FAQs
On this page some issues raised at our community Information Days are addressed in more detail.
Q: Will you install more turbines later on?
A: No. If Development Approval is granted it will only be for three turbines on the locations proposed in our application. More importantly, the 22kV power line that runs through Greendale is not capable of accepting additional power beyond the output of three turbines, and it will not be economically viable to upgrade the line.
Q: Will three turbines really provide any worthwhile reduction in greenhouse emissions?
A: People who install PV solar panels on their houses see a reduction in their power bills because they import less power from the grid to meet their household needs. In the LaTrobe Valley, this appears as lower demand requiring less power to be generated. When operating at capacity, each wind turbine generates as much power as 2,000 x 1kw rooftop systems. Over a year the wind farm will offset generation equivalent to the needs of 3,300 households.
Q: Will there be new power lines installed on the land?
A: No. All cables will be buried underground between the turbines and down to the point of connection to the existing power line.
Q: Won’t the turbines be very close to some houses?
A: Apart from the landowner, the nearest houses will be over one kilometre from the closest turbine, and the turbines themselves are over 500 metres apart. The setbacks for this three-turbine project are greater than at most existing wind farms, and much greater than required by planning guidelines.
Q: Surely the noise will be heard all over the local area?
A: With only three turbines and generous setbacks, it is extremely unlikely that local residents will be able to hear the turbines. Furthermore, the proposed machines will be amongst the newest and quietest available from a leading European supplier, and will operate at well below the maximum sound levels allowed in the Victorian Planning Scheme.
Q: Will there be flashing red lights on each turbine?
A: After reviewing our submission, the authority that dictates lighting obligations (CASA) has confirmed that no night lighting will be required on the Pykes Hill wind farm.
Q: Won’t the land be unuseable once the turbines are installed?
A: Each turbine sits on a concrete foundation which is buried under a layer of topsoil. There will be a gravel track up to and between the turbines. There will be no other impact on the land. Existing farming will continue and it will not be sub-divided for housing.
Q: Will the community be able to own a share in this wind farm like the one in Hepburn?
A: We plan to enable the local community to invest in the Pykes Hill wind farm, and earn dividends from the sale of the power. You can now register your interest on our Community page.
Q: Why is wind energy a good thing?
A: After hydroelectricity, wind energy is currently the most financially viable form of renewable energy. It occupies less land area per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity generated than any other energy conversion system and is compatible with grazing and crops.
Q: Doesn’t it use more energy to make a wind turbine than it generates?
A: No. The energy used in the construction of a wind turbine is generated in just 6 months of operation, yet its operational lifetime is 25 years. Greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution produced by its construction are very tiny and declining.
Q: Wind turbines have a reputation of being noisy and a threat to birds and bats?
A: Modern wind turbines are almost silent and rotate so slowly (in terms of revolutions per minute) that they are rarely a hazard to birds.
Q: How much energy will the wind farm generate?
A: About 18,000 MW hours per annum, which roughly equals the power consumption of 3,300 households.
Q: Will the wind farm reduce greenhouse emissions?
A: Yes. Each megawatt hour of electricity produced by the wind farm will avoid the production of 1 tonne of greenhouse emissions. In total, the reduction in emissions as a result of the wind farm will equate to removing 4,100 cars from the road.
Q: Does low frequency noise from wind turbines cause any health effects?
A: No. Under average conditions, any noise from wind turbines is usually inaudible over a few hundred metres. Furthermore, despite many studies, there is no scientific data to suggest that the levels of low frequency noise from wind turbines cause any health effects.
Q: Will the value of my property be affected?
A: There is no evidence that it will. A house on Ballan-Greendale Rd, approximately 1.9 km from the proposed wind farm, sold for the asking price late 2009. The timing of the sale was around the time of our information days and the purchaser was aware of the proposal. International research also supports this:
“Neither the view of the wind energy facilities nor the distance of the home to those facilities was found to have any consistent, measurable, and significant effect on the selling prices of nearby homes” www.bard.edu
To learn more about the benefits of wind power, check out some of our Useful Stuff or visit one of the following websites: