Category: wind farms & tourism

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Local businesses welcome Cherry Tree Range approval

Leigh Ewbank

weddingsThe BEAM-Mitchell Environment Group were active supporters of the Cherry Tree Range wind farm. But they’re not the only ones who have welcomed the project.

Local business support for the wind farm is also strong. Rocky Passes vineyard is in the immediate vicinity of the proposed wind farm and applauds the VCAT decision to approve the Infigen project.

“It is based on science and evidence in health, environment, aesthetic and heritage issues” say owners Candi Westney and Victor Oles. “We would be delighted to be part of a community that is proactive in reducing our reliance on coal-based power and welcome the Cherry Tree Range wind farm to our neighbourhood”.

Greg Byers of Cartridge World sees the proposal as an important part of the mix of renewable energy and acknowledges the considerable economic benefits the project can deliver for the Seymour region.

BEAM Vice-President Peter Lockyer agrees “The Infigen project is an important part of the mix of renewables, along with rooftop solar, that can benefit the triple bottom line for our region. There are social and environmental benefits to be achieved by this.”

Wind farms are a win win for communities. They’re good for our economy and our environment. Continue reading “Local businesses welcome Cherry Tree Range approval”

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Yes 2 Renewables – Hepburn Wind Farm tour

Leigh Ewbank

UPDATE: The tour is booked out. Please stay tuned for another tour early in 2014. 

Have you been up close and personal with a wind turbine?… Ever wanted to?… Well here’s your chance… 

Hepburn Wind Fish Eye With the generous support of Australia’s pioneering community-owned Hepburn Wind farm, Yes 2 Renewables is pleased to announce a wind farm tour on Saturday December 14.

Join the Yes 2 Renewables team, supporters and volunteers for a fun day at the wind farm. See for yourself what wind turbines are like, gain an understanding of community-owned renewable energy, and have some of your questions answered by the tour guides. RSVP essential. Continue reading “Yes 2 Renewables – Hepburn Wind Farm tour”

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PollieWatch: Angus Taylor runs with the wind

Leigh Ewbank

1467421_372908476178033_1550328719_nAt the weekend, Infigen Energy hosted its second annual Run With The Wind event at the Woodlawn wind farm. This year’s fun run around the 23 wind turbines near Bungendore, New South Wales attracted 600 participants–including the Liberal Member for Hume, Angus Taylor.

Angus Taylor’s participation in the event is somewhat of a surprise given his track record of bagging wind energy.

Taylor is the poster child of the clandestine anti-wind farm site Stop These Things. The site’s anonymous bloggers laud Taylor for his wind bashing. They describe the member for Hume this way:

Angus “the Enforcer” Taylor has just slammed his pro-wind power opponents to pick up the seat of Hume in NSW. Angus takes up where the “faultless former Member for Hume”, Alby Schultz left off. Continue reading “PollieWatch: Angus Taylor runs with the wind”

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Turbine tourism: Bus tours of a wind-energy park are a big hit

martanieczyporuk

Published by Grist. View original article. Michigan now has nearly 900 wind turbines, and that lit a lightbulb in the entrepreneurial mind of retired teacher Gene Jorissen. Last summer, he started leading hour-long bus tours of the turbine-dotted Lakes Winds … Continue reading Turbine tourism: Bus tours of a wind-energy park are a big hit

coal vs renewables, energy efficiency, Macarthur Wind Farm, renewable energy, Renewable technologies, renewables & employment, Vic Wind, Wind Farm Benefits, wind farms, wind farms & property value, wind farms & tourism, Wind workersLeave a comment

Macarthur residents urge Tehan to support local wind boom

jcoghetto

Published at VicWind. See original article.

TehanMeetingGroup_blogMacarthur district residents, Merilyn Cook and Hamish Officer, together with representatives from the Victorian Wind Alliance (VicWind), met with local MP, Dan Tehan in Warrnambool on Tuesday to discuss the benefits the Macarthur Wind Farm is bringing to their community.


“There’s a historic opportunity right now to benefit from this shift of power generation from coal and gas regions to wind regions like South West Victoria,” said Mr Bray, VicWind’s State Coordinator.

“With 20 locals permanently employed, the Macarthur wind farm is now the biggest single employer in this rural district.” said Mr Bray.

Research by Sinclair Knight Merz estimates the Macarthur and nearby Oaklands wind farm projects have increased Gross Regional Product by over 1 percent or $66.8m per year. Wind projects with permits to proceed in Wannon would deliver around four times this amount again. Continue reading “Macarthur residents urge Tehan to support local wind boom”

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UK’s National Trust Director General says wind farms are ‘beautiful’

Leigh Ewbank

‘Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.’ – Confucius 

Confucius was a man of great wisdom. And when it comes to wind farms, the Chinese philosopher’s thoughts on the nature of beauty are particularly relevant.

windfarm149

On one hand, supporters of renewable energy see modern wind mills as gentle giants that complement the landscape; Kinetic sculptures whose graceful movements produce clean, renewable energy for the community. On the other hand, there are some people who see them as a blight on the landscape. Not everyone sees the beauty in wind mills.

On person who does view wind turbines as beautiful is Dame Helen Ghosh, the new head of the UK’s National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty. Dame Ghosh told The Telegraph recently that wind farms are ‘rather beautiful’ and will one day be appreciated in the way as historic railways are today.

Here’s the whole story from The Telegraph: Continue reading “UK’s National Trust Director General says wind farms are ‘beautiful’”

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Renewable energy is blowing in the wind

Leigh Ewbank

Published by the Geelong Advertiser. 

Breamlea Wind TurbineGeelong and the Bellarine Peninsula have played a pioneering role when it comes to wind energy in Australia.

25-years ago this month, the blades of Victoria’s first wind turbine started spinning in Breamlea—transforming the steady sea winds into clean electricity for Victorians.

The State Electricity Commission built the Breamlea turbine in 1987 to demonstrate the viability of wind energy in Victoria. We now know the SEC was onto something.

Today there are nine operating wind farms in Victoria. These farms tap the state’s vast wind energy resource to power tens of thousands of homes and businesses without the adverse health and environmental impacts caused by fossil fuels.

Unfortunately the blossoming wind energy sector came to an abrupt halt last year when the Baillieu government introduced heavy-handed planning laws that unfairly targeted wind farms.

The VC-82 amendment to the Victorian planning scheme, effectively bans wind farms from large swathes of Victoria and allow just one objector to veto wind turbine within 2 kilometres.

Meanwhile, no such restrictions apply to coal and coal-seam gas exploration and development. A local example many will be aware of is in Anglesea, where residents have no say over the coalmine and power plant less than 2 kilometres from their town.

Thanks to Premier Baillieu and his Coalition colleagues, Victoria is no longer the place to be for wind energy. Not one single wind farm has been approved in over a year—costing the state thousands of jobs, billions of dollars worth of investment and one of the best tools available for community action on climate change. Continue reading “Renewable energy is blowing in the wind”

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Renew Economy: More wind energy myths debunked: Madigan claims put to the test

Leigh Ewbank

Since entering the Australian Senate in July 2011, lone Democratic Labor Party senator John Madigan has emerged as a staunch opponent of wind farms. The Senator’s anti-wind farm position is articulated clearly in a short policy statement published on the DLP’s website.

Those of you who follow the wind energy debate closely will spot the whoppers a mile off. For those of you who are new to the debate, wind energy observer Mike Barnard has published a thorough debunking of Senator Madigan’s position at Renew Economy.

Barnard’s article addresses the claims listed below with forensic detail. But before you read on, I’d like to remind Victorian readers that you are one of Senator Madigan’s constituents. If you are troubled by the Senator’s position on wind energy, you are entitled to let his office know about it. The Office of Senator Madigan can be contacted in the following ways:   Continue reading “Renew Economy: More wind energy myths debunked: Madigan claims put to the test”

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New Matilda: Waubra Fights The Anti-Wind Bullies

Leigh Ewbank

Published by New Matilda. Read the original article. 

By Sandi Keane.

The town of Waubra has had its name hijacked by anti-wind astroturfers. Locals say they’re happy with wind-farming – and it’s not making them sick. So who are the scare campaigners? Sandi Keane reports

It’s spring in the quiet sheep-farming hamlet of Waubra, an hour’s drive northwest of Ballarat in Victoria. With the shearing done and the crops in, local farmers have turned to a bit of springtime mending. Not fences, but the town’s image. After three years saddled with the negative legacy of the “foundation” that stole their name, local farmer, Karen Molloy, says the community is fighting back with a bumper festival. Continue reading “New Matilda: Waubra Fights The Anti-Wind Bullies”