Opinions
Category:
Australia / New Zealand
If you build a wind turbine in a bird's flight path, the result will be lethal. If birds maintain a predictable flight path, such as an annual migration route, then it should be possible to avoid that flight path. But what if you want to build your wind farm between a bird's breeding place and its regular hunting grounds? That is more difficult.
It stands to reason that if you build a wind turbine in a bird's flight path, the result will be lethal. If birds maintain a predictable flight path, such as an annual migration route, then it should be possible to avoid that flight path. But what if you want to build your wind farm between a bird's breeding place and its regular hunting grounds? That is more difficult.
Also filed under [
Impact on Wildlife|
Impact on Birds]
Even before they threatened my property, I was opposed to wind farms. They fail on all counts. They are grossly inefficient, extremely expensive, socially inequitable, a danger to human health, environmentally harmful, divisive for communities, a blot on the landscape, and don't even achieve the purpose for which they were designed, namely the reliable generation of electricity and the reduction of CO2 emissions.
Also filed under [
Impact on People]
His analysis shows that despite receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from green energy schemes driven by the renewable energy target, Victoria's wind-farm developments have saved virtually zero carbon dioxide emissions in the state.
A forensic examination of publicly available power-supply data shows Victoria's carbon-intensive brown-coal power stations do not reduce the amount of coal they burn when wind power is available to the grid.
Also filed under [
General]
According to NZ Windfarms' consent application, many residents were supposed to experience "nil noise effects" from the two-bladed turbines. This did not reflect their actual experience.
The residents have been vindicated, and NZ Windfarms has been found wanting.
Also filed under [
Impact on People|
Noise]
Dr. Chris Back is a Liberal Senator from Western Australia and Deputy Opposition Whip in the Senate. His essay below offers thoughtful insight into the wind industry issues and the impacts of large development wind within the communities of rural Australia.
Also filed under [
General]
But now the renewable energy chickens are coming back home, roosting in their nests and fouling them at the same time. Those in the electricity supply industry who can read the wind realise that their management of the industry will come under close scrutiny as new governments come to office and respond to the political forces that helped to get them there.
Also filed under [
Tax Breaks & Subsidies|
Energy Policy]
This powerful piece written by Maurice Newman, former chairman of Deutsche Bank, the Australian Securities Exchange and, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation is a must read by anyone involved in the wind energy debate.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
UK]
According to Spain's Ornithological Society, its main bird conservation charity, Spain's 18,000 wind turbines might be killing six million to 18 million birds and bats a year.
That's an average per turbine of 333-1000 deaths a year.
Also filed under [
Impact on Wildlife]
With the benefit of recent acoustical studies and medical papers, it has become increasingly clear there is a link between wind turbine operation and health effects, the only question is to what degree and what action to take. ...It is distressing that we can get public policy so wrong so much of the time and then take so long to fix it.
Also filed under [
Impact on People]
The idea of clean green wind power sounds good in theory, but the problem is that wind is intermittent. When it doesn't blow there is no electricity ...The cost of building and running the turbines just doesn't stack up.
But, of course, when you artificially skew the market with mandatory renewable energy targets and billions of taxpayer dollars in subsidies, you get a wind boom.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy]
Queensland families and retirees are worried about the rising costs created by a carbon tax, saying they 'cannot be taxed any further'.
Also filed under [
Tax Breaks & Subsidies|
Energy Policy]
The wind industry is still trying to analyse the implication of some of the recommendations - such as state governments consider their own setback rules, or low-frequency noise be included in planning decisions. But possibly the most valuable part of this process has been the realisation from the wind industry that it needs a little less hubris and a lot more consultation as it seeks to build projects.
Also filed under [
Noise|
Energy Policy]
The mindless green dream of producing serious base load power from whimsical breezes and intermittent sunbeams has caused a halt to new low-cost coal power, a boom in expensive gas power, a national debate about nuclear power and no effect at all on global climate.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy]
The possible cumulative effect of the number of wind turbines on the area is not lost on Kialla farmer and Friends of Crookwell member Humphrey Price-Jones. Mr Price-Jones fears there could be as many as a thousand turbines on local ridges and hills if all of the proposed new developments go through.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape]
Two important questions are yet to be answered, however. What is the carbon price that will encourage a widespread shift to technologies which will actually reduce emissions? And what will those technologies be?
To find answers, we conducted a meta-review of 25 authoritative peer-reviewed studies of electricity generating technologies, which was published in the international peer-reviewed scientific journal Energy.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy]
"Whether you are pro-wind or anti-wind, one thing we all agree on is the process is a process that is inequitable, it is without consultation, it is without a true viable economic base, it is purely a political PR process. It causes great anger and angst and sadness amongst the community."
This describes, with appalling accuracy, what is happening in every community targeted for industrial wind facilities.
Also filed under [
General]
Deep divisions have arisen across Victoria, with neighbour pitted against neighbour, as some land owners erect wind turbines on their properties - often 60m tall with 30m blades. It's pretty good money, sometimes $10,000 a turbine a year. In the midst of a drought, that can feed a family and send kids to school.
But what of the neighbours?
Also filed under [
Impact on People|
Energy Policy]
Seething anger over wind farms will not end under Victoria's current planning guidelines, says Paul Sellars.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy]
Your electricity bills are going to at least double in the next 10 years and relentlessly rising power prices could easily triple them. ..."the price rises would be driven "largely by the current policy environment, large amounts of renewables being forced into the system, uncosted charges for those renewables given current policy settings, and substantial increases in transmission and distribution costs".
Also filed under [
Impact on Economy|
Energy Policy]
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