How is wind energy generated?
Wind turbines have been used to pump water and power machinery for over 4000 years! However, the technology to generate electricity from wind is only a recent invention. In a modern wind turbine, spinning rotor blades turn a shaft which runs through a gearbox and into a generator. In high winds, control systems activate to stop the blades from spinning too fast, as this could damage the gearbox and generator. From the generator, the electricity is transmitted via cable to a switchboard, then into the grid via transmission lines.

How are wind farms developed?
Feasability studies are made to asess the potential wind resource available at a chosen site. Wind monitoring equipment mounted on towers measure wind strength, direction and frequency over an extended period. An environmental impact assessment is undertaken to determine the effects of any development on the site; this includes studies on flora, fauna, archaeology, cultural heritage, landforms, land use, noise and electromagnetic interference with communications.

What approvals are required?
Approval requirements vary between countries. In Australia, before any wind farm project can proceed, approvals are sought from local, State and Federal governments. Roaring 40s also consults with the local community and other stakeholders to ensure all those interested in the project are fully informed and have the chance to express their views.

How much space does a wind farm need?
A typical wind farm of 20 turbines might extend over an area of approximately 5km2, but only 1% of that would be taken out of use; the rest can be used for agriculture or as natural habitat. When wind farms reach the end of their working life they can be removed, without leaving a footprint on the land.

How much electricity does a wind turbine produce?
One 2 MW wind turbine produces enough electricity to meet the annual needs of 1,000 - 1,500 households a year.

What are the benefits of wind energy?
Wind energy is the least expensive large-scale renewable energy generation technology available today. Wind is a clean, renewable resource, unlike the non-renewable fossil fuels of coal, oil and natural gas. It is the one power resource we have that is as close to being as fully sustainable as possible. Other benefits of wind energy projects include shorter construction times than other types of power stations, and ‘modularity’ - the ability to add more turbines as the electricity needs grow.

Are there drawbacks?
Wind Turbines can only generate power in winds between 15 and 90km per hour. Storage mediums, such as batteries, can only store a limited amount of electricity, so wind systems need a back-up. In Tasmania, this is provided by Hydro Tasmania’s clean, renewable hydro-electric system.

Is renewable energy a part of Australia’s electricity grid?
With the completion in 2006 of the ‘Basslink’ undersea cable across Bass Strait, Tasmania became connected to Australia’s mainland electricity grid. Every extra megawatt generated by Roaring 40s’ clean, green wind projects, such as Woolnorth Wind Farm in the state’s north-west, can be sent to the mainland to supplement or replace energy generated from non-renewabe sources. The Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm in South Australia, a joint venture between Roaring 40s and Acciona Energy (Oceania), also contributes renewable energy to the national grid.

What other countries use wind energy?
The first large-scale wind farms were established in Europe about 20 years ago. Today, millions of people in Europe, Scandinavia, North and South America, India, China, the Middle East, South Africa, Japan, Australasia and even Antorctica use electricity generated from wind.