Antinuclear

Paul Cruickshank, one of the speakers at a low-carbon economy seminar held in Armidale said that although this region has the potential for large scale solar, our real advantage lies in wind power. “The corridor that runs from Tenterfield down to Walcha is probably the prime corridor in Australia. You’ve got big, bare hills and you get very good wind from one direction – it’s not chopping and changing,” he said.

The other benefit is that the size of the properties in the area simplifies negotiations about where to locate the turbines.

“Where there’s been opposition to wind in NSW – and I’d be naive to say there hasn’t – it often has been from hobby farmers or small farmers,” Mr Cruickshank said.

The huge commercial wind farm planned for Sapphire, between Glen Innes and Inverell, has negotiated with more than 20 landholders to take between 150 and 170 turbines.

“Those turbines are all on large properties,” Mr Cruickshank said. “They can run their sheep and cattle without any difference, they get a good return, and there aren’t any neighbours who are affected.”

The day-long seminar, which was organised by the Climate Institute, looked at what carbon pricing, carbon farming, energy efficiency and clean energy means for rural and regional Australia.

“The carbon tax will come in, and energy from coal will become more expensive,” Mr Cruickshank said.

“When it does, we can either sit and watch our electricity bills go up, and see other regions get the benefits from producing renewable energy, or we can get in on the front foot with our particular resource, which is wind, and sell it to the electricity retailers.”  New employment opportunities will be generated, as well as electricity, if New England develops its renewable energy resources.

It is estimated that a peak construction workforce of more than 1000 people and an additional 600 permanent new jobs would be created.  http://www.armidaleexpress.com.au/news/local/news/general/wind-power-puts-region-in-renewable-energy-box-seat/2325849.aspx