25 January 2011

Collector recoils from wind farms

| johnboy
Join the conversation
19

The ABC brings word that the famously resistant to change folk of Collector are having a whinge about land owners choosing to do what they damn well please with their own land.

At issue is Transfield’s plan to build a wind farm bringing jobs and renewable energy to the region.

Residents opposed to the project are ramping up their fight against the project, unveiling a billboard alongside the Federal Highway.

They hope to turn their fight into a political issue leading up to the NSW election.

Tony Hodgson from Friends of Collector says residents are worried about the effects on property prices and their health.

If you like those hills empty and bare best to buy them or shut up IMHO.

Join the conversation

19
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

A Noisy Noise Annoys An Oyster said :

These wind farms are ludacris. The Australian did an expose on them last year. They are very expensive to set up and operate and they can’t be relied on to provide reliable, baseload power. It’s another pie in the sky greenie thing that has failed miserably.

Expensive to set up. OK, I accept that, but surely a few towers and blades would be cheaper than a coal/gas fire power station. Expensive to operate? Maybe we should import wind from China or Bangladesh where costs are lower. Reliable? As reliable as a power station that has a gas explosion, radiation leak or has to shut down when the temp exceeds 40 deg.

mmmmmmmmmmmm pie

Holden Caulfield7:16 pm 25 Jan 11

Anna Key said :

Do they have the same problems with trees?

No, because, funnily enough tress don’t have massive blades whooshing around at an effective speed well in excess of 100km/h.

A Noisy Noise Annoys An Oyster said :

… The Australian did an expose on them last year. …

Well if it was in The Australian it must be true then.

A Noisy Noise Annoys An Oyster5:24 pm 25 Jan 11

These wind farms are ludacris. The Australian did an expose on them last year. They are very expensive to set up and operate and they can’t be relied on to provide reliable, baseload power. It’s another pie in the sky greenie thing that has failed miserably.

I’ll bet my left nut that 100+ years ago when electrickery was being rolled out into the streets and parishes of Australia the same sort of people were whinging about power poles being an eyesore etc etc..

Holden Caulfield said :

Anna Key said :

Are bird strikes really that much of an issue?

I’m a bit sceptical about this, too, but I’m assured it is a genuine concern. Mostly for native raptors who have a tendency to look at the ground while hunting for prey. I mean, if only they looked where they were going this wouldn’t be a concern!

Do they have the same problems with trees?

nomes707 said :

What happens when the windfarm on someone elses property means that you get four hours of ‘flickering’ light across your property when the sun is behind it every afternoon?

Bullshit
If you’re experiencing 4 hours of shadow (60degrees) and assuming a tower height of 90m, aren’t you only standing ~50m away from the tower (and doesn’t it fill your entire field of vision)?

I only have vague recollections of high school trigonometry and 1:2:sqrt3 triangles, anyone want to back me up?

I don’t get the eyesore argument – to me they look graceful and elegant. Much nicer than a field full of solar panels or a sky full of smog. Besides, it’s just a fairly nondescript cleared grassy hill from what I saw on the news – hardly up there with the Swiss Alps now is it?

I don’t get the health argument – most installations I’ve seen have a very large buffer zone to residential areas. Besides, the science behind the claims is dubious at best. If infrasound was such a big problem then nobody would live anywhere near railways, subways, highways, factories or elephants.

I don’t get the property value argument – I’m sure there’s plenty of rich greenchangers around who’d pay a premium for a property with a view of the wind turbines.

I (really) don’t get the flickering light argument – that could only be a problem within maybe a few hundred metres of a tower where the sun’s shadow is relatively focused, and certainly not for four hours at sunset.

Holden Caulfield2:43 pm 25 Jan 11

Anna Key said :

Are bird strikes really that much of an issue?

I’m a bit sceptical about this, too, but I’m assured it is a genuine concern. Mostly for native raptors who have a tendency to look at the ground while hunting for prey. I mean, if only they looked where they were going this wouldn’t be a concern!

Wow. flickering light. I’m not sure I have ever heard that one before. Maybe if they make the blades from glass so the sun shines through them?

I think that they should all have bright lights on the tip on each blade so that on a windy night we can see glowing circles hovering in the sky.

OMG flickering light FFS

“If you like those hills empty and bare best to buy them or shut up IMHO.”

What happens when the windfarm on someone elses property means that you get four hours of ‘flickering’ light across your property when the sun is behind it every afternoon?

Are bird strikes really that much of an issue? I thought it became the one thing Howard and successors relied on to reject wind farms in favour of the more environmentally friendly coal industry. Surely as many birds would be killed by cars on the Federal Hwy as by the blades (and clearly farmers’ windmills turning at higher speed aren’t a problem).

The Australian took a bit of a deeper look at this on Monday, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/top-receiver-in-wind-farm-brawl/story-fn59niix-1225992592471

As they say Tony Hodgson is no stranger to conflict, as he was Chairman of the Melbourne Port Authority during the Wharves dispute in 1998, and is one of Australia’s most well-known Company receivers.

He’s probably doing this to keep his skills sharp as much as anything else!

Holden Caulfield12:01 pm 25 Jan 11

p1 said :

I think the big fans on the hills look great while driving up the highway. A few more would be tops.

They were my initial feelings too. But when our treechange explorations meant we would have had a continual and direct sight line to the Bungendore wind farm my opinion began to waver, haha.

I think the big fans on the hills look great while driving up the highway. A few more would be tops.

Holden Caulfield11:36 am 25 Jan 11

Very interesting. I don’t have a huge issue with wind turbines per se, but the bird strike and health issues do seem to be worth considering. And, having recently considered purchasing some land close-ish to Collector, perhaps I’m a bit of a NIMBY too, haha.

I would have been critical, given the urgent need for renewable energy generation but, to be fair to the Collection (is this the correct plural for residents of Collector?) they did express their willingness to host an equivalent-power solar array as an alternative.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.