Thinking power - The Challicum Hills Wind Farm
Energy and the environment are almost constantly in the news, whether it be rising petrol prices, global warming or nuclear power proposals. One thing is certain - we can't live without it.
Wind farms are among the most misunderstood characters in this debate right now, so using Challicum Hills Wind Farm near Ararat as an example, I decided to sort the facts from the fiction.
The facts about our current situation
It is now generally accepted that our planet is warming, and while these changes may be only a few degrees, their direct impact on us is of much less interest than their impact on the atmosphere. A few degrees difference can potentially have wide-ranging effects on the weather, making the dry areas dryer, the wet areas wetter, storms more dangerous and patterns more unpredictable.
Simulations have shown that temperature rises of approximately 3 degrees Celsius are likely to be seen. This may not sound like much, but since the last ice age, average global temperatures have only risen about 7 degrees Celsius.
Sea levels are also likely to be seen to rise by around 50cm in the next century. Many small islands in the pacific are already severely affected.
What's causing climate change?
The Greenhouse Effect is a normal effect caused by gases in our atmosphere that retain heat on Earth and also reflect additional heat back into space. Without this effect our planet would not be inhabitable.
The problem is that gases that are used in the production and use of everyday products are joining those in the atmosphere and creating an Enhanced Greenhouse Effect which is causing the planet to warm.
The planet getting warmer is not something new - Earth's climate has previously gone through lots of changes - the issue here is that it's happening so fast that neither we nor the environment around us can adapt.
The Challicum Hills Wind Farm
In August 2003, the Challicum Hills Wind Farm was completed after over two years of planning and discussion. During the consultation process, community fears about visual and environmental impacts were allayed.
When it was built it was Australia's largest wind farm, producing enough energy to power over twenty-six thousand houses, one and a half percent of Victoria's residential demand. Each year the Challicum Hills Wind Farm avoids 180,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
The benefits for the region have been enormous, returns being seen in tourism, investment and employment opportunities. Each of the seven landholders on whose property the wind farm has been constructed receives revenue payments, and the wind farm takes up only one percent of their land.
Criticisms of Wind Farms
Wind farms inevitably produce noise, whether the swishing sound of the turbine rotating in the air or the buzzing of the generator. The noise caused by these turbines, however, is nothing compared to the sound of a passing car (a wind turbine at Challicum Hills produce 35-45 dB; a car travelling at 60kph produces 55dB).
Concerns have been expressed that wind farms may cause damage to local bird populations. While a very small number of birds may fly into wind turbines, the number (less than thirty a year at one wind farm) pales in comparison with the number of birds killed annually on roads, by household cats and by hitting buildings and other infrastructure. Additionally, almost a quarter of all land animals face extinction in the next fifty years if climate change is not slowed.
The visual impact on areas by wind farms is commonly debated, and largely subjective. Challicum Hills is a tourist attraction in Ararat, and an attractive landmark for vehicles travelling from Melbourne and Ballarat towards Adelaide.
Future Developments in the Area
Pacific Hydro is working with community groups and government to establish another wind farm in Crowlands, near Ararat. Expected to be completed in 2009, the wind farm will save 560,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and provide electricity to power eighty thousand homes.
What can we do about climate change?
If you want to help slow down climate change, here are few things you can do to save the environment (and money):
- Turn everything off at the power point when it's not in use (most devices have a "standby" mode - your TV and DVD player are probably still drawing power when they're turned off)
- Have shorter showers (this saves water, and if you have electric hot water it saves electricity too)
- Don't turn on the lights when the light coming through the window will do
- Consider investing in solar panels
- Buy "green" energy
- Support alternative energy, like wind farms
Articles Written by Chris
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