Mixed Greens: Wind farm proposed at site of Gunns pulp mill

A company has been set up to investigate the viability of building a 100-turbine wind farm at the site of the $2.3 billion pulp mill proposed by the collapsed timber group Gunns. Tamar Valley Renewables director Martin May told the Hobart Mercury that the company had local and international investors prepared to back the wind farm that would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to develop.

“The site is positioned well for a wind farm, with on-site access to the electricity grid, the Basslink adjacent to the site and favourable wind data,” he said. “I’ve spoken to the administrator (of Gunns) and flagged that we’re interested in testing the scope and viability of the site as a potential wind farm.” May said he was a director of the Hepburn Community Park wind farm near Daylesford in Victoria. He set up the company with Vanessa Bleyer, a lawyer and spokeswoman for the anti-pulp mill group, Friends of the Tamar Valley.

Sydney begins PV rollout

The City of Sydney has begun installation of solar PV at the Sydney Park pavilion, the first of 30 sites across central Sydney to have rooftop panels installed as part of a $4.3 million project billed as the largest building-mounted solar panel program in Australia, with a total peak electrical capacity of 1.25MW. The new program will increase the City’s solar electricity capacity to a peak of 1.35MW. Allan Jones, the city’s chief development officer, Energy and Climate Change said there had been a “seismic shift“ in the cost of panels which meant that just two years ago, when the City first proposed this project, it planned to install just 0.75MW at a cost of $10 million.

King Island commissions integrated grid

One of the first power systems in the world to provide a reliable, off-grid power supply by integrating renewable energy sources was launched in King Island today. The new diesel uninterruptible power supply system will allow for existing diesel generators to be completely shut off during high wind periods, and is part of a $45 million program to integrate wind, solar, and biodiesel generators to supply more than 90 per cent of total demand for the island.

Gillard opens Australia’s only PV plant

Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Friday formally opened the Tindo Solar solar PV plant in Adelaide, which is now Australia’s only solar PV manufacturer. The company says the plant, which currently employs 12 people,could expand to up to 100 workers within three years, and supply the solar panel needs of 15 to 20 per cent of the Australian market.

Silex begins construction at Mildura

Silex Systems on Friday was due to begin construction of its 1.5MW demonstration plant of its unique concentrated solar PV technology at Mildura.