Environmental Issues

4 April 2001

Blowing up a Storm

Windflow Technology Ltd , "Part of the Solution"

Tapping into New Zealand's abundant supply of renewable energy is important for reducing the harmful environmental impacts of power consumption, according to Geoff Henderson, director, Windflow Technology Ltd.

"With wind power being one of the most significant contributors to power generation in this country, our philosophy dovetails with the demands of New Zealanders for more utilisation of renewable energies: solar, hydro, biomass and wind, as well as the government's National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy initiative," Mr Henderson said.

Having spent many years developing wind turbines and wind energy concepts, Mr Henderson has a close affiliation to global environmental needs.

"Rapid, man-made climate change is a dangerous experiment which must be aborted as soon as possible, in the interests of our children and grand-children," he said, "As an engineer I find a huge conflict between the arguments of the business-as-usual lobby and the way our profession normally approaches risk."

Business and the investment community, he said, needs to make up its mind whether to be part of the solution or part of the problem. "Windflow Technology is determined to be part of the solution."

Mr Henderson believes his innovative world leading wind turbine design is pivotal for New Zealand's wind power future.

While he is passionately committed to windpower for its environmental benefits, Mr Henderson is aware of three typical public issues: noise, visual concerns and land use.

According to Mr Henderson, these are misapprehensions about wind power generation that are readily dispelled for most people, provided sites are chosen sensibly in the first place and there is good consultation with local residents.

"Overseas, opinion surveys of residents local to wind farms show that noise is generally a non-issue, even in the densely populated areas of Europe. Generally, a modern windmill can not be heard above background noise at a distance greater than 300m."

Contrary to the belief that wind farms have a negative visual impact on the environment, Mr Henderson says that several independent opinion surveys have found more than 80 per cent of people living near wind farms approve of their visual impact.

"That's not to say we would like to put windmills on every hill-top or ridge-line, some scenery is too valuable to be modified. However, New Zealand has no shortage of modified rural landscapes in which wind farms would be acceptable, often an enhancement in most people's eyes."

With regard to land use issues, a comparison can be made between hydro-power systems and wind power, with one important difference; the land used for wind turbines continues to be available for other uses.

"Wind farms and hydro lakes occupy similar total land areas for the same energy output. However, as opposed to hydro, 97 per cent of the land on a wind farm can be used for conventional farming," Mr Henderson said. "Wind-swept, hill-top land is also inherently less valuable than the valley floors flooded by hydro lakes."

"New Zealand's current power consumption relies heavily on fossil fuels. Fully utilising wind energy will go a long way towards making our nation's 'clean, green' image fact, not fiction."