Are wind farms unreliable?
Wind farms only work when it is windy, which is why wind turbines are located to take advantage of strong and consistent winds. In Australia, wind farms are generally in use more than 95 per cent of the time. This compares favourably with conventional power plants. In some parts of Germany, wind energy can contribute up to 70 per cent of a region’s electricity needs. The wind does not stop blowing everywhere in Australia all at once. As more wind farms are built throughout the country, their contribution to the electricity grid will even out. State of the art wind forecasting can also help us predict and manage wind farm energy. We shouldn’t expect to rely on wind farms for 100 per cent of our needs but they are an important part of our future energy mix. Australia cannot continue to rely on greenhouse-intensive, polluting coal power for 84 per cent of its electricity.
