Australia's zero emission future blowing in the wind : Melbourne Indymedia

Media Release
Australia's zero emission future blowing in the wind
03 June 07 - For immediate Release - Melbourne, Australia

On February 28th 2007 Federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull said "You can't run a modern economy on wind farms and solar panels. It's a pity that you can't, but you can't." Yet the Danish government has announced it aims to generate 75 per cent of their electricity needs through wind power by 2025 and Denmark have set the agenda to reduce fossil fuel imports to zero as part of their massive renewable energy plans.

"This is a monumental decision from Denmark," said Matthew Wright, lead campaigner of Beyond Zero Emissions. "They have made a mockery of the
Australian government and their refusal to accept renewable energy. Malcolm Turnball is either lying or incompetent."

Denmark has less than one fifth the land area of Victoria, yet has already installed 3200MW of wind power capacity. If Victoria had the same density of wind energy facilities as Denmark, they would have over 16,000MW of wind power potential: enough to generate the entire state's
energy requirements. The Danish wind industry also employs over 20,000 people, which when adjusted for population is equivalent to more than the entire Australian coal industry employs both directly and via downstream jobs.

"This is what a dedicated and informed government can achieve," said Mr. Wright. "Denmark understands that a sustainable economy is entirely dependent on a sustainable environment. And this in a country so high in
density they are building wind farms in the ocean. They have borne the cost of developing wind technology, allowing countries like Australia the opportunity to leverage their early adoption."

Beyond Zero Emissions has produced a scoping document outlining the transition of Victoria's stationary energy sector to a zero emissions economy within thirteen years. This plan is predominately structured around the installation of 12,000MW of wind power capacity into the
state's electricity grid. Germany installed the same amount of wind power potential in only four years - between 2001 and 2005. By 2010 they will have 30,000MW of wind power potential, enough to generate equivalent of 40 per cent Australia's electricity needs.

"Wind power has become an internationally recognised, mainstream energy source," said Mr. Wright. "With a responsible carbon trading scheme, wind power will rapidly achieve cost parity with coal-fired power
generation. It also uses less than 99 per cent water to produce the same amount of energy as either coal or nuclear energy.

New international turbine developments allow developers to generate significant energy from low wind speed sites such as those in China and India. Using biomimicry to model nature, a Canadian research team has
designed a low speed turbine blade replicating the form of a humpback whale's tail.

"Even if we reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero today, we still have a one in two chance of exceeding 2 degrees C average global warming the figure widely accepted as representing runaway climate change. As an
international community we need to convert to a zero emission society, and wind power represents the fastest and most efficient technology to achieve this."

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Denmark to generate 75 per cent of electricity needs with wind power by
2025
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=143&art_id=nw20070510100509344C164104

Denmark, the world's 7th most powerful economy per capita, Australia the 16th (IMF)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita

Four Corners Malcolm Turnbull: You can't run a modern economy on wind and solar plants
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2007/s1898635.htm

A more efficient wind power - humpback flipper may be key to better wind turbines on lower speed sites
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/213475

Beyond Zero Emissions scoping document - zero emission stationary energy sector by 2020
http://beyondzeroemissions.org/files/Victorian_Stationary_Energy_Scoping_BZE_v1.13_15Feb07.pdf

Spain generates 27 per cent of electricity using wind power - BZE Media Release March 2007
http://www.beyondzeroemissions.org/media/Spanish-Wind-Power-blows-past-Coal-and-Nuclear

How Much Water Do Wind Turbines Use Compared with Conventional Power Plants?
http://www.awea.org/faq/water.html

CSIRO submission to the Prime Ministers Emission Trading Task force - to stay below 2 degrees C we need to keep below 375-550ppm CO2e - We are already at 430ppmm CO2e in earths atmosphere
http://www.pmc.gov.au/emissionstrading/submissions/142_sub_emissionstrading.pdf

Printable PDF document of this Media Release
http://beyondzeroemissions.org/media/australias-zero-emission-future-blowing-wind

Other Beyond Zero Emissions Media Releases
http://beyondzeroemissions.org/media/releases

For comment ring:
Matthew Wright 0421 616 733
http://www.beyondzeroemissions.org

Beyond Zero Emissions is an independent Zero Emission Minus Climate
Change campaign.