http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/why-wind-wont-work.pdf
A Submission on
“The social and economic impacts of rural wind farms.”
8 February 2011
Wind power is very dilute, and thus a large area of land is required to gather significant energy. Wind energy needs a wide network of roads, transmission lines and turbines which degrades any area containing wind farms. It has a huge land footprint.
The operating characteristics of turbine and generator mean that only a small part of wind energy can be captured.
Wind power is also intermittent, unreliable and hard to predict. Therefore large backup or storage systems are required. This adds to the capital and operating costs and increases the instability of the network.
Wind farms are uniformly hated by neighbours and will not be willingly accepted without heavy compensation payments. Their noise, flicker, fire risk and disturbing effect on domestic and wild animals are well documented.
The wind is free but wind power is far from it. Its cost is far above all conventional methods of generating electricity. Either taxpayers or consumers will pay this bill.
Wind farms are promoted as a way to decarbonise energy generation. This is supposed to reduce global warming. There is no evidence that there is any need or benefit in chasing this rainbow.
There is no justification for continuing the complex network of subsidies, mandates and tax breaks that currently underpin construction of wind farms in Australia. If wind power is sustainable it will be developed without these financial crutches.
Keywords: Wind Power, Emissions, Power Curve, Capacity Factors, Reliability, Economics, Storage, Land, Backup. Environmental Damage, Bird Kill, Bush Fires, Costs, Mandates, Subsidies, Carbon Tax, Denmark, Global Warming.
Submissions to be sent to: community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au
A print friendly pdf of this report can be found at: http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/why-wind-wont-work.pdf
by The Carbon Sense Coalition
www.carbon-sense.com
