The agreement is entered into between a landowner and Wind Power Pty Ltd when wind turbines are erected on the land.

This agreement entered into between the landowner and Wind Power Pty Ltd permits the developer to site a wind testing tower on the land. A minimum fee is paid the landowner.

The agreement entered into between landowners and Wind Power Pty Ltd permitting Wind Power Pty Ltd permits the developer to take a lease over the land at any time. The agreement reads like an option to lease but no option fee is paid a landowner for signing the agreement.

Mr. Sean Cox presented evidence at the Resource Management Act hearing for the Te Uku wind farm which directly countered the economic case for the wind farm, its carbon emissions justification, the available wind resource at Te Uku, adverse noise and health effects, and challenged the expertise of some of wind developer Wel's consultants. When completed, Wel counsel Simon Berry asked that the hearing be adjourned to permit the developer time to respond to Mr. Cox's submission. An excerpt of Mr. Cox's testimony is included below. The full transcript can be accessed by clicking on one of the two links provided.

This important paper investigates the noise and visual effects on local residents from the existing wind turbines in the Manawatu and Tararua region of New Zealand. A total of 1100 urban and rural residents, the majority living within a 3km radius of the wind farms in the Tararua and Manawatu districts were administered a self-reporting survey. The survey asked residents to assess the visual and noise effects of the closest wind farm. This paper presents preliminary results from this study. It demonstrates that 45 percent of respondents living within 2km heard noise from the turbines, and 80 percent thought that the turbines were visually intrusive.

Last December some electrical power generation information for the Wonthaggi wind farm came my way. The information provides the power produced, or used, each hour for each of the 6 turbines between 1 June 06 and 22 June 06. Although it is for a limited period it illustrates, particularly when graphed, where the problem lies with wind power. That is, because it is dependent on wind availability and strength, the power produced is variable and unpredictable, requiring that some other electric power source be available at short notice to supplement what a wind farm produces.

Andrew Chapman's comments:

The attached report clearly shows the complexity of managing the electricity grid. NEMMCO is dealing with a particular situation that resulted in the blackout last summer however it also clearly indicates why wind generated electricity cannot be dumped into the grid just because the wind's blowing at a particular time. Generators have to forecast ahead and then be bound by that as a constraint. All dumping of erratically produced wind power into the grid might do is make light bulbs glow a bit stronger from time to time.

Editor's Note This is an opinion piece located in IWA's resource library as it was submitted in pdf. form.

This indepth 142-page report looks at many dimensions of wind power including its contribution to sustainable energy; New Zealand developments to date; international trends; impacts on landscapes and communities; legal and policy frameworks; and case studies from Auckland, Wellington, and Manawatu.