GE and Downer partner to deliver $350m Boco Rock Wind Farm
28 June, 2013Consortium partners GE Australia and New Zealand and Downer EDI have been awarded contracts to work on stage one of the Boco Rock Wind Farm, providing engineering, procurement and construction services for the $350 million project.
New community advice on wind farms, sound and health
07 May, 2013The Victorian Department of Health has released some fact sheets on wind farms, sound and health. The fact sheets are designed to clear up confusion about the issue and make it clear that wind farms produce less sound than other things such as an office or a car.
Designing and testing high-efficiency wind generator
03 May, 2013 by Erko Lepa, ABB Finland, and Tobias Thurnherr and Alexander Faulstich, ABB SwitzerlandMedium speed permanent magnet generators (MS PMGs) deliver more than 98% efficiency - the highest of any commercial wind generator design. Efficiency is also high at partial loads in low wind conditions, enabling the optimum annual production of kWh. This article spotlights the design and testing effort behind ABB’s multi-MW medium-speed and medium-voltage generator-converter package.
Overestimating wind power
11 March, 2013The latest research in mesoscale atmospheric modelling, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, suggests that the generating capacity of large-scale wind farms has been overestimated.
South Australian EPA says no issue with inaudible wind farm noise
05 February, 2013A report released by the South Australian Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has finally put to rest a common myth about wind farms - that they create dangerous levels of infrasound, or sound too low for humans to hear, that can be harmful to people who live near wind turbines.
Building a device to test wind speed
12 December, 2012An $800,000 grant from Commercialisation Australia will help NSW company Fulcrum3D to commercialise a device for remotely measuring wind speeds at altitudes of up to 300 metres.
Wind-powered future for Australia under RET
01 November, 2012Research from carbon analytics firm RepuTex indicates that growth of wind capacity in the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM) is expected to outstrip growth in electricity demand by more than 2.5 times over the next seven years.
Meridian to build Mt Mercer wind farm
03 September, 2012Meridian Energy Australia will soon start construction on Mt Mercer, a 64-turbine wind farm in Victoria.
TrustPower and Siemens to build South Australia’s largest wind farm
01 August, 2012TrustPower has appointed Siemens as its turnkey supplier to construct South Australia’s largest wind farm at Snowtown, using gearless drive wind turbine technology for the first time in Australia.
Landmark report shows economic benefits of wind farms
22 June, 2012A typical 50 MW wind farm pays host farmers some $250,000 per year, is constructed by workers who spend up to $1.2 million locally and contributes up to $80,000 annually to community projects, according to a landmark study into the economic benefits of wind farms.
Harnessing wind energy at high altitude
04 June, 2012Research at RMIT University has demonstrated the feasibility of capturing some of the vast energy reserves in the upper atmospheric winds, a significant advance for wind power technology.
South Australian wind power figures vindicate radical energy plan
31 May, 2012Yesterday, energy consultants EnergyQuest broke the news that wind power supplied 31% of South Australia’s electricity in the last quarter - up from 21% 12 months ago. Just six years ago, the contribution of wind in South Australia was close to zero.
Urban Wind Map boosts city's renewable energy goal
26 April, 2012San Francisco has received a boost towards its goal to meet 100% of electricity needs with renewable energy in the next 10 years with a new renewable energy tool, the Urban Wind Map.
Experts say wind power is a safe and healthy alternative to fossil fuels
24 January, 2012The national coalition of healthcare groups, the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA), has today released its Position Statement on wind turbines and human health, rejecting the claims of anti-wind groups that wind power poses a threat to health.
Campbell Scientific Irgason integrated gas analyser and sonic anemometer
18 January, 2012The Irgason integrated in-situ, open-path analyser and sonic anemometer can be used for eddy-covariance flux measurements. It simultaneously measures absolute carbon-dioxide and water-vapour densities, air temperature, barometric pressure, three-dimensional wind speed and sonic air temperature.
