A SMALL scale wind farm could be built on the northern outskirts of Orange under a proposal billed as a national first.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As many as 10 turbines could surround the city’s stormwater harvesting dam, on hills wedged between the Narrambla Industrial Estate and Charles Sturt University.
If approved, the project would make Orange City Council’s stormwater harvesting scheme carbon-neutral and offset emissions from the city’s aquatic centre by around a fifth.
Ten 18 metre turbines have the potential to produce around 120 megawatt hours of power each year, enough to power the equivalent of 20 homes a year, Aerogenesis corporate development director Warren Kalinko said.
“This and another project we have planned in western Sydney would be the first of its kind in the country that demonstrated the ability to generate renewable energy in appropriate places in cities and towns,” Mr Kalinko said yesterday.
“Nobody is talking residential areas, we’re talking industrial areas that won’t cause any concern.
“At 18 metres high, they are a fraction of the height of the very large turbines most people know of.
“This is a very, very small scale project by comparison and the smaller the turbine, the impacts are considerably lower.”
Simon Wright, the sustainability project manager for Orange, Bathurst and Dubbo councils, said the wind farm would help reduce the city’s overall greenhouse gas emissions.
A recent audit found Orange City Council facilities emits around 52,515 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.
Aerogenesis estimates the wind farm would offset that figure by around 120 tonnes a year.
“What’s great about this is that council would be able to use the renewable energy to offset its emissions and decrease its reliance on fossil fuels,” Mr Wright said.
“The site is close to many of council’s facilities and activities that generate those emissions, so having the turbines in close proximity is essential.”
Orange City Council will part-fund a $15,000 feasibility study on the site which will involve recording data for a period between three and six months.
Should it prove the project unviable, council has the option to exit any further involvement with Aerogenesis.
bevan.shields@
ruralpress.com
