When it blows

JON AYLING

A little research indicates that there is a vast disparity between the vacuous claims extolled by politicians such as Bartlett and the practical facts relating to alternative energy sources such as wind power. Bartlett’s recent claim that Woolnorth and Musselroe wind farms can (when the wind actually blows) create enough electrical energy to almost meet the demands of nearly half of Tasmania’s households means little when you consider that 64% of Tasmania’s electricity is swallowed up by our biggest industries and a further 24% by smaller industries, which leaves approximately 12% needed for householder use. Divide this by 2 and any sense of excitement soon diminishes.

When it blows

I AM starting to get a little tired of Premier Bartlett’s grandiose claims about Tasmania leading the way in terms of alternative energy production. Denmark and Germany are frequently held up as successful world standards for other countries to follow but few seem interested in telling the real story of what these countries have experienced over the last 20 years. A little research indicates that there is a vast disparity between the vacuous claims extolled by politicians such as Bartlett and the practical facts relating to alternative energy sources such as wind power. Bartlett’s recent claim that Woolnorth and Musselroe wind farms can (when the wind actually blows) create enough electrical energy to almost meet the demands of nearly half of Tasmania’s households means little when you consider that 64% of Tasmania’s electricity is swallowed up by our biggest industries and a further 24% by smaller industries, which leaves approximately 12% needed for householder use. Divide this by 2 and any sense of excitement soon diminishes.

The 2005 Annual report by E.ON Netz in Germany contains some alarming conclusions as to the lack of benefits in wind farming.

The following is a summary of the report from sovereignty.org.uk produced during a period in 2005 when the British Government began waking up to the fact that wind farms are bordering on being practically useless on a large scale.

“E.ON Netz, (the company which owns Powergen) is one of Germany’s largest electric grid operators. It serves a population of 20 million people living in 40 percent of Germany’s land area. It runs 32,500 kilometers of high voltage power lines, and is responsible for integrating 7,000 megawatts of wind power, nearly half of that installed in all Germany, which has more wind power installed than any other country, including the United States and Denmark.

One of E.ON Netz’s most notable conclusions is that wind energy cannot replace conventional power stations to any significant degree.

In the words of the report, “In order to guarantee reliable electricity supplies when wind farms produce little or no power, eg. during periods of calm or storm-related shutdowns, traditional power station capacities must be available as a reserve. This means that wind farms can only replace traditional power station capacities to a limited degree.” (page 9).

Furthermore, the report says that as more wind power is built, its capacity to replace conventional power sources, never more than 8 percent, actually declines. (page 9). In other words, E.ON’s experience shows conclusively that those who expect wind power to prevent a nuclear build up, or to reduce the need for gas and coal stations, have been seriously misled.

This is astounding! That company – perhaps the major player in the windfarm business – is openly declaring that wind power can not deliver the goods when it comes to reducing emissions or producing reliable electricity for our national needs!

http://www.sovereignty.org.uk/features/eco/Summary.pdf