Your Questions About Wind Turbine Generators Australia
Mark asks…
Tidal power and coal?
Tidal power is still more expensive then coal ($0.04 /kWh versus $0.018 /kWh) and is only available to those with access to the ocean. However, the research is very promising with advances coming routinely, such as Vortex induction to underwater turbines. The question is, should the government subsidize tidal energy production research on the same level as wind, solar, and geothermal? And if so, what government state or federal, because tidal power is very geographically sensitive, but so is solar and wind?
admin answers:
I think that tidal (and wave) power is a great option as a renewable energy resource. I live in Australia so we have lots of oceans and an absence of baseload high quality viable renewable energy sources (solar chimney technology is getting there but still could not be considered to be a baseload source due to variation in sunlight intensities). Tidal has the benefit of being able to be predicted well in advance (we have tide charts after all) and in equatorial regions tides can be huge. Wind was at the same stage as tidal 30 years ago and is now a viable source. From a microgeneration perspective small communities throughout Asia and the Pacific would benefit from the ability to install a small tidal turbine (rated to say 500kW) that would reduce the need to use diesel generators which cost far more than $0.04/ kWh. I definitely think that governments need to invest strongly on tidal energy.
John asks…
Do Many Australians use wind mills for electrical generation?
You must import a lot of materials to use. It would expensive to import coal for power generation. I have read some articles that you have windmills to generate electrical power for lighting, radios. Here in the USA we had small wind generators for pumping water, generating some electrical power for lighting. This was in the 1900’s.The power companies were stringing wires through the country and giving the farmers good incentives to use their power sources. Then they keep jacking up the rates. We are starting generating power on a larger scale of wind power.These are of course owned by the power companies. It seems to be pretty slow developing. I read about one farmer in La-Cross, wis. Who 20 years ago bought a giant windmill for $20,000,He ordered a new one ,more efficient. He also was selling electrical power. The electrical companies do not make it easy to allow people to generate power. From the history I See Australia, The Dutch Netherlands should be leaders in the production of wind Electrical energy. Why are You Not?
Wow 1 I did not realize Australia was almost as big as the Usa. That Is Great ! Aussi’s are great people ! A few I have met in Vietnamn ! I was on a restrickted base,did not get out much. I Hope to see more of Ausralia in the News,in energy saving devices. your country knows how to work and survive. Keep it up!
admin answers:
Some farms in remote areas have wind mills for power generation and there are also some commercially run wind farms. I copied the stuff below from a alternative energy page.
“South Australia’s ninth wind farm just opened on the Barunga Ranges near Snowtown. Its 47 turbines, installed by Trust Power of New Zealand, (who already operate that countries largest wind farm at Tararua), are said to have the capacity to deliver over 98MW of electricity. The company reckon this output should provide sufficient power for around 70,000 Australian households.
Not only was this project completed ahead of schedule, but it allows the state of South Australia to claim that they now produce almost 60% of Australia’s wind power. Additionally it means that South Australia is poised to meet Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s target for all states to produce 20% of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.”
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