Wind Energy
How does wind energy work?
Wind energy uses wind turbines to generate electricity from the naturally occurring wind. As air passes the blades of a wind turbine, the blades spin, driving an electrical generator that produces electricity, which can then be transported into the grid and carried to homes and businesses across the eastern States of Australia. Technological advances mean that wind turbines are becoming increasingly efficient and can capture more energy per turbine. Wind energy is one of the lowest-cost energy sources and as Australia transitions to net zero emissions, wind energy will play an essential role in generating electricity for Australians.
Source: (Clean Energy Council and ARENA).
What is the lifecycle of a wind farm?
A wind farm lifecycle contains four key phases:
Project development and approvals (up to four years)
Construction and commissioning (two – three years)
Operation (up to 30 years)
Decommissioning and rehabilitation (six months – two years).
What is the expected lifespan of the wind farm and battery project?
Generally, a wind farm is expected to have an operational life of 30+ years and a Battery Energy Storage System facility is expected to operate for up to 20 years.
Battery Energy
Storage System
(BESS)
What is a Battery Energy Storage System?
A large-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is a rechargeable battery system that connects to the transmission network. It is essential for managing the imbalance between energy generation and consumption. Due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources like wind and solar, there are times when they generate more energy than is immediately required. A BESS stores this excess energy and discharges it during periods of peak demand, ensuring a stable and reliable energy supply across the grid.
What are the benefits of using a BESS?
Storing renewable energy improves the balance between supply and demand. As a result, the delivery of renewable energy is more stable, providing greater security across the grid. This means consumers can benefit from a more efficient grid, reducing system costs and lowering energy prices.
What does a BESS look like?
As technology advances, BESS facilities are becoming more compact. They typically resemble a substation, with a series of modular structures that house the batteries, inverters, and transformers necessary for operation. Vegetation can screen a BESS facility to minimise the visual impact.
Project development
Can wind farm developers compulsorily acquire land?
No. Wind farm developers do not have the right to compulsorily acquire land. Wind farm owners typically enter a long-term commercial lease agreement with a landholder to host part or all of a wind farm project.
Source: AEIC.
What planning approvals are needed for the project?
Wind farm projects in NSW must adhere to strict legislative, planning and regulatory approvals as they progress through the planning pathway. These laws and requirements include environmental surveys and statutory processes required by the government to support decisions, including:
Scoping report for the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI)
Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs)
Site surveys and investigations
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
NSW Planning Minister’s approval
As part of the planning process, the BESS will be subject to the same stringent approval process, which includes meaningful community engagement to ensure public concern is addressed and the BESS has minimal and acceptable interactions with the existing environment.
Will the Cultural Heritage of the area be protected?
Yes. Traditional Owner engagement is a vital component of the wind farm planning process. It is essential that the cultural heritage values of the region’s First Peoples are protected, and any impacts are considered in the early planning phases.
Project
construction
How long does it take to construct a wind farm and BESS facility?
Once the necessary approvals have been obtained, construction of the wind farm can begin. Construction time is around three years, but it will depend on the number of wind turbines built, their size and factors outside of the contractor’s control, such as the weather.
It takes approximately six to 12 months to build a BESS facility, depending on the project size.
Will there be increased traffic and dust during the wind farm construction?
Yes, there is increased traffic during the construction of a wind farm. A traffic management plan will be developed during wind farm planning to ensure traffic is appropriately managed. In some instances, roads may be upgraded to ensure they meet the required standards for carrying construction vehicles.
At certain times during the construction process, dust may form. Mitigation measures, such as water carts, will minimise dust and ensure the project meets environmental requirements.
Operations
What are the visual impacts of a wind farm?
The planning process requires a wind farm developer to undertake landscape and visual studies to understand the project’s visual impacts. These studies provide the community with an objective assessment of the potential landscape and visual impacts. The studies will look at local viewpoints, including residents’ homes and community points of interest.
How do wind farms affect the health of nearby landowners, neighbours and the community?
Reviews conducted by leading health and research organisations worldwide, including Health Canada, the Australian Medical Association and Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council, have found no direct link between wind farms and health effects.
In Australia, to ensure safety, strict guidelines are designed to ensure that wind farms do not negatively impact landowners, neighbours, and the broader community, including mandatory setback distances. Meaningful community engagement is an important aspect of wind farm design to ensure public concern is addressed and there are minimal and acceptable interactions with the existing environment.
What are the noise effects of a wind farm, including infrasound?
Wind turbines create a sound often described as a ‘swishing’. Specialist consultants conduct detailed noise studies during project development and after a wind farm’s construction to measure noise levels and ensure they do not breach strict noise guidelines.
Infrasound refers to sound waves with frequencies below the limit of what humans can hear; it is sometimes called ‘silent sound’. The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research published a study in 2023 that found that the infrasound generated by wind turbines is not harmful to human health, and there is no evidence to suggest it impacts sleep.
Source: Woolcock Institute of Medical Research.
Do wind farms start bushfires or affect firefighting capabilities?
Wind farms are developed in close consultation with appropriate fire authorities and do not pose a significant bushfire risk. There have been incidents where wind turbines have caught on fire, but this is rare and has not resulted in a bushfire in Australia. Wind turbines can also be fitted with automatic fire detection and suppression systems to reduce the risk of fires propagating from with the turbine housing. Operating a wind farm during fire danger periods is not considered a high-risk activity. Wind turbines automatically shut down in high winds, which is usually the case on extreme fire ban days. If a fire is nearby, the project operations manager can turn the turbines off quickly. The blades are locked in a Y position, so they are safer for aerial firefighting crews to fly around. The turbines are like any other tall infrastructure in the landscape, including transmission and meteorological towers, and their coordinates are logged with airspace authorities.
In some instances, wind farms may reduce the risk of lightning fires, as the lightning tends to hit the turbines instead of the ground. Furthermore, the access roads constructed around a wind farm can benefit the community’s firefighting capabilities and may also provide fire breaks.
Source: ABC news article www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-12/windturbine-fire-concerns-risks-danger/103443918.
Are BESS facilities noisy?
A BESS facility produces some sound; however, the noise level is intermittent and contingent on operational circumstances. The noise mainly comes from a facility’s cooling system. Therefore the loudest noise occurs when the battery is in heavy operation, and the outside temperatures are high.
During the development and operation of a BESS, specialist consultants conduct detailed noise studies to measure noise levels and ensure they do not breach strict noise guidelines. Meaningful community engagement is an essential aspect of BESS design to ensure public concern is addressed and there are minimal and acceptable interactions with the existing environment. This may include using mitigation measures to limit noise impacts, such as noise walls.
Are BESS safe and do they pose risks of electromagnetic radiation?
The technology used in BESS facilities is the same as in the batteries used in our everyday lives, such as mobile phones. Technical and engineering experts, including the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), have found no known or documented electromagnetic radiation (EMF) impacts associated with big batteries. A BESS must meet rigorous health, safety, and environmental standards designed to protect the safety of personnel, neighbours, and the broader community.
The EMF produced by BESS is believed to be similar to that of a substation. Stringent design and location standards, such as minimum setbacks, work to limit EMF exposure to the general public.
To read more from ARPANSA, visit www.arpansa.gov.au/understanding-radiation/radiation-sources/moreradiation-sources/reducing-exposure-to-mobile-phones/emf-frequently-asked-questions.
Are BESS facilities a fire risk?
Strict fire planning and management policies are implemented during the development of a BESS facility to mitigate certain fire risks. BESS facilities integrate levels of fire protection systems that work to identify a fire risk and automatically shut down a facility before issues progress further. Compulsory guidelines dictate how a facility monitors and controls fire risk.
During the planning phase of a BESS facility, a fire management plan is developed in consultation with local fire authorities to ensure that the impacts are minimised in the unlikely event of a fire. Furthermore, the strategic position of batteries is designed to reduce the risk of spread within the facility
Decomissioning
What is the decommissioning process?
At the end of the wind farm’s lifecycle, the project area will be dismantled and rehabilitated. This is the Project owner’s responsibility and includes:
Removing the wind turbines and dismantling its components
Recycling of up to 90% of the turbines’ components (where possible)
Removing the site office and other infrastructure
Rehabilitating and revegetating the site.
If any part of the wind farm can continue to serve a functional purpose and the landowner would like it to remain, this can be negotiated.
When a BESS reaches the end of its operational life, it can be decommissioned. This process involves:
Removing the batteries, site office, fencing and other facility infrastructure
Rehabilitating the site to restore it to its previous use
Reclaiming and recycling of around 60% of the batteries’ materials (where possible), including the critical minerals and steel.
The decommissioning process is the responsibility of the project owner, not the landholder. If the Project owner wishes to re-energise the project, with agreement from the host landowner, the project lifecycle will begin again with the planning and approvals process.
Are wind turbines recyclable?
In Australia, approximately 85 to 90% of wind turbines are recyclable. They are predominantly made of steel, aluminium, copper, and cast iron, which are all valuable recyclable materials. A wind turbine’s blades are the most significant hurdle the wind energy sector faces in reaching zero waste. They are made of composite materials such as fibreglass and carbon fibre, and there are currently limited options for recycling these materials in Australia. However, turbine manufacturers are investing heavily in developing blade recycling solutions, which may become available in Australia in the future.
Community
benefits
Will the community have a say on the project?
Yes. Meaningful community engagement is a fundamental part of the environmental approvals process. We will work with the community to ensure public concern is addressed and the wind farm has minimal and acceptable interactions with the existing environment.
What is benefit-sharing?
Benefit-sharing is sharing the wind farm’s monetary and nonmonetary benefits with the local community. Benefit-sharing works best when done collaboratively. Through community engagement, we will seek to understand the unique nature and aspirations of the local community so that together, we can build a benefit-sharing package that will have a legacy impact in the area.
Source: Clean Energy Council
Will there be local job opportunities during the construction and operation of the wind farm?
Yes, employees and contractors will be required to construct and operate the wind farm. We prioritise local hiring to ensure the economic benefits of the wind farm are shared with the local community. The types of opportunities will include construction workers, electricians, engineers, maintenance technicians and administrative staff.