Wind power in Australia

Map of wind resources in Australia

The abundant wind resources in Australia provide a major opportunity for the country to grow its renewable energy sector. The southern coastline lies in the roaring forties. Many sites have average wind speeds above 8–9 m/s at turbine hub height.

During the 1980s and 1990s, several states carried out a systematic monitoring of wind speed. The results are available to the public. Most tested sites are close to Australia's main population centres, making wind power a convenient resource for electricity generation.

Australian wind farms produce an average capacity factor range of 30–35%, making wind a viable option. South Australia's large share (along with nearby Victoria) means most of Australia's wind power occurs around the same time. The correlation between South Australia and New South Wales is 0.34, while the correlation between South Australia and Tasmania is 0.10.

As of October 2022, there were 94 operational wind farms in Australia, totaling 9,234 MW in capacity.[1]

The largest wind farm is Coopers Gap Wind Farm in Queensland, which began generating to the grid in June 2019, with a capacity of 453 MW.[2] As of December 2019, 50 Coopers Gap Wind Farm's turbines out of the initial 123 were operational.[3]

By generating capacity, the ten largest wind farms in Australia are:

Australia's first commercial wind farm, Salmon Beach Wind Farm, near Esperanza in Western Australia, operated for 15 years from 1987 but was decommissioned due to urban encroachment. It has since been replaced by Ten Mile Lagoon Wind Farm and Nine Mile Beach Wind Farm.[7]

Wattle Point wind farm near Edithburgh, South Australia

A full listing of all the wind farms in Australia can be found in the List of wind farms in Australia. Relevant state articles are:

• New South Wales wind power
• Queensland wind farms
• South Australia wind power
• Tasmania wind farms
• Victoria wind farms
• Western Australia wind farms

Installed capacity by state

The following figures are based on capacity and generation as of the end of 2020.[8] Proposed figures are updated to December 2020.[9][10][11]

Note that figures may not agree with aggregate figures previously stated, due to different data sources and reporting dates contained within them.

South Australia provided 29.2% of Australia's wind power in 2019, accounting for 41% of the state electricity needs in 2019. By the end of 2011, wind power in South Australia reached 26% of the state electricity generation, edging out coal-fired power for the first time. At that stage, South Australia, with only 7.2% of Australia's population, had 54% of Australia's installed wind capacity.

Victoria also has a substantial system, which provided 27.8% of Australia's wind power in 2019. In August 2015, the Victorian government announced financial backing for new wind farms as part of a push to encourage renewable energy in the state. This was supposed to bring forward the building of a modest 100 MW of new wind energy in the state, worth $200 million in investment. The government estimated that 2400 MW worth of Victorian projects had been approved but were yet to be built.

Installed capacity (nameplate) is the theoretical maximum capacity of the engineered design in perfect operating conditions. The accepted AEMO rating is the capacity factor rating that adds up to 30 to 35 per cent of installed/nameplate capacity. And then, depending on the wind turbine location, there is a loss of energy in the feeder transmission line (depending on length) leading to the main electricity grid.

Cullerin Range Wind Farm in New South Wales.

Wind developments typically involve significant upfront capital costs, while operating costs are relatively low. However, maintenance costs can add up over time due to the need for periodic replacement of components subject to wear.

By contrast, conventional energy sources such as gas and coal require large capital investments and ongoing operating costs. Gas and coal power stations also typically have much longer working lives when compared to wind turbines. When properly maintained, coal and gas plants can continue operating for up to three times longer than wind turbines. [citation needed]

These differing cost profiles make it challenging to directly compare the costs of alternative energy sources. Wind power may be a more attractive option for some due to its low operating costs, but the high upfront capital costs may be prohibitive for others. Similarly, while coal and gas-fired power stations require significant ongoing investment, their longer working lives may make them a more cost-effective option over the long term.

Despite these complexities, existing data indicate that wind energy is one of the most cost-efficient renewable energy sources but approximately two times the cost of coal-generated power in 2006.[1] When the costs associated with pollution were factored in, it was competitive with coal- and gas-fired power stations even then. By 2014, wind had the lowest levelised cost of energy (LCOE) of any power source in Australia.[failed verification]

A 2012 study by SKM on the economic benefits of wind farms in Australia[14] found that, for every 50 MW in capacity, a wind farm delivered the following benefits:

• direct employment of up to 48 construction workers, with each worker spending approximately $25,000 in the local area in shops, restaurants, hotels and other services – a total of up to $1.2 million
• direct employment of around five staff – a total annual input of $125,000 spent in the local economy
• indirect employment during the construction phase of approximately 160 people locally, 504 state jobs and 795 nationwide jobs
• up to $250,000 per year for farmers in land rental income and $80,000 on community projects yearly.

Waubra Wind Farm in Victoria.

Australia is the fifth highest per capita emitter of greenhouse gases with 25.8 tonne CO₂-e per person annually, ranking first of the industrialized countries, and ranks sixteenth of all countries in total country emissions with 495 Mt CO₂-e per annum.[15] It is one of the major exporters of coal, the burning of which releases CO₂ into the atmosphere. It is also one of the countries most at risk from climate change according to the Stern report. This is partially because of the size of its agriculture sector and long coastline.

A wind farm, when installed on agricultural land, has one of the lowest environmental impacts of all energy sources:[16]

• It occupies less land area per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity generated than any other energy conversion system, apart from rooftop solar energy, and is compatible with grazing and crops.
• It generates the energy used in its construction in just 3 months of operation, yet its operational lifetime is 20–25 years.
• Greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution produced by its construction are small and declining. There is very little emission or pollution produced by its operation.
• In substituting for base-load (mostly coal power) in mainland Australia, wind power produces a net decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
• Modern wind turbines are almost silent and rotate so slowly (in terms of revolutions per minute) that they are rarely a hazard to birds.[16]

Landscape and heritage issues can be a significant issue for certain wind farms. However, these are minimal when compared with the environmental effects of coal. However, when appropriate planning procedures are followed, the heritage and landscape risks should be minimal. People may still object to wind farms, perhaps on the grounds of aesthetics, but their concerns should be weighed against the need to address the threats posed by climate change and the opinions of the broader community.[17]

Overseas experience has shown that community consultation and direct involvement of the general public in wind farm projects have helped to increase community approval.[18] Some wind farms become tourist attractions.[19]

The Garnaut Climate Change Review, the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target announced by the Australian Government involve a reduction in Australian greenhouse gas emissions. Australia is the highest emitter of greenhouse gases per capita in the developed world[20][21] and wind power is well placed to grow and deliver greenhouse gas emission cuts on a cost-competitive basis. A typical 50-megawatt (MW) wind farm in Australia can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 65,000 and 115,000 tonnes a year.[22]

Based on the 2010 figures for electricity production of 5 TWh nationally, it is estimated that wind power saved Australia 5,100,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions in that year. In relative terms, that is calculated to be the equivalent of removing 1,133,000 cars from the nation's roads.[23]

From 2001 to early 2006, the main driving force for the establishment of wind farms in Australia was the Government's Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET).[24][25] However, by mid-2006, sufficient renewable energy had been installed or was under construction to meet the small MRET target for 2010. Also, in 2006, several Federal Government Ministers spoke out against several wind farm proposals.[25]

Mark Diesendorf has suggested that the Australian Government has tried to stop the development of wind power, the lowest-cost, new, renewable electricity source until coal-fired power stations with CO₂ capture and sequestration and possibly nuclear power stations were available. However, "clean coal" technologies may not be commercially available for at least 20 years. Furthermore, to bring down the high cost of nuclear power to a level where it could compete with wind power would require a new generation of nuclear power stations that is still on the drawing board, which could take at least 15 years.[25]

In November 2007, when the Rudd (Labor) government was elected in Australia, it ratified Australia's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, promised a target of 20% renewable power by 2020 and to do more to reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, several new wind power projects were proposed in anticipation of an expanded MRET.

AGL Energy operates some of the largest wind farms in the Southern Hemisphere:

• Macarthur Wind Farm, 140 wind turbines, 420 MW
• Hallett Wind Farm, 166 wind turbines, 351 MW
• Wattle Point Wind Farm, 55 wind turbines, 91 MW
• Oaklands Hill Wind Farm, 32 wind turbines, 63 MW
• Silverton Wind Farm, 58 wind turbines, 200 MW
• Coopers Gap Wind Farm, 123 wind turbines, 453 MW

Meridian Energy is a New Zealand state-owned enterprise and New Zealand's largest electricity generator. It specializes in renewable energy, namely hydroelectricity and wind power, and has 2353 MW of hydroelectric generation and 357 MW of wind generation in New Zealand. It has in recent years expanded into Australia, and its Australian operations are currently focused on wind power. Projects completed or currently being developed include:

• Mount Mercer Wind Farm, 64 wind turbines, 131 MW
• Mount Millar Wind Farm, 35 wind turbines, 70 MW

Established in 2009, Goldwind Australia offers wind power investment, construction, and operational and maintenance services. Some are Permanent magnet Direct-Drive (PMDD) turbines. Major projects include:

• Gullen Range Wind Farm, with a mix of 1.5MW and 2.5MW of total 73 wind turbines, total capacity of 165.5MW
• White Rock Wind Farm, has 70 wind turbines of total 175MW capacity.
• Cattle Hill Wind Farm, 48 wind turbines of 3MW capacity each, total capacity of 144 MW
• Moorabool Wind Farm and Stockyard Hill Wind Farm are under construction projects which close to commission within a few years

Pacific Blue is an Australian company that specialises in electricity generation using renewable energy.[26] Its focus is on hydroelectricity and windpower. Wind power stations owned by Pacific Blue include:

• Codrington Wind Farm
• Challicum Hills Wind Farm
• Clements Gap Wind Farm
• Portland Wind Project
• Taralga Wind Farm

Hydro Tasmania is based in Tasmania and has three wind farms operating in Australia: Woolnorth Wind Farm in northwest Tasmania, Musselroe Wind Farm in the northeast of Tasmania and Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm in South Australia.

Suzlon Energy Australia is based in Melbourne and is a subsidiary of Suzlon Energy, an Indian multinational based in Pune, India.[27] Suzlon will install 45 units of its S88 – 2.1-megawatt wind turbines for AGL at the Hallett Wind Farm to be located on the Brown Hill Range, which is situated approximately 220 kilometres north of Adelaide.[28]

Tilt Renewables (owned by PowAR and formally part of TrustPower) is an Australian-based renewable electricity generator. It operates several wind farms in Australia, including the Snowtown Wind Farm in South Australia and the Dundonnell Wind Farm in Victoria.

Wind Prospect undertakes all aspects of wind energy development, including design, construction, operation and commercial services. Wind Prospect's development offices in Australia are in Adelaide, Newcastle, Brisbane and Melbourne. Two recent wind farm projects in South Australia are the North Brown Hill Wind Farm (132.3 MW) and The Bluff Range Wind Farm (52.1 MW), both approximately 270 km northeast of Adelaide.

Windlab Systems is an Australian company with operations in the US, Canada and South Africa. It was established in 2003 as a CSIRO spin-off. The company uses self-developed technologies, Windscape which is based on CSIRO's atmospheric modelling technology and advanced wind monitoring tools, to undertake a program of site identification, site validation and wind farm development. The company co-developed the Oakland's Hill (67 MW) wind farm and the Collgar Wind Farm (206 MW). With incentives from the ACT large-scale feed-in tariff, Windlab is building the Coonooer Bridge Wind Farm, located NorthWest of Bendigo, Victoria. This project is jointly owned by Windlab Limited, Eurus Energy and landholders neighbouring the project and has 6 turbines generating up to 19.4 MW.[29] From 2017, Windlab will begin building the Kiata Wind Farm, a 30MW wind energy project located 50 km NorthWest of Horsham, Victoria. Windlab is also developing the Kennedy energy park in North Queensland near Townsville, in two stages: Up to 40 – 50 MW of wind and 40 – 50 MW of solar in the first phase and up to 600 MW of wind and 600 MW of solar in the second phase. Windlab has since become a full wind farm developer and takes projects to the point of construction.[30]

Infigen Energy is a developer, owner and operator of renewable generation, specifically wind and solar power within Australia and the United States. Its head office is in Sydney. The company has developed several wind farms particularly, in South Australia and New South Wales with further proposed wind farms in Western Australia and Victoria.

• Australian Renewable Energy Agency
• List of large wind farms
• Geothermal power in Australia
• Renewable energy debate