Wind Energy

The fastest-growing energy source in the world is the wind. You've seen them, or pictures of them, those giant white turbine towers with their 30-metre blades moving 60 metres in the air, turning the energy of the wind into electricity. Wind turbines are just the right source of alternative energy because wind power electricity generation is becoming more efficient, Victoria needs to play its role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and clean, renewable energy is vital to preserve the environment, including Victoria's coastline.

I have great confidence in the proposed wind farms. You only have to look at what's happened internationally to see that the potential for wind generation in Victoria is absolutely enormous. The total commercially operating in Victoria at the moment is 27 turbines. In Germany it's over 10,000. So when this country gets serious about it, we really have no alternative but to become serious about it because the issue of global warming is a massive one.

English: The , also known as the Green Mountain En...

English: Taken by Neutronic

English: Wind Turbines located outside of Palm Spr...

Individually, we can all make a difference by making a little choice to buy responsible, clean energy rather than continue to buy the cheapest, which is fossil fuel generation. In the case of Victoria, my State, fossil fuels produces 70-million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, which is being pumped into the atmosphere at zero cost. If that 70-million tonnes has a cost put on it, the cost of coal generation is in fact around about the same as wind generation.

The principal form of renewable energy at the moment is wind power, and that means that we are going to have dozens and dozens of substantial wind farms dotted across coast of Victoria. So we have just got to get used to the fact that we must have a large number of wind farms throughout Australia if we are...