Renewable Energy: Emerging Trends and their Environmental and Social Implications
(Room Garuda 8, 1st Floor)
19 Sep 18
2:30 PM
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4:00 PM
Tracks:
TRACK A - Trends, Projects and Strategies
Time frames between permitting and approvals can be a lengthy process. Jurisdictions with mature planning and approvals processes, this process can take several years from signing up landowners to commissioning the first turbine. In this time, significant advances are often made in technological, performance characteristics, size and scale of generating infrastructure. For wind turbines and wind farms, the advancements have seen an increase in turbine dimensions from 120m in turbine height to current technologies allowing for turbines are currently being planned for up to 220m in tip height. These advances in turbine technology have seen significant activity in Australia where previously shelved and permitted projects are considered viable with current technology. Visual impact is perhaps one of the most contentious project issues for wind farms. Larger wind farms with taller turbines must have a greater visual impact? This is not necessarily the case. This paper will review the issues and approach to determining the change in visual impact for two recent Victorian Projects that have received planning consent to increase their permitted turbine heights from 126 m overall height to 180 m. Case Studies Ryan Corner and Hawkesdale Wind Farms, and the Berrybank Wind Farm Project History Changes to the Project Visual Assessment Approach and findings