Every source of electricity generation has some environmental impact – therefore Forest and Bird support those forms of energy which have least impact.
However, consideration of the pros and cons of wind power needs to be made in the context of the wider energy issues New Zealand is facing: in essence, we cannot hope to deal with the current “power crisis” by simply seeking to generate more and more electricity in response to ever-increasing demand.
The key to ensuring New Zealand’s electricity needs are met is managing demand by better conserving electricity and using it more efficiently.
New Zealand is one of the least efficient energy users in the OECD. If we use the power we already produce more efficiently, we wouldn’t have to build new generation capacity.
If new generation capacity is going to be built, Forest & Bird supports the use of those forms of generation which are renewable. While hydro generation is often perceived as renewable, we do not believe it can be regarded as a purely renewable energy source. Our rivers are not renewable – once dammed or otherwise modified for power hydro schemes, rivers lose much of their natural character and habitat for native plants and animals.
Wind power ranks at the top of the list of preferred electricity sources, because it creates relatively little environmental impact. However it is not without some impacts, and those impacts vary from site to site. For this reason Forest and Bird does not give blanket support to wind power in every circumstance and location. Instead we look at every proposal on its merits.
Negative impacts of windfarms can include:
Landscape impacts. Locating wind turbines in a pristine natural landscape would be inappropriate, but their location in a significantly modified landscape poses fewer problems.
Construction impacts. In some locations, large turbine towers cannot be brought in to the windfarm site and constructed without major adverse effects on the immediate surroundings. For example, they may require construction of roads/tracks or destruction of important habitat and biodiversity.
Wildlife impacts during operation. Some windfarms overseas have been found to have adverse impacts on bird populations, but the conditions in which these impacts arise are unlikely to apply to most windfarms in New Zealand. Problems overseas mostly arise where windfarms are built on coastal zones and estuaries, or across major mountain passes in continental mountain ranges. These locations tended to coincide with major bird migration routes, and led to significant numbers of birds being killed. New Zealand’s geography and patterns of bird migration mean these circumstances are unlikely to occur at most sites here. Where adverse impacts on local native bird populations are anticipated, we would not support a windfarm proposal.
Sound impacts. Windfarms may create adverse impacts due to noise created in their immediate vicinity. While this may be an issue for humans living nearby, noise caused by wind turbines generally has little impact on native animal species.
Positive effects of windfarms include:
They don’t burn fossil fuels (apart from those used in manufacture and installation) and therefore do not produce harmful emissions or use up non-renewable resources.
They allow more efficient use of existing hydro power. When the wind is blowing and wind generation is being exploited, windpower allows hydro power generation to be switched off, thus allowing water to be held in hydro storage lakes for longer and hydro systems to be used more efficiently.
Windpower can be generated close to the locations in which it will be used, avoiding the need for extensive transmission systems, and costs and risks relating to the security of transmission. Our current generation methods mean many power consumers are far removed from the realities of its generation in distant locations.
In weighing up these factors, Forest & Bird believes:
Wind power is generally a good, relatively low-impact source of electricity, however we support or oppose on a case-by-case basis, depending on the merits and impacts of each individual application and situation.
We must encourage the public and businesses to reduce the need for new power generation by conserving power and using it more efficiently.
We must encourage Government to put more resources and effort into renewable energy alternatives, and improved energy efficiency.
You can find more detailed information about the issues surrounding wind power at www.yes2wind.co.nz.
Marine Current Turbines
Cook Strait power proposal
A proposal to construct marine current turbines in Cook Strait is being promoted by Neptune Power Ltd to conservation and community groups as an environmentally benign alternative to other electricity generation proposals.
Marine turbine power generation is a new technology that is still very much in the development stages and very little is known about its impacts.
Questions about the impact of marine current turbines remain unanswered in a number of key areas, including:
Impact on seabed communities. Will turbine installation, possible changes to marine currents, and risk of pollution, have a detrimental effect on seabed life?
Impact on marine mammals, sharks and other marine fauna. Will there be direct effects of turbines on marine species? Will submarine turbine noise affect marine species’ communication, movement and navigation?
It is still too early to tell whether marine current turbines will be an environmentally sound alternative to wind and hydro power. We need more information on key questions before we can confidently promote marine current turbine technology as a viable “green energy” option.
