RES Australia

Climate change is the most serious environmental threat facing the world today and clean renewable energy sources like wind power are a significant part of the solution. Wind power is plentiful in many parts of the world, and can be harnessed safely to generate electricity, without producing any dangerous waste or unwanted by-products.

Wind energy, as part of a diverse renewable energy portfolio, can also make a valuable contribution to our national energy security and meet rising demand in a sustainable way.

Wind energy systems are among the most technologically advanced and cost-effective renewable sources currently available. Modern turbines are likely to be producing useful power for up to 85% of the year, and have a design lifespan at least 20 years. The power produced by onshore wind farms is one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy available today, with the real potential for continuing technological advances to bring the costs down still further.

Creating jobs for the 21st century

Wind power is the world’s fastest growing energy source, averaging 30% growth per year. Its cost is already economically comparable to nuclear power and is still falling as the technology advances. In 2006, global installed capacity stood at 74GW and the value of new generating plant installed reached US$24 billion. This is great news for jobs and economic growth - achieving 12% of the world’s electricity from wind by 2020 could create 1.79 million jobs worldwide. With our engineering skills and huge wind resource, we are in a prime position to benefit even further.

To reap these economic and environmental rewards, the importance of wind power must be recognised both locally and regionally.

Sustainable power for Australia

Australia is blessed with some of the best and most reliable winds on earth. The potential for wind energy to be a contributor to clean electricity generation is huge*. Currently wind contributes about 0.5% of Australia’s electricity requirements but this could rise to at least 20% without any negative effects on the electricity network. Countries like Denmark already get 20% of its electricity from wind.

Australia currently has 42 wind farms in operation, with more now under construction. In total there are 563 wind turbines now operating. Renewable wind energy contributes significant amounts of green electricity. Australia’s wind resources are already being harnessed to produce up to 817 megawatts of power. In an average year that creates 2,500 Gigawatt-hours of electricity – enough to power 348,000 homes – equivalent to around 80% of Adelaide’s domestic consumption. This green electricity helps Australia cut its greenhouse gas emissions because 2,500GWh of pollution-free wind energy means a saving of almost, 3,256,000 tonnes of CO2 every year. That is the equivalent of taking 752,000 cars off our roads or planting 4.86 million trees.

Wind’s economic contribution

The wind energy industry in Australia currently has $1.7 billion in capital investment with the potential for billions more. Already, every year, $2.5 million goes directly to landholders who host wind turbines on their land, while another $19 million is spent on operational and maintenance costs, much of it in regional areas. This investment has created hundreds of jobs and a guaranteed income for many farmers who are still able to carry out normal farming activities on 98% of their land. Hundreds more workers in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania are directly employed in the manufacture and export of components for wind turbines. These jobs are not subsidised or government funded.

Source: www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au