Are wind farms the answer?/ Roger Carthew 2008-06-18 09:24:04
The activity of humankind has always had an impact on the environment, sometimes subtly and more often than not in the last 200 years, brutally.
Wattle Point Wind farm is significant for its contribution not just to the supply of electricity but also in proving the economics. Yes, there is a visual impact, but nothing compared with the visual devastation caused by an open pit coal mine supplying a coal based power station.
I see wind farms as an integration of nature and technology. May there be many more alternative energy developments of a similar ilk.
Just as crucial however, are programs to improve energy use efficiency. Noted biologist and contributor to IPCC reports, Dr Graeme Pearman maintains we can simply, through energy efficiency, gain reductions in energy use of 25% with paybacks of 12 to 18 months. You can see his interview at… www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sBGW2BTaYw
So to the tech fixes we need add eco-efficiency. This makes even sounder economic sense than any large scale capital investment.
