Australia's zero emission future blowing in the wind

03 June 07 – For immediate Release – Melbourne, Australia

On February 28th 2007 Federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnball said “You can’t run a modern economy on wind farms and solar panels. It’s a pity that you can’t," Yet the Danish government has announced it aims to generate 50 per cent of their electricity needs through wind power by 2025 and Denmark have set the agenda to reduce fossil fuel imports to zero as part of their massive renewable energy plans.

“This is a monumental decision from Denmark,” said Matthew Wright, lead campaigner of Beyond Zero Emissions “They have made a mockery ofthe Australian government and their refusal to accept renewable energy. Malcolm Turnball is either lying or incompetent.”

Denmark has less than one fifth the land area of Victoria, yet has already installed 3200MW of wind power capacity. If Victoria had the same density of wind energy facilities as Denmark, they
would have over 16,000MW of wind power potential: enough to generate the entire state's energy
requirements. The Danish wind industry also employs over 20,000 people, which when adjusted for
population is equivalent to more than the entire Australian coal industry employs both directly and
via downstream jobs.

“This is what a dedicated and informed government can achieve,” said Mr. Wright. “Denmark
understands that a sustainable economy is entirely dependent on a sustainable environment. And
this in a country so high in density they are building wind farms in the ocean. They have borne the
cost of developing wind technology, allowing countries like Australia the opportunity to leverage
their early adoption.”

Beyond Zero Emissions has produced a scoping document outlining the transition of Victoria's
stationary energy sector to a zero emissions economy within thirteen years. This plan is
predominately structured around the installation of 12,000MW of wind power capacity into the
state's electricity grid. Germany installed the same amount of wind power potential in only four
years - between 2001 and 2005. By 2010 they will have 30,000MW of wind power potential,
enough to generate equivalent of 40 per cent Australia's electricity needs.

“Wind power has become an internationally recognised, mainstream energy source,” said Mr.
Wright. “With a responsible carbon trading scheme, wind power will rapidly achieve cost parity
with coal-fired power generation. It also uses less than 99 per cent water to produce the same
amount of energy as either coal or nuclear energy.

New international turbine developments allow developers to generate significant energy from low
wind speed sites such as those in China and India. Using biomimicry to model nature, a Canadian
research team has designed a low speed turbine blade replicating the form of a humpback whale's
tail.

“Even if we reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero today, we still have a one in two chance of
exceeding 2 degrees C average global warming – the figure widely accepted as representing
runaway climate change. As an international community we need to convert to a zero emission
society, and wind power represents the fastest and most efficient technology to achieve this.”

For comment ring:
Matthew Wright 0421 616 733
www.beyondzeroemissions.org
Beyond Zero Emissions is an independent Zero Emission Minus Climate Change campaign.

Radio Adelaide's Peter Godfrey Interviews Matthew Wright

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