Second wind farm switches off due to bush fires, as antis accuse turbines of fanning the flames

A second wind farm has been switched off, at least temporarily, as the result of grass and bush fires in Victoria, but not before anti-wind groups accused the technology and installations of “fanning” the flames.

The Waubra wind farm – located west of Ballarat – switched off on Thursday afternoon as local fire authorities ordered thousands of people to evacuate in the face of major bushfires that threatened buildings and some communities.

Last week, the Stockyard Hill wind farm – the biggest in the state – wound down quickly after a local grass fire broke out in the areas. It happened around 90 minutes before fierce storms tore down six major transmission towers and then flattened large parts of the local network, leading to more than half a million people losing power.

According to one analysis, the switching off of the 530 MW Stockyard Hill facility, which was running at near full capacity at the time, might have been fortuitous because it reduced the generation load on the transmission lines that were destroyed by the storms. That, in turn, may have reduced the impact on the grid.

Still, the anti-wind movement – perhaps buoyed by the support of the Coalition and other minor parties in federal parliament, along with much of mainstream media – maintain their relentless attacks on the technology.

“People fleeing their homes whilst the turbines kept fanning the wind,” said the Wind Farm Living Facebook group, possibly forgetting that it is the wind that makes the turbines spin, not the other way around.

Wind Farm Living says it has inherited the work of one of the original anti-wind organisations, the Waubra Foundation, set up to protest against the development of the very project that was affected this week.

“Just another kick in the guts to rural people. Not turning the turbines off whilst fires are raging all around should be outlawed.”

RenewEconomy reached out to Waubra wind farm owner Acciona, and the local fire authority for comment. However, both were busy and we are yet to hear back.

Update: We were alerted to the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council guidelines on wind farms and bushfires with makes a couple of interesting points.

Firstly: “Wind farms are not expected to adversely affect fire behaviour in their vicinity. Local wind speeds and direction are already highly variable across landscapes affected by turbulence from ridge lines, tall trees and buildings. Any potential for wake turbulence from wind turbines influencing fire behaviour is expected to be controlled through the shutting down of wind turbines in a bushfire event.”

Secondly: “Given that wind turbines can attract lightning during thunderstorms, it is possible that wind turbines may reduce the risk of bushfires caused by lightning, particularly if turbines are located on a ridge.”

And thirdly: “Developers are responsible for ensuring that wind turbines are shut down immediately during
emergency operations – where possible, blades should be stopped in the ‘Y’ or ‘rabbit ear’ position,
as this positioning allows for the maximum airspace for aircraft to manoeuvre underneath the blades and
removes one of the blades as a potential obstacle.”