Wind farms popular, despite noisy opposition

January 27, 2012
Issue 

Wind farms might appear controversial in the media, but they enjoy an overwhelming 83% support in affected communities, say several recent reports.

The only noise worth worrying about is that from the small minority who vocally oppose them. Unfortunately, that noise is drowning out other voices in the public arena.

The anti-wind Waubra Foundation lobbied the NSW government heavily over its review of wind farm planning laws. But NSW Health rejected supposed evidence of wind power health risks, saying “the findings are not scientifically valid, with major methodological flaws stemming from the poor design of the study”.

NSW Health advice to the government was uncovered by a Freedom of Information request by Friends of the Earth (FoE).

The advice appears to contradict the NSW planning minister’s comment to the Sydney Morning Herald that, “I take the view that the jury is still out on the health impacts from wind farms. When it comes to people's health, I'll take a precautionary approach every time.”

FoE said the report was a sign that it is “time to stop listening to front groups’ junk science”.

FoE spokesperson Cam Walker said: “The NSW Health documents support our view that far from being a medical research group, the Waubra Foundation’s work is not based on good science.

“This is not surprising — the medical director is not a registered medical practitioner, qualified medical researcher nor epidemiologist. The majority of directors of the foundation are on record as objectors to proposed wind farms in their own back yards.

“And despite their claims that the Foundation maintains complete independence from advocacy groups, it shares a post office box with anti-wind group the Landscape Guardians.”

Despite its strident efforts, the Waubra Foundation and its allies appear to have trouble convincing many, other than Liberal/National Coalition MPs, of their position.

Polling released by wind farm developer Pacific Hydro on January 17 indicates that 83% support wind farms, with only 14% against.



The poll surveyed 1000 people living in areas around existing wind farms in NSW, Victoria and South Australia. It came only days after a study from CSIRO was published, also showing that wind farms enjoyed widespread community support that was not reflected in the public arena to the same extent as the small, vocal opposition.

Lane Crockett, general manager of Pacific Hydro Australia, said on the polling results: “It is clear from these results that people in regional Australia are drawing their own conclusions on wind energy and they are that they understand the benefits and want to see more of it.

“The results of this poll should serve as a clear message to politicians and policy developers in all three states that most people like wind power.”

Unfortunately, this broad community support is not reflected in state government policy. The NSW government followed Victoria’s example, introducing restrictive regulations on the siting of wind farms on December 23.

The NSW regulations allow for an appeal process, but still give residents within two kilometres the right to block wind farms up until the appeal.

South Australia is also set for an election soon. Isobel Redmond, leader of the Liberal opposition, is also calling for a two-kilometre radius exclusion zone around residences.

In December last year, Walker said: “As is the case in Victoria, the [NSW] guidelines use a two kilometre trigger when it comes to residents having the ability to oppose a project.

“The only conclusion that can be drawn is that the government is following the wish list of anti-wind campaigners through adopting an arbitrary set-back model … Set backs should be measured in decibels, not metres.”

The conclusions that wind farms are no health risk are also borne out by a January 24 report from the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA), which represents more than 20 organisations of health professionals.

CAHA convenor Fiona Armstrong said: “There is no credible peer reviewed scientific evidence that demonstrates a link between wind turbines and direct adverse health impacts in people living in proximity to them …

“In contrast however, there are well documented and serious threats to human health from burning fossil fuels for electricity generation and transport in the form of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and cancer. It is estimated that the harm to health from emissions from Australian coal-fired power stations is costing the Australia community $2.6 billion annually.”

[Ben Courtice is the renewable energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth, Melbourne.]

Comments

If Windfarms pose no health risk and those who oppose them are simply saying, "Not in my back yard", I assume the GLW would not oppose a Windfarm being set up along Sydneys coast? Surely, if it's ok for turbines to be placed next to someone's house out in the country, it's perfectly fine for them to be placed on Bondi, Bronte and ontop of towers in the inner city where the wind is constant and strong and the electricity is needed most? Imagine how much fossil fuel could be saves from the fires if we placed turnbines in the city instead of out in the country where half the voltage is lost in transmission.
There might be spots along the coastal fringe of Sydney with sufficient wind and enough space for a turbine. I doubt that there's much, though, given the housing market and the need to keep some parks as well. I know in Melbourne there has been a proposal to put a turbine next to the Westgate bridge, near where I live. With the 2011 planning laws it will be virtually impossible to go ahead with that, unfortunately. Buildings can have small turbines on top, some already use smaller vertical axis turbines. They aren't very efficient compared to the big turbines you would see at (e.g.) Daylesford or Gunning. The two main restrictions on turbines in Melbourne (which I know better than Sydney) are first, it has not got very good wind resource; and secondly, lack of appropriate spaces that aren't already built up. Much more sensible to put them in places along the coast or the ranges where the wind resource is good. There's going to be some energy lost in transmission to the city but then we are currently getting it from all the way down in Gippsland so that's no change! And Sydney gets it from Lithgow and Hunter Valley power stations. By comparison, wind can be distributed across a large area of the state as the map at yes2renewables shows. Ben Courtice
Nice article. In some places urban windfarms are already a reality. Pity that thanks to the efforts of the dodgy, media-nourished campaigners tilting at windmills in Australia its urban CSG mining that's on the cards! The NSW Planning Minister seems to forget his precautionary principals when it comes to CSG.

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