The Victorian Greens have been fighting long and hard to improve the use of renewable energy in Victoria. The Baillieu government however, has declared war on windfarms and it seems the Lal Lal wind farm is the first victim of the government’s new policy.
Under the new policy, anyone who lives within two kilometres of a proposed wind farm can veto the application for a permit - or a change to a permit. This could kill off most new wind farm investment in Victoria by making it almost impossible to get approval or - in the case of Lal Lal - stop them from producing the most green power for the lowest cost.
Lal Lal have determined that adding just ten metres to the length of a wind turbine blade can increase the power output by more than half - it's to do with the area of wind the turbines can capture. But that requires an amendment to the Lal Lal wind farm's planning permit, which the Baillieu government has so far refused to grant.
As the company, Westwind told us:
"This increase in electricity output can occur without increasing the number of turbines installed and without any material detriment to those living in the vicinity of the project."
See if you can spot the difference those ten metres will make in this photomontage prepared by Westwind...
Planning Minister Matthew Matthew Guy recently said:
"There are still 1000 turbines permitted in Victoria, there are only 400 built," he said. "There is still a long way to go for those turbines to be built and I do not believe that this will scuttle wind investment in the state." The Age August 30, 2011
What he won't tell you is that the permits for one third of these approved turbines will need to be renewed by March next year.Half of the rest will expire during 2013. Any time a permit expires or needs an amendment; this must be done under the new rules - the rules that allow just one resident living within two kilometres to veto the project. This means any new advances in technology, which improve the electricity output but require an amendment to the existing permit, could be vetoed by a single resident.
Take a look at the Planning Permit Amendment application from West Wind.
If you support this proposal, and if you support urgent action on climate change, we suggest you make your voice heard.Wind's opponents, including the coal and gas industries, certainly do.
If you believe the Government's policy is just plain wrong, join us and write a letter to one of the newspapers below.
·Herald Sun - hsletters@heraldsun.com.au
·The Age - letters@theage.com.au
·Ballarat Courier - inquiries@thecourier.com.au
·Weekly Times - wtimes@theweeklytimes.com.au
·Moorabool Gazette - westnews@yourweekly.com.au