Wind Farms

MP seeks Gippsland wind farm moratorium The Liberal Member for McMillan, Russell Broadbent, has called for a two year moratorium on wind farms in South Gippsland, in eastern Victoria. Mr Broadbent has asked Environment Minister Ian Campbell to ban new wind farms until more is known about their impact on birds. Mr Broadbent says wind farms at Dollar and Bald Hills have the potential to wipe out local populations of migratory birds and wedge-tailed eagles. He says the Senator could use his influence to put the wind farms on hold.

“We have to know exactly what’s going on with migratory birds so we can take a stand on behalf of the people of South Gippsland and on behalf of the environment as a whole… I’ve never seen a wind turbine give way to a wedge-tailed eagle, have you?” he said.

No, I haven’t, but we are talking about a bird that can see a rabbit from several hundred feet while flying flat out. I think he would recognize the danger and accordingly, give way to the rotating turbine. When I was in Albany, WA I had to drive past the local wind farm to visit my sister and noted the apparent slow rotation of the blades. At 22 RPM max any eagle would have to be a very low scorer in the hand wing/eye coordination skills to get hit. Western Power has five wind farms in Western Australia and so far claim to have had only one bird strike. Pic of the Albany Wind Farm. With no land mass between Albany and the Antarctic it has to be one of the best sites for a Wind Farm anywhere. I know, I grew up in the cold hole of a place. What is it with Wind Farms? Why do people go on about them. To me they’re clean and green and getting more efficient as time rolls on. The Albany farm produces 75% of the town’s power needs and being on the coast most probably only kills the odd seagull and who cares about those greedy, bludging, carping birds.