NSW Renewable Energy Paul Cruickshank Office of Environment and Heritage

2012

NSW Demand for Generation

Blayney

Federal initiatives will drive ~$20$30 billion investment in renewable energy 2010-20 NSW well positioned to be the next frontier

Federal initiatives to drive renewable energy (~$20-$30 billion)

Renewable Energy Target (Gigawatt hours), 2010-2030

Renewable Energy Target: split from Jan 2011 Wholesalers must buy 9,500 GWh (2010) and 45,000 GWh (2020) Small RET 4,000 GWh Large RET 41,000 GWh
$5.1 bn Clean Energy Initiative $1.5bn Solar Flagships Solar Inst. (Newcastle) $100m Centre for Renewable Energy (geo-thermal, wave etc.) RE Future Fund - $600m

Over 28% Year-on-Year Growth for 14 Years

Source: Global Wind 2010 Report, GWEC

Wind Energy in Australia

55 wind farms operating Total installed capacity is 1,880 MW 1,056 wind turbines Around 10,000 MW wind needed to meet 20% renewable energy target by 2020

Wind farm applications in NSW

20 approved
5 installed 3 under construction

17 under assessment
3 completed exhibition 1 on exhibition 3 undergoing adequacy 10 yet to be submitted

NSW Wind Map

New England North West current projects

Moree Solar Farm (1) BP Solar 150MW Moree Solar Farm (2) Infigen 60MW Ben Lomond Wind Farm AGL 150-200 MW 74-100 x 2MW Turbines Glen Innes Wind Farm Infigen <80 MW - 26 x 2/3MW Turbines Sapphire Wind Farm Wind Prospect CWP 356-485MW - 78 x 2MW or 147 x 3.3 MW Turbines White Rock Wind Farm Epuron >150MW - approx 100 Turbines
Proposed: Deepwater Wind Farm <30MW 15 Turbines Armidale - Walcha >500MW > 200 Turbines

Wind Farm Development - Key issues

Industry concerns
Approval timeframes Complexity & scope of requirements Costs with planning approval process Uncertainty Objector court appeals Cost and time for grid connection

Community concerns
Noise impacts Equity issues Uncertainty Property value impacts Visual impacts Consultation Impacts on wildlife

Smart site selection is the key

Renewable Energy Precincts community support for wind farms

NSW noise criteria worlds most stringent

100

Jurisdiction US, Holland UK, Denmark SA, Vic, NZ NSW

US, Holland UK, Denmark SA NZ, Vic

Criteria (dBA) 50 44 40 35

Sound level (dBA)

90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 0

NSW

1,000

2,000

Distance (m)

The decibel scale

Is Wind Energy Useless?

Wind Energy in SA
Approximately what percentage of electricity in SA is generated by wind energy today? a. 2 % b.5 % c. 8 % d. 10 %

e. 20%

Can Wind Farms make a difference? The South Australian Story

In past 7 years, wind energy has increased from 0 20% of electricity supply.
Greenhouse Intensity of Electricity Generation, S.A.

Year 2005

Greenhouse intensity 0.89

2007
2008

0.82
0.77

2009

0.72

Note: greenhouse intensity = tonnes of CO-2/ megawatt hour. Source: NGGI

Do Wind Farms Require New Back-Up Generation?

Last New Non-Wind Power Station Commissioned in SA (50MW) 06

AEMO SA Planning Report 2010

How can Wind Energy not be backed up?

Necessary back-up generation and grid stability equipment is already in place today Sized to replace the instantaneous loss of 600MW Coal Fired Generators Compensating for a 140MW wind farms generation falling 20-30MW in 30 seconds due to lower wind speeds is trivial, by comparison AGL reports that recent wind energy facilities in SA have eliminated the need for a new 300MW gas fired generation plant in SA

The Impact of Wind Energy on Europes Energy Mix

Renewable Energy Precincts

21

2011

2015

Wind Turbine Workings

Noise Base Load Energy Wildlife Safety Noise at the base of a modern turbine is below 35dBA ~ same as traffic 5km away (NSW most stringent noise requirements of any state in the world Electricity supply is managed in 5 minute intervals & wind reduces demand on coal & gas whenever it blows with fast-response gas plants likely in the future With a 20+ year life span the turbine will produce 80 times more energy than is used for its construction & operation A 2007 study by the Government of South Australia shows one domestic cat kills more birds in a year than one wind turbine 24-hour monitoring, lightning protection, high winds shut down, low flammability

New England North West

With the right policies and support in place, renewables in the New England Tablelands could be developed along these lines

Clean Energy Jobs Study

What does this mean for employment?
NSW as a whole: A net increase of up to 6,900 new jobs
Permanent jobs: 1,304 Construction jobs: 4,463 Manufacturing jobs: 1,200

(net numbers for the power sector as a whole, including the shift from coal to renewables and gas)

New England North West: over 1,700 new renewable energy jobs
Permanent jobs: 598 Construction jobs: 1,107