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OT: Moorabal/Lal Lal wind farm 25-Aug-2009 At 9:25:24 AM lacto

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Pete the last coal power station built in vic was loy yang in the early eighties . Since then population in vic has grown enormously and suburban development is massive . All these houses want power , they all have or want airconditioning and or radiators in winter . Melbourne is "growing" at 1600 people a week and power must come from somewhere . Wind is contributing to the national grid , the drought has meant hydro can supply much less than the norm .
You ask for figures from wind , Contact energy in NZ has just put out their production report with graphs and figures on the output of their wind farms , hydro , geothermal and gas power assets . They are 50+ % owned by Origin Energy .
The claims of problems from turbines may or may not be an issue but there are many wind farms in the world that operate without such claims . Cows graze contentedly underneath and around operating turbines and believe me cows wouldnt do this and their milks cell count would jump if they were under stress . If wind farms produce such huge booms and pressure waves why would any bird go into the area ( wind farms have been stopped because of risk of bird strike and yet figures are kept at some of bird strikes .
I have just got back from New York and arguments there offer the same protests re wind farms
One (86 turbine 190 mw has just been built on wolfe island at the start of the St lawrence Seaway out of lake Ontorio . The area is flat has very heavy wind profiles and is ideal for wind farms as the huge expanse of the lakes has steady wind streams . This coupled with the huge water volumes for hydro gives massive amount of power annually . about 10Ml per sec goes from lake erie to ontario 75% + of this goes through the power stations rather than Niagra
The "locals 'are concerned about the visual pollution and interference with the seaway yet we passed at least 5 nuclear power plants using the great lakes water to cool . Arent they a problem ?? 3 mile island and the Sacramento plant both caused major scares and then nuclear plants when finished operating will have to be decommisssioned and stored safely for an eon .
Wind power is not a total solution for electrical demand but it is a very effective contributor to the grid and maybe confronts people with the idea that there power has to come from somewhere and why not in their back yard ,as the certainly want the final product for their consumption ?