Maori incorporation Taharoa C is planning a 100MW wind farm at Taharoa in the King Country. One drawback is that there are no transmission cables there yet - but Ventus Energy is also planning a ~36 MW wind farm at Taumatatotara, which is right next door. This should allow the costs of transmission equipment to be shared, or repaid more quickly that if there was only a single facility.
Despite the claims of the Waikato Times, this won't be "one of the biggest [wind farms] the country". By the time it is built, it will have been eclipsed by Project Westwind, the Hawkes Bay Wind Farm, and far larger facilities. But every little bit helps, and it will still be a step forward towards a more sustainable future.
M'Lud: This comes up every time wind farms are mentioned, and - except for one site in California, using small (and therefore high-spped) turbines and located directly on a bird migration route - it is false.
ReplyDeleteNew Scientist talks about a study here, or you can hear it from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the American Bird Conservancy or the Audubon Society. All recommend not placing turbines on bird migratory routes or next to the habitats of endangered species, and conducting thorough studies. But apart from that, they consider turbines not to be a problem. The real threat seems to be from the power lines...