Giant wind turbines could be installed offshore from popular coastal spots in NSW and Victoria.Credit:Getty Images
Wind over water is more consistent than that found on land,explains Associate Professor at ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy Llewelyn Hughes,who specialises in energy transition.
Further,wind is stronger over water at night and over land during the day. As a result,offshore wind farms perfectly complement the spread of land-based solar and wind in Australia’s energy mix.
But there are historical,political,geographical and even geological factors that make some sites preferable to others.
Wind is stronger and more consistent in Australia’s south-east and,in this part of the country,rich coal seams are found along the coast. As a result,when the nation industrialised,coal and power industries coalesced where these seams and deepwater ports could be found together – places like Gippsland,Newcastle and Port Kembla.
Where once the steep undersea drop-off would have precluded building large wind farms at a reasonable distance from shore,new technology allows for turbines to be floated and moored to the sea floor.
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The east coast’s power system was built to suck electricity from power stations near these ports and distribute it. These regions evolved into centres of steel making and manufacturing.
Today,as the transition from coal gathers pace,these same regions are starved of new industry and jobs,which offshore wind farms provide;and they offer ports and skilled workforces that the wind industry desperately needs.
The Climate Council expects the industry to need 8000 workers a year from 2030.
Their power stations are already connected to the grid,saving hundreds of millions that would otherwise have to be spent on new transmission infrastructure.
Climate Energy Finance director Tim Buckley said the drawcard of offshore wind is that it adds greater geographical and technological diversity to the energy market. He said Australia had been slower than other countries to take up offshore wind,but its renewable energy sector had come leaps and bounds in the past 10 years.
Buckley added there were a few key reasons why offshore wind projects had been delayed in Australia,including the huge capital investment needed to get the projects up – often two or three times the cost of building an onshore wind farm and ensuring supply chains are prepared.
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He added another major setback had been the former Liberal government’s attitude towards renewables. “We’ve had chaotic energy policy,there has been total inconsistency between state and federal[governments],” he said. “We now have a situation where there is a level of ambition. I would expect a significant unlocking of private investment capital – much of which has been scared off by the lack of consistent policy until now.”
While the offshore wind farms provide greater energy diversity and security,he added they would make up a portion of the renewable energy push that would be needed if Australia had any hope of reducing its emissions.
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