Environment NSW

Just one new wind farm in the South Coast Precinct could produce enough electricity to power 55,400 homes a year, according to a new online tool and energy market study launched today by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water.

DECCW Director General, Lisa Corbyn, said the study by energy market analysts McLennan, Maganasik & Associates (now SKM MMA) has calculated the greenhouse gas savings from NSW wind farms in each of the state's six Renewable Energy Precincts, New England Tablelands, Upper Hunter, Central Tablelands, NSW/ACT border region, Cooma-Monaro and South Coast precincts.

Using data from the study, a new online tool will allow local communities and industry to easily calculate the projected greenhouse gas savings from new wind farms in different Precincts across NSW.

"The NSW Wind Farm Greenhouse Gas Savings Tool shows that a new 150MW wind farm in the South Coast Precinct operating from 2011 would:

• Save 3.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
• Generate 405 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity annually.
• Produce enough electricity to power 55,400 homes annually."

Ms Corbyn said.

"Wind farms produce clean energy, they have the potential to be a large-scale supplier of energy in NSW and they can bring jobs and income to regional areas."

"By supporting research we can provide the information necessary to encourage industry investment and community support."

The study showed that output of wind farms in NSW 'almost exclusively' displaces output from NSW coal and gas plants, and Queensland and Victorian coal plants.

By establishing a standard methodology, the NSW Wind Farm Greenhouse Gas Savings Tool will make it easier for industry to do planning applications and the community can have confidence in the greenhouse gas savings.

There are around 20 wind farms with a combined capacity of around 3000 megawatts currently approved or under planning assessment in NSW - which would on average provide enough electricity to power over 1 million homes and save 7.8 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

Ernst & Young, in their assessment of how all States are positioned on renewable energy, described NSW as the 'next frontier' for renewable energy - highlighting NSW has good quality wind sites, and an electricity grid that can accommodate substantial growth in wind energy.

Ms Corbyn said NSW was fully committed to fostering investment in renewable energy technology to help it meets its State Plan target of 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020.

To see the Renewable Energy Precinct Resources web page and download the study Estimating Greenhouse Gas Abatement from Wind Farms in NSW and use the NSW Wind farm greenhouse gas savings tool go to:. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/climateChange/reprecinctresources.htm