The turbines were operating at almost maximum capacity when members of the Tarwin Landcare Group (TLG) visited the Bald Hills Wind Farm (BHWF) last week.
First stop of the tour was on the top of a hill near one of the turbines where BHWF Assets Manager Glenn Furlong described how wind energy is generated and fed into the grid. They were joined by farmer Lindsay Marriott whose 388 ha property hosts 12 of the 52 turbines that make up the BHWF. Lindsay was able to share his ‘lived experience’ of running a beef and sheep farm in conjunction with the turbines which provide an additional income stream for his business.
Lindsay described how he reconfigured his internal fencing to complement the BHWF turbine and road layout and created pockets of revegetation rather than linear shelter belts. This unconventional subdivision (there are no rectangular paddocks) has significantly increased productivity and has the additional benefit of reducing his bushfire risk.
The tour finished at the operations centre where Glenn was able to provide more information about the technology and maintenance required to generate wind energy. The group learned that the BHWF contributes around 380,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year, sufficient to power 62,000 homes. As a long term average, this renewable electricity avoids up to 335,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and equates to taking 77,000 cars off the road.
TLG benefited from the presence of one of its members, an electrical engineer, with extensive knowledge of renewable energy. He explained in simple terms the issues clouding the renewables debate, particularly the problems associated with an aged grid network based on the location of coal deposits.
TLG was also fortunate to have the use of Sunny, the Venus Bay Community Centre’s electric bus, for the tour which kept participants out of the biting cold.
TLG thanks BHWF for hosting the tour, and also for its support through the Bald Hills Community Fund grants program. This year, TLG has been able to purchase seedlings, planting equipment and mugs that will all be valuable for future events and projects.
For more information about TLG, contact tarwin@group.sgln.net.au.
Bush, agriculture and energy production were on show when Tarwin Landcare Group visited the Bald Hills Wind Farm
Members of the Tarwin Landcare Group toured the Bald Hills Wind Farm in Sunny the e-bus
