The talk in the local community is that five of the 12 turbines at Toora are now shut down because of equipment failure, the warrantee period has expired and they can't get parts. This wind farm is not particularly old and it's now limping along with a 42% reduction in power output. It's probably a good time to get this junk off the Toora hills....... This mucking around with turbines all adds to the cost of something that is nothing more than a hoax, which would all be pretty funny if it wasn't subsidised by the public purse.

Technology Structural Failure General Australia / New Zealand

Dr Tim Finnigan at the University of Sydney has formed a company, BioPower Systems, to commercialise the technologies. The wave energy system is called “bioWave” and has long, vertical blades that sway back and forth. Dr Finnigan says that it, “Is the only wave energy system that captures a wide swath of incident wave energy without using a large rigid structure. It is also the only such device that absorbs energy over the full water depth and continually self-orients with the wave direction”.

Technology General Australia / New Zealand

Editor's Note This opinion piece was submitted to IWA in pdf form and is available in IWA's reference library via the link provided below.

Technology Energy Policy General Australia / New Zealand

Like most really thoughtful environmentally concerned scientists, I'd rather a tiny amount (in metric tonnes or cubic metres, after decades of use) of stored radioactive waste than the unmitigated disaster of millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. And renewables are not realistically and politically going to fill the gap any time soon.

Technology Pollution Energy Policy General Australia / New Zealand

Manawatu’s Te Apiti windfarm is having equipment problems two years after commissioning, but Meridian Energy says it is a normal shakedown of new kit. Chief executive Keith Turner said a range of problems had occurred, including gearbox problems, where the bolts had not been tightened properly by the maker.

Technology General Australia / New Zealand

Energy Minister Francis Logan has announced plans to build three state-of-the-art, cyclone-proof wind turbines at Coral Bay at a cost of $9.6 million. The 275kw turbines are expected to supply 40 per cent of Coral Bay's energy needs by the end of 2007, and will involve new technologies developed in Western Australia. "The power system will use Verve Energy's technologically advanced control systems and low-load diesel generators which maximise the use of wind energy," he said. "It will also involve the use of wind turbines that can be lowered in the event of a cyclone.

Technology General Zoning/Planning Australia / New Zealand

STATE Liberal leader Ted Baillieu has rejected Labor claims he is a "greenhouse sceptic", while mounting a pre-election push for less emissions and cleaner coal. With the environment shaping as a key issue in the lead-up to the November 25 poll, Mr Baillieu yesterday said a Liberal government would set up a greenhouse gas emission fund to foster new investment in low-emission technologies. He said power generation technology was more crucial to Victoria's growth than biotechnology.

Technology Energy Policy General Australia / New Zealand

THE GIANTS of Australia's wind energy industry make a person feel very small. Stretching up 135m from base to tip, the V90 turbine tower is the biggest in Australia, a massive structure that weighs in at 400 tonnes when complete. Twenty-five towers are being erected at Studland Bay to complete the second stage of Roaring 40s' Woolnorth wind farm.

Technology General Australia / New Zealand

“It’s not damage, it’s wear and tear the sort of thing you expect with a new plant.'’ Each turbine is 70m tall and has 35m blades. “It’s a major job it’s a big piece of equipment.'’ He said “less than a dozen'’ of the 55 turbines at the site need replacement parts to be ordered from their Danish manufacturer. The damage is to “gearboxes mostly, and a couple of blades'’, which developed hairline fractures.

Technology General Australia / New Zealand

OSLO, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Wind power could generate almost 30 percent of the world's electricity by 2030 and is growing faster than any other clean energy source, a wind business group and environmental lobby Greenpeace said on Wednesday.

Technology Energy Policy General Asia Australia / New Zealand Europe Canada USA

Modern interest in wind energy had its origin following the OPEC oil embargo of 1973 when research in alternative energy grew in response to rising oil prices. However, it was not until the turn of the 20th century, with mounting evidence supporting scientific opinion that tied global warming to CO2 emissions caused by fossil fuels, that large-scale wind farming was seriously contemplated.

Technology General Australia / New Zealand

But if the nation is going to go nuclear, should we not play a role in developing a better, safer form of this energy?

Technology Energy Policy General Australia / New Zealand

Now staff at Canterbury University reckon they have got a better way using technology and international weather data. Professor Andy Sturman says the data is run through a computer and combined with the local topography to give wind direction, strength and variability.

Technology General Australia / New Zealand

Power companies are investigating an ambitious project to place underwater turbines in Cook Strait as an answer to New Zealand's electricity shortage.

Technology General Australia / New Zealand

KERRY O'BRIEN: The Prime Minister has recently argued that nuclear energy is cleaner and greener than fossil fuels. He says it's one of the main reasons he's opened a debate about whether Australia should have nuclear power. But the coal industry counters that it is developing a new type of clean coal technology that will dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Power stations using this non-polluting form of coal technology could come on stream in the next four to five years. But does it all add up financially? Peter McCutcheon reports.

Technology Energy Policy General Australia / New Zealand

Clearly, finding a solution to coal emissions is where the biggest dividends can be made in cutting global emissions.

Technology General Australia / New Zealand

The plant initially was to supply green electricity to 10,000 households as well as steam and electricity to industrial users, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 100,000 tonnes per year. But it has been plagued by operational problems and faced environmental fines for allowing contaminated water to be dumped in the Logan River, killing fish.

Technology Australia / New Zealand

The advantage with tidal power is that it is an entirely predictable source of power, unlike wind power which relies on when the wind blows.

Technology Australia / New Zealand

Local power generation could be achieved by installing tidal turbines in Auckland's regional harbours. Two harbours are superbly suited for this purpose, and tidal-current power generation is cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

Technology General Australia / New Zealand