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Wind farms lower power bills: authorities Samantha Landy |    WIND energy is helping decrease South Australian energy bills, not increase them, clean energy authorities say.Weekly Times, 3 Nov 12

Climate and energy think-tank Beyond Zero Emissions said the
suggestion wind farms upped power bills was a common misconception.

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It said a draft determination by the Essential Services Commission of
SA released last month, which proposed an 8.1 per cent reduction in
the default retail electricity price from January 1, meaning a $160
per year reduction in the average household’s bill, proved otherwise.

“To conclude that wind farms are driving up prices shows an ignorance
of the facts,” BZE executive director Matthew Wright said.

“Wind turbines have no fuel costs once built.

“In the electricity market, they out-compete fossil fuel generators
and cause a lowering of prices.”

Mr Wright said this is known as the `merit order effect’, which means
if you introduce more of a product into a market, that is increase
supply, then prices fall. Clean Energy Council policy director Russell
Marsh said ESCOSA figures showed the large scale renewable energy
target, which comprises wind energy, contributed less than two per
cent to the average household energy bill in South Australia in 2012.

This equates to about $32 per year.

Network costs (42 per cent or $823 per year) and wholesale electricity
costs (39 per cent, $760) made much larger contributions.

“The facts are that whichever state you’re in, the main driver for
price rises in not renewable energy, that only plays a small part,”
Mr Marsh said.

“This has been confirmed by governments and state regulators.”

Mr Marsh said wind energy had been hugely beneficial for South
Australia, significantly reducing carbon emissions and creating jobs
and investment in the state….
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2012/11/02/547802_national-news.html

November 3, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News