‘Wind farms’ not all they’re cracked up to be
The Weekly Times, 18th April 2012
It is interesting to read Clean Energy Council’s Lisa Taylor’s spin on the beautiful and graceful sight of the wind turbines turning in the breeze. WT dated 4/4/2012. Does Lisa Taylor live anywhere near a wind energy facility – mistakenly called wind farms, as they are really industrial sites?
Has she visited Waubra or spoken to any of the people who live within a few Kms of the turbines and are suffering from a myriad of adverse health effects as a result?
Although I agree with Keith Staff from the Southern Grampians Landscape Guardians about the visual impact of turbines, I think the most upsetting and debilitating effect from them is the issue of noise which causes so much angst and sleep deprivation. The Wind Energy Companies prefer to ignore any complaints, no doubt hoping they will disappear.
It is very easy for Lisa to quote that 84% of Victorians believe wind farms are an important part of Victoria’s landscape. From where did she obtain those figures? If anyone, especially in the urban areas of Melbourne, was surveyed, they would probably agree but would not give an informed answer.
Unless a person really does research into wind energy it is safe to say most of us would not realize that wind farms are not all they are cracked up to be.
There are people all over the world who question the efficiency and economic benefits of wind energy.
My opinion is that in Australia there is room for some wind energy production as long as they are placed appropriately, at least 2 Kms from peoples’ dwellings.
There should not be a “them and us” mentality over renewable energy; the issues should be debated in a calm and reasonable manner and ideas pooled.
I fear that there are vested interests involved and once money and greed enter the equation, ethics and fairness depart.
Politics also play a vital part of decision making as it is fair to say that a lot of landholders who host turbines would vote conservatively and those politicians would place their seats at risk if they opposed the turbines.
Victorian Labor under John Brumby, in its mad rush to promote clean green energy approved a large amount of wind farms before losing office and it is now up to the Coalition to sort out the mess.
Minister Matthew Guy’s VC82 Amendment has done nothing to help those of us who live adjacent to already approved wind farms as the changes he brought in are not retrospective. This is morally wrong.
Angela Kearns
Mt Egerton
PO Box 246 Ballan 3342 03 53689060 0413273429
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/04/21/wind-farms-not-all-theyre-cracked-up-to-be/