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New Zealand Engineering 1998 March
New Zealand Engineering</h3>
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New Zealand
Wind Energy Association:
<br /><FONT COLOR="#5573AA">The
First Year
<HR>
<br /><strong>Paul van Lieshout</strong> <em>is chairman of the New Zealand Wind Energy
Association.</em>
<br /><em>He is the engineering manager of the Wind Power and Developing Technologies
Group of DesignPower New Zealand Ltd. `<a href="mailto: lieshoutp@designpower.co.nz'">lieshoutp@designpower.co.nz'</A></em>
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<TD WIDTH="80%"><FONT COLOR="#5573AA">Just over a year ago, during the
Wellington Wind Festival of February 1997, the New Zealand Wind Energy
Association (NZWEA) was formed. </p>
<p>The Association was formed, as its mission statement says, to "promote
the uptake of New Zealand's abundant wind resource as a reliable, sustainable
and clean energy source". The association believes that New Zealand can
generate 20-30 percent of its energy needs utilising this incredible, large,
non-polluting, renewable energy resource. Founding members are made up
of: corporate members (ECNZ, TransAlta, Tararua Wind Power, Wairarapa Electricity,
The Power Company, Link Technology International, and DesignPower); associate
members (many power companies); and individual members. The Energy Efficiency
and Conservation Authority facilitated greatly the formation of the association.
<br />
<br />As the inaugural chairman, I would like to report on the first year
of the NZWEA's existence. </p>
<p>NZWEA has been working hard on the following four goals to achieve its
mission statement: </p>
<p>• Policy development _advocacy at local and national level </p>
<p>• Communication and education </p>
<p>• External and internal networking </p>
<p>• Promote the research and development of wind energy technology. </TD>
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<TD><em>During NZWEA inaugural meeting, February 1997. From left Fiona Weightman
(EECA), Max Bradford and Paul Van Lieshout (Design Power)</em>
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<IMG SRC="../gifs/wind_far.GIF" NOSAVE BORDER=0 HEIGHT=118 WIDTH=349 ALIGN=RIGHT>
<br />I believe it is fair to say that we have achieved a lot in our first
year of existence, however, there is still an awful lot of work to be done.
We have to continue our dialogue with politicians to ensure we are getting
a fair economic deal. At present we are competing in an unfair manner against
power projects based on fossil fuel; there are no penalties for polluting
the environment, and there are no benefits for not polluting the environment.</p>
<p>We have tried to spread the word about wind power during a series of
conferences, seminars, meetings, promotions and gatherings. I will briefly
focus on three such events.</p>
<p>The NZWEA held its first wind energy conference at the end of June 1997.
At this well-attended conference, the international wind energy watchdog,
author and activist, Paul Gipe from the USA, gave a compelling list of
reasons why and how to embrace wind power. He addressed the conference
about international trends in economics, technology, visual and acoustic
acceptance issues.
<br /><IMG SRC="../gifs/paul.GIF" NOSAVE HEIGHT=203 WIDTH=258 ALIGN=RIGHT>
<br />Amazing resource</p>
<p>Paul Gipe was amazed about our New Zealand wind resource. He noted the
consistency, the magnitude and the geographical spread and availability,
which would make it possible to install technically and commercially viable
wind farms close to the consumers.</p>
<p>Another world first was achieved for wind power when NZWEA, together
with ECNZ, organised a wind seminar in November 1997 in Rotorua to coincide
with the annual meeting of the International Energy Agency's Wind R&D
Executive Committee. During this seminar a large number of international
wind power professionals gave their views about the development of the
technology and about the political will in their respective countries to
help wind power in overcoming institutional barriers to implementation.
The New Zealand Government's hands-off approach is in stark contrast to
policies developed in Europe and America.</p>
<p>An NZWEA members' afternoon was organised on 3<SUP> </SUP>February 1998
in Palmerston North to get an update of progress by Tararua Wind Power
and visit their wind farm site. Derek Walker, CEO of CentralPower (the
owner of Tararua Wind Power), announced the go-ahead of the development
of a 48 turbine wind farm on the site, which is on the Tararua Ranges about
12 km east of Palmerston North.</p>
<p>Economics</p>
<p>I was honoured to be asked to repeat the announcement later that evening
during the political forum at the start of the Sustainable Energy Forum's
conference at Massey University. This was just after the energy spokespeople
from most of New Zealand's political parties had explained what they had
done for the environment pre-Kyoto and what they would like to do post-Kyoto.
The lack of activity by the present government did not really inspire CentralPower
to develop the site, but, according to Mr Walker, plain economic issues
warranted the development.</p>
<p>Wind power continues to be researched in our universities. Impressive
work is being done in the modelling of wind power systems, including stand
alone power systems (SAPS or RAPS systems), computational fluid dynamics
applied to diffuser technology, and large-scale hybrid (wind-hydro) power
systems.</p>
<p>In addition to providing networking capabilities for our members and
organising events as described above, the NZWEA has been working on policy
issues regarding CO<SUstrong>2</SUstrong> and the Resource Management Act.</p>
<p>At the formation of NZWEA last year, the Hon Mr Max Bradford mentioned
in his keynote address that he thought it was "a tragedy" that EnergyDirect
had chosen not to appeal the negative RMA ruling in regard to installing
a wind farm at Baring Head near the entrance to Wellington Harbour. He
said it raised questions of "whether the RMA Act, an Act supposedly designed
to obtain a better environmental outcome from generating energy than having
to burn gas or coal, will itself become a barrier to environmentally and
economically sensible decisions".</p>
<p>Consents</p>
<p>Resource consent applications continue to be very costly and the outcome
is difficult to predict due to the conflicting ways in which the Act is
being interpreted. The association has taken an active role in advising
councils around the country about the environmental benefits of wind power,
hoping that their policies will include positive statements about this
form of electricity generation.</p>
<p>There continues to be an important educational role for a professional
organisation like the NZWEA, as long as incorrect statements are being
made about the impact of wind turbines on the environment. It is such statements
that make resource consent applications expensive as it is often difficult
and time consuming to counter them. Statements like "wind turbines sound
like old washing machines" or "sound like trucks going uphill in low gear"
are either far from the truth or grossly misleading and are obviously made
by people that have not visited an operating, modern wind farm.</p>
<p>Visual impact is a good example about misinformation. There is ample
evidence based on overseas research that wind farms can be integrated in
a positive way into the landscape. Wind farms are not ugly industrial power
complexes reminiscent of early industrial colossuses, towers and smokestacks,
destroying landscapes and landforms. Wind farms can be installed in harmony
with the landscape. A NZ consultant who has been associated with wind power
projects for the last several years recently visited for the first time
some wind farms in Europe. The comments made after these visits were jubilant;
"very low visual impact", "couldn't hear the turbines", and "fitted extremely
well with the rolling landscape".</p>
<p>Let's talk a little bit more about the positive visual aspects of wind
power, as during RMA consent hearings the emphasis is often on the negative
effects. We can actually see electrical energy being produced if we look
at a rotating wind turbine. We will be made aware that energy is being
produced, thus making us all more conscious about using energy. The visualisation
of energy production increases energy efficiency and encourages us to manage
our energy usage in a better way. Wind energy has also inspired Wellington
and Wairarapa artists to put wind turbines on the cover of these regions'
Telecom Directory. Wind turbines are "Dynamic sculptures" in the tradition
of New Zealand's great sculptor, Len Lye.</p>
<p>Infrasound</p>
<p>The good thing about talking about wind power and telling and educating
people about it is that it often goes two ways. Lately I have learned quite
a lot about the mystical world of the very low frequency sound called infrasound.
I now know that the French tried to construct combat weapons after the
Second World War based on this phenomenon. They seemed to have abandoned
these plans and, as we all know, have started to develop other weapons
of mass destruction. It is interesting to know that approximately 75 infrasound
sensors are proposed to be installed around the world to ensure that no-one
would actually set off such weapons in the atmosphere. Infrasound is produced
when nuclear weapons are detonated and being close to these weapons is
pretty unhealthy. Linking infrasound and associated health issues with
modern wind turbine generators is quite puzzling. From a purist point of
view it might be possible that infrasound has been generated by very large,
downwind orientated, two-bladed wind turbines. But saying that this has
resulted in health issues is far from the truth.</p>
<p>People who object to a wind farm development all seem to be living close
to a proposed development. It is at odds with the fact that, in general,
the New Zealand public is overwhelmingly in favour of generating electricity
in a sustainable manner, is overwhelmingly in favour of establishing wind
farms. According to one opposing group it has nothing to do with the so
called NIMBY syndrome (Not In My Back Yard). These opponents can actually
see the benefits of wind power, they believe that there is a place for
wind power in New Zealand. just not too close to their back yards. It is
also at odds with the fact that the majority of people who actually live
around a wind farm do not oppose it, if it has been developed in a sensible
way.</p>
<p>While I am writing this, it is exactly four years ago that the installation
started of ECNZ's wind turbine in Wellington. The machine was "up and running"
in four days. Two days of the four were too windy to use the large crane
to install the nacelle and blades on top of the tower. The turbine has
been running extremely well and has become an icon of the "Absolutely Positively"
Capital City. The plant's capacity factor is about 46 percent and the availability
in excess of 98 percent.</p>
<p>Wairarapa Electricity has mentioned that the newer design turbines in
the Wairarapa have been running since installation at a 50 percent capacity
factor with an availability of 99 percent: figures that Europeans can only
dream of. It is noted that our country's capacity factor is very similar
to the above mentioned 50 percent.Wind power is reliable, is quiet, can
visually fit into the landscape and can generate a significant percentage
of New Zealand's energy needs.</p>
<p>It is, however, a sad state of affairs to see that the majority of new
power plants are based on fossil fuels, emitting greenhouse gases into
the atmosphere. Having been asking for an economic level playing field
for some time now, we have to conclude that externalities are still not
being taken seriously by policy makers. Even though CO<SUstrong>2</SUstrong> issues
and tradable carbon certificates are now being discussed at government
level it is not clear how wind power would benefit from these discussions.
It should fit so well with today's government policies regarding accountability
and user pays scenarios. Wind power is the fastest growing energy industry
in the world. The cost of wind energy generated electricity is continuing
its downward trend. The $NZ50 million, 31.68 MW wind farm development on
the Tararua Ranges is testimony to that. However, level playing field issues
continue to be an issue that the New Zealand Wind Energy Association is
taking up with the Government.</p>
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