Recent News

Two matters of significant interest have arisen in the week ending September 14, 2018. In case DeFrock readers missed one or more of the newspaper articles on these matters this post is to ensure that readers can go to the source themselves and consider some of the observations therefrom.

Government Support for New Projects

Earlier in the year the Don’t Upset Me-About Science (DUM-AS) Andrews government had called for price bids for new renewable energy projects in Victoria. During the week DUM-AS made the following comments.

“The appetite of companies keen to build renewable energy projects in Victoria has smashed the Government’s initial expectations.”

He had approved and will underwrite six major new renewable projects. Three wind farms and three solar farms.

The wind farms are at Berrybank, Mortlake and Dundonnell.  The financial arrangements will, of course, contain various IEDs (industrial explosive devices or roadside bombs) for a future Victorian government and/or the existing Commonwealth if it survives the next election.

The nature of the arrangement is that the wind energy producer quotes a price, in this case $52 to $54/MWh at which it will provide power. Well, it will provide the power at a time and in a volume of its choosing.

The government will share any excess income above these numbers and top up the owner’s income if it does not reach the agreed figures. The agreements are for fifteen years and provide for undefined cancellation costs by a future government.

This action is clearly designed to promote unreliable renewable energy at the expense of reliable energy from traditional sources.

Finally it is claimed that Renewable Energy (WETax) Certificates for this production will be passed to the State Government as further compensation. This rather hard to understand concession, currently worth $85/MWh, will deliver some $100 million/year or more to state coffers straight from Victorian power consumers.

Let us hope that the Federal Minister for Energy can find a way to return the WETax to power consumers. If he can it is a simple method of reducing future costs for power from these projects.

Here are newspaper references to this subject:

The Australian

13 Sept. “Towns forgotten in rush for power”

Victorian plans to limit price swings “will threaten Supply”

Victoria chasing South Australia in wind folly

12 Sept.  Green power drive to ‘push up prices’

Taxpayer sting in energy deal

Drive for renewables ‘to push up prices’

State Labor happy to supply energy risk to others

The second matter is the findings of a consultant appointed by the South Gippsland Shire that a nuisance has been caused by the Bald Hills Wind Project to some neighbours. The consultant made the conclusion on the basis of audible noise alone so there is much more (actually already known) to be legally and scientifically uncovered in the form of low frequency noise and ultrasound modulated by blade/tower interaction.

Independent Noise Report

This matter has been written about by The Australian and the Sentinel Times and, in Defrock’s view, is worth reading.

The Australian

14 Sept. Wind farm report a blow to future of the Industry

South Gippsland Sentinel-Times

11 Sept Turbine Bombshell – Noise ‘detrimental and unreasonable’