment in South African renewable energy increased in excess of 20,000%, he said. Meanwhile in Kenya the $815 million, 300 MW Lake Turkana Wind Power Project is hoping to break ground in November. With wind flow of 11.8 metres per second the project is "a dream" according to chairman Carlo van Wageningen.

Light shines on renewable energy in the Pacific

www.nzherald.co.nz
26 May 2013

A Canterbury researcher is investigating renewable energy options for Pacific island nations in a bid to cut reliance on expensive diesel generators. Many households, businesses and schools that use the expensive generators struggle to pay their power bills, University of Canterbury Pacific Studies PhD student Emily Laing said. At the Pacific Energy Summit in March, New Zealand pledged $65 million to renewable energy projects in the South Pacific.

Ms Laing was looking at solar power projects in the region, and has already helped with the installation of panels in five high schools in Tonga. The systems were installed with a goal of reducing and, in some cases, completely eliminating power costs for the schools which previously, were struggling to keep up with their bills, she said. "With the introduction of solar power in the Pacific Islands it is important each project is well planned to ensure it's sustainable long term for the recipient country".

The introduction of solar power in the South Pacific was reasonably recent and was predominantly funded through aid organisations, she said. Many smaller Islands in the Pacific, such as Tonga, relied almost entirely on aid and had barely any business enterprise or exports, so most of the solar installations were funded by international aid agencies.

"This means the recipient country has little control over the timing, scale and scope of the projects, which can cause issues when it comes to implementing and sustaining the systems", Ms Laing said. "I want to create a project management framework specific to solar installations in the South Pacific to guide and help the management of future projects", she said.

Compressed air technology to store wind energy

www.nwpr.org
24 May 2013

Renewable energy storage is one step closer becoming a reality in the Northwest. Researchers are proposing a new system that could store enough wind power to power 80,000 homes for a month. But researchers aren't proposing fields lined with batteries. They're using some of the Columbia River Basin's natural geography and compressed air.

If Northwest states are to meet renewable energy goals, they'll need to find a way to store power. Wind and solar vary with the weather. Most of the region's wind power kicks up at the same time as hydroelectric. That can produce more energy than the power grid can handle.

"Without a storage technology, that energy is going to be wasted", McGrail says. "Right now we don't have anything to do with it. We either have to shut down the wind farms or spill excess water over the dams".

Now, researchers have found a way to capture extra energy and store it until people need it. This technology would divert that wind-power to machines that compress air. Next, that compressed air would be pumped thousands of feet underground into airtight cavities in the earth's basalt subsurface.

When people needed more power in the summer or winter, a valve would release the compressed air. That would spin turbines and create energy. Steve Knudsen is with Bonneville Power Administration. He says more storage could help balance power on the grid. "You shouldn't ever have to curtail the generation out of wind plants", Knudsen says.

Alabama and Germany already use this technology. But the amount of power stored at those sites is a drop in the bucket compared to what these researchers are proposing. They say they could store enough energy to power 80,000 homes for a month.

Researchers have picked out two sites that will work well-both in Central Washington. BPA says the next step is for utilities to test the technology on a smaller scale.

OneWind Australia to invest $2bn for five wind projects totalling 1GW

wind.energy-business-review.com
24 May 2013

Wind energy company OneWind Australia is mulling an investment of $2bn to launch five wind power projects totalling 1GW in the country by 2015. The company, supported by private equity fund Denham Capital Management, stated that these projects are planned in New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland.

Confirming the plans, OneWind Australia managing director Michael Toke told Bloomberg that the projects are likely to cost between $1.5bn and $2bn. The wind farms would have a combined capacity of nearly 1,000MW, with the 100MW Glen Innes plant in New South Wales to be launched first, revealed Toke.

OneWind said the company planned the expansion in the wind power sector to leverage declining cost of wind power in Australia and the country's policy to obtain 20% of its power from renewable energy by 2020. "Compared with other places in the world, wind is quite competitive in this market", Toke said. "It's a combination of the competitiveness of wind and the need for new renewables here. There's an opportunity to generate good returns".

Project to increase windfarm energy yield

www.maritimejournal.com
23 May 2013

Independent UK company, the Carbon Trust, unveiled its latest research project on Tuesday, designed to help cut the cost of offshore wind power by increasing the energy yields from Round 3 wind farms.

The new £2m wake effects measurement project will provide detailed measurement data to the wind industry to help better understand how the wind behaves in complex situations offshore. This will help the industry to improve prediction accuracy, reduce financing costs and optimise layouts at Round 3 windfarms located up to 290km from the UK coast.

The wakes effects measurement campaign project is part of the Carbon Trust's Offshore Wind Accelerator, a world leading industry collaboration with nine UK wind farm developers to identify and commercialise a series of innovations which can dramatically reduce the costs of offshore wind.

Specialist wakes monitoring equipment has been installed on the Rodsand 2 wind farm in Denmark and will measure wakes passing through the wind farm for at least six months. Data gathered from the project will help improve specialist software enabling developers to better predict how the wind will flow offshore to enable them to develop better and more efficient designs and layouts which in turn will increase the energy yields from offshore wind farms and in turn improve the economics of the offshore wind projects.

Commenting on the new research project Phil de Villiers, head of offshore wind at the Carbon Trust said: "Bringing down the cost of offshore wind is an absolute priority for the industry. We believe that industry collaboration on key innovation projects that offer scope for dramatic cost reduction is the best way to go.

"The new wakes effects measurement campaign is very exciting as it will address the shortage of data that has constrained the development of wake effects models for offshore wind. It offers potential to increase energy yields from offshore wind farms and also offer financiers greater certainty on the economics of the projects. We are confident that the data we collect will have a dramatic impact on the future of offshore wind power, for the better".

The project is also critical to help open up debt financing for the construction of Round 3 projects in the UK. At present no UK offshore wind farm has been built with debt finance, in part because of the uncertainties around predicting the energy outputs from wind farms offshore. This project has added importance, as by offering greater certainty on energy yields it will help de-risk projects as they seek debt financing. The project may also result in the layout of offshore wind farms looking very different in the future to how they look today. The project will be of particular value to the 32GW of Round 3 projects as they move into detailed planning phases.

Brian Gribben, technical manager at Frazer-Nash, which are lead technical consultants on the wake effects project said: "We are pleased to be able to apply our significant experience in aerodynamics and wind engineering to such a large scale Carbon Trust led project especially as it has the potential to significantly benefit the industry".

Row rages over safety of Japanese nuclear plant

www.dw.de
23 May 2013

Twenty-six months after the disaster at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, virtually all of Japan's nuclear reactors remain off-line.

Caused by a magnitude-9 earthquake that triggered a colossal tsunami, the crisis at Fukushima has shaken public faith in what was previously considered a safe and virtually limitless source of energy for Japan, and forced the government to reconsider the ability of other reactors to withstand another major natural disaster.

But the 48 idle reactors are not earning any money for the power companies that built them when nuclear power was seen as the remedy for a nation imported virtually all its energy. That is why the position of the Nuclear Regulation Agency (NRA) over the future of the Tsuruga plant in Fukui Prefecture is so important, the environmental groups say.

Active fault identified
After an extensive study, a panel of experts appointed by the NRA has concluded that an active fault line lies immediately beneath the No. 2 reactor at Tsuruga and that it should be decommissioned at the first opportunity.

The study into the seismic resilience of the plant was only ordered by the government in the aftermath of Fukushima and the fault had not been detected before the 1,160 MW reactor went into operation in February 1987.

The No. 1 reactor at the site was the oldest commercial reactor in Japan before it was shut down for a routine safety inspection in January 2011, but has never been given the green light to restart operations after the Fukushima disaster. Japan Atomic Power Co. (JAPC) also had plans to open two further reactors at the plant in the coming years, but both those projects are on hold.

Announcing its recommendation for the No. 1 reactor, Kunihiko Shimazaki, the NRA commissioner, told DW, "It is lucky there has been no accident at the reactor". A spokesman for the organization insisted that the NRA had followed objective and scientific rules before reaching its decision and that it would stand by its findings-but he did admit that pressure was being applied to the agency.

As soon as the NRA's decision was announced, Yasuo Hamada, the president of JAPC called a press conference in which he attacked the agency for not giving his company the chance to explain its position on the matter. Hamada also claimed that the panel's decision was not based on objective data and facts.

Read More…

Solar power brings piped water to rural Western Kenya's doorstep

www.trust.org
23 May 2013

KAKAMEGA, Kenya (Thomson Reuters Foundation)-Residents of some rural communities in Western Kenya can now access clean piped water at their doorsteps, thanks to solar-powered engines that pump it from borehole wells. Pamela Kuyuti reckons it has kept her family together.

"Before this tap with running water was connected to my homestead, I was actually contemplating to quit this marriage", said Kuyuti, a resident of Mukhalanya village. "I was exhausted walking hours on a daily basis to fetch water for my family and for my mother-in-law".

With support from World Vision, an international nongovernmental organisation, community-based organisations in Matete District, Kakamega County, have sunk a borehole at each of nine primary and secondary schools to serve the surrounding communities.

At Lukova primary school, the borehole is about 70 metres (230 feet) deep. An engine connected to 102 interlinked solar panels yields enough electricity to pump 16,000 litres (4,200 US gallons) of water per hour from the borehole into two 100,000 litre (2,600 gallon) pressed steel tanks.

The tanks are built on higher ground than the village's homes, allowing gravity to channel the water through pipes to seven water kiosks and 70 homesteads in a number of villages. While three of the boreholes use solar power to pump water to the villages, the wells in areas that have been reached by the government's rural electrification programme use grid electricity to power the pumps.

According to data from World Vision, approximately 6,600 people are already benefiting from the Lukova project alone, including four schools, two market centres and people in the surrounding community. The nine boreholes serve a total of 1,570 households, which in Western Kenya have an average of seven children.

The pumps are located in schools so that children are the first beneficiaries of the clean water, and because the schools are community-owned institutions in which residents have a common interest.

Read More…

Wind farm beats Kusile to grid

business.iafrica.com
21 May 2013

With South Africa's electricity woes becoming more pressing, power utility Eskom has won the National Energy Regulator's (Nersa's) approval to build a R2.4 billion wind farm in the Western Cape. Construction will start later this year, with the wind farm set to deliver up to 100MW of electricity by the end of next year-beating the R170 billion Kusile power station onto the grid.

Eskom said on Monday the project, situated at Koekenaap in the Vredendal area, would enter full commercial production by the end of next year. Increasing energy supply has become critical for the power utility. It warned last month that South Africa would face tight supply during winter. The wind farm is part of the Department of Energy's drive to add 3725MW of generating capacity from renewable sources, mainly wind and solar, by 2018.

Eskom CEO Brian Dames said the cost of the project compared favourably with the R1.14/kW that the government would pay independent power producers (IPPs) for their renewable energy in the first round. The cost of power dropped to 89.7¢/kW in the second round of the IPP, for which agreements were finalised two weeks ago.

In February, Nersa granted Eskom an 8%/year tariff increase for the next five years, taking the cost of electricity to 89.13¢/kW at the end of March 2018.

"This comes below the cost of IPPs and is good news for us", Eskom spokesperson Hilary Joffe said. The project has been funded by development finance institutions, including the World Bank, African Development Bank, Clean Technology Fund and Agence Francaise de Developpement. "That has lowered the cost of funding", Ms Joffe said.

Industrial company Siemens will build and install the wind turbine generators, and then hand them over to Eskom to run, Ms Joffe said. The first power will come onstream during the first half of next year.

That will be well ahead of the 4800MW Kusile coal-fired powered station that Eskom is building at an estimated cost of R170 billion in the Mpumalanga province. The company initially expected the station to start producing power next month, but that projection was pushed back to the end of next year.

Philippines approves 3 wind farm projects to generate 208MW of power

www.straitstimes.com
20 May 2013

MANILA (AFP)-The Philippines has approved three wind farm projects that will generate 208MW, enough to power more than 40,000 middle-class homes, an energy official said on Monday. The wind projects will be the first to benefit from an incentive scheme that aims to ensure half the country's energy comes from renewable sources by 2030, compared with about 39% currently, the official said.

The three projects are due to be operational by early 2015, said Mr Mario Marasigan, the energy department's renewable energy bureau chief. "We approved their declarations of commerciality. They (guaranteed) to us that they are viable under the rate of 8.53 pesos (26 Singapore¢) per kW hour", he told Agence France-Presse.

Goldman Sachs to invest $486 million in Japan renewable energy

www.businessweek.com
20 May 2013

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) plans to invest as much as 50 billion yen ($487 million) in renewable energy projects in Japan in the next five years, tapping demand for electricity produced from solar and wind-power generators.

The Wall Street firm also plans to take as much as 250 billion yen of bank loans and project-financing over the same period to move ahead with projects that would cost a total of 300 billion yen, Hiroko Matsumoto, a Tokyo-based spokeswoman for Goldman, said by telephone. The Nikkei newspaper reported the plan earlier today.

Japan began offering incentives in July through feed-in tariffs to encourage renewables after the Fukushima nuclear-plant crisis stemming from the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Japan has been forced to slash its reliance on atomic power generation since Fukushima.

"We believe that we can leverage our global expertise in investing in renewable energy in places such as the U.S, and India, to help expand Japan's renewable power capabilities", Ankur Sahu, co-head of the merchant banking division in the Asia-Pacific, said by e-mail.

Goldman Sachs formed the Japan Renewable Energy Co, unit in August to plan, design and operate power plants run on sun, wind, fuel-cells and biomass fuels, it said on its website.

Read More…

Concerns raised about the ethics of anti-wind farm research

blogs.crikey.com.au
20 May 2013

Crikey journalist Amber Jamieson recently reported that the National Health and Medical Research Council is examining whether anti-wind farm campaigner Sarah Laurie has breached ethical codes of research conduct. The NHMRC and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency were recently sent a dossier raising questions about the work of Laurie, CEO of the Waubra Foundation (an anti-wind farm activist group).

The dossier, whose author/s are not named, was forwarded to these agencies by the Public Health Association of Australia. It documents statements by Laurie about conducting interviews and other forms of research. The Waubra Foundation has since put out a statement calling for ICAC or a Royal Commission to investigate the "anonymous and malicious" dossier.

"The Board of the Foundation considers that what has transpired, plus the contemporaneous and coordinated press campaign prominently featuring chronic critics of the Foundation's works, is properly the subject of a referral to an ICAC or a Royal Commission", the statement says. "To ignore the documented suffering of people, and openly to ridicule them, is not only unethical, it is immoral, if not criminal".

The Waubra statement does not address the concerns raised by the dossier below. I wonder how long until we hear more on these matters from the NHMRC et al...

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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.