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"Alternative energy blowin' in the wind"

Wind Energy: learn about it in less than four minutes.

"Wind power nice in theory, better in practice"

"Innovation in solar, wind and other renewable power is booming worldwide, especially in China, and is now eclipsing that in fossil fuels - an about-face that occurred in just one generation, new research shows."

"THE Victorian Opposition will overturn tough wind farm planning laws introduced by the State Government in 2011 if elected to power. Opposition planning spokesman Brian Tee said if elected next year, the Labor Party would repeal the setback that prevents developers building turbines within 2km of a house without the owner's written consent."

"Wind power is now the cheapest electricity to produce in both Germany and the U.K., even without government subsidies, according to a new analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). It's the first time that threshold has been crossed by a G7 economy.1 But that's less interesting than what just happened in the U.S."

"New laws toss energy jobs to the wind Andrew Bray, September 2, 2011

"By the end of this decade, it estimates that onshore wind will be the cheapest source of energy we have. At an average cost of $90 per megawatt-hour (MWh) and in some cases as cheap as $60/MWh it will be cheaper than coal and cheaper than gas. By 2030, the cheapest option will be solar PV, which could cost as little as $50/MWh, followed closely by wind and landfill gas."

"A GEELONG-BUILT wind turbine which is spruiked as the quietest in the world has been placed at Tullamarine. It is the second commercial installation of the Eco Whisper Turbine, following a pilot demonstration at Geelong manufacturer Austeng's North Geelong plant last October."

"Power generation from hydro, wind, solar and other renewable sources worldwide will exceed that from gas and be twice that from nuclear by 2016, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today in its second annual Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report (MTRMR). According to the MTRMR, despite a difficult economic context, renewable power is expected to increase by 40% in the next five years. Renewables are now the fastest-growing power generation sector and will make up almost a quarter of the global power mix by 2018, up from an estimated 20% in 2011. The share of non-hydro sources such as wind, solar, bioenergy and geothermal in total power generation will double, reaching 8% by 2018, up from 4% in 2011 and just 2% in 2006."

"Since the Waubra wind farm started generating power in 2009, the town has acquired a dubious reputation: the so-called `Waubra Disease' is now known internationally. But how much sense does it make? Whilst there's a small number of complainants among the population of 500, there are also 30 families hosting turbines on their land as well as many turbine neighbours -- including community leaders - who live happily with the turbines. Neil Barrett has been researching the Waubra situation for the past year. Whilst his attempts so far to understand the issues raised by complainants have been unsuccessful, it has become clear to him that the apparent good health and well-being of the turbine hosts and most of their neighbours deserves to be more widely known. "

"Renewable energy effectively uses natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity/micro hydro, biomass and biofuels for transportation."

"The Poatina hydro power station in Tasmania created 820,000 Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs) for 2012 generation and was the largest creator of certificates for the year. The next nine largest LGC creators were all wind farms."

But how much can wind farms and solar panels contribute to a solution? Are they really the best option for Australia's energy future? And what part does the media play in the communication of all of this? The Science behind the headlines event (22 May 2012) held by RiAus attempted to answer these questions by combining a panel of scientists with experienced journalists - led by RiAus Programs Co-ordinator James Byrne. Each of the participants' knowledge of their specific field made for a varied and vibrant discussion that covered a wide range of topics. Is the public really aware of alternative energy options?

"Global drought has not increased significantly over the past 60 years, a report in Nature has found. Previous assessments of global drought have relied on the Palmer Drought Severity Index, which only accounts for temperature, and does not consider sunlight, humidity or wind. These assessments have falsely indicated that global drought will increase as the planet warms. The paper's authors show that when these additional factors are included, worldwide drought has actual changed very little since 1950."

"The fundamental transformation of energy markets brought about by the growing incursions of renewables such as wind and solar has been underlined in a new report by the European energy analysts at Macquarie Group, who have concluded that the plunge in costs for rooftop solar PV has fallen to such an extent that its continued rapid deployment may be unstoppable."

"The Coalition will impose new noise monitoring rules on windfarms that the multibillion dollar industry says will inflict crippling costs, provide no useful information and represent another victory for an anti-noise campaign by concerned citizens backed in part by the climate sceptic lobby."

Australia has world class renewable energy resources across a range of technologies, from solar and wind through to hot rocks and oceans. We have what it takes to lead the world into a 100% renewable energy future.

"There have been quite a few headlines lately about the record amounts of solar power getting built in China. In 2013, the country added at least 12 gigawatts of solar capacity - 50 percent more than any country has ever built in a single year. Impressive. But let's also put this in context. China is a massive country and is building lots of everything. And last year it added far more fossil-fuel output capability than it did solar, wind, hydro and nuclear power combined."