Avoiding 170,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas annually, the Challicum Hills Wind Farm generates enough clean electricity to power 26,000 homes each year – approximately 1.5 per cent of Victoria’s residential electricity demand. But perhaps most importantly, the Challicum Hills Wind Farm has matched its environmental performance with a strong sense of community engagement.

The project consists of 35, 1.5 megawatt (MW) generators sited across seven private grazing properties. Located just east of Ararat in western Victoria in Buangor, the site was chosen not only for its strong and consistent winds, but also for the existing community support – when the planning permit was issued by the Ararat Rural City Council, not one objection was received. The site was also an ideal location given its proximity to a National Electricity Grid and because it is large enough to allow optimum spacing of windmills.

High level community engagement

According to Ararat Rural City Council Mayor Gwenda Allgood, people within the Ararat region have a keen sense of pride for the Challicum Hills Wind Farm because they realise they are assisting the environment in a positive way.

For a community that admittedly “didn’t know a great deal about wind power in the beginning”, the project has helped increase awareness about environmental issues and the need for action.

“The Ararat community is very keen to be part of a caring community and is committed to taking care of the environment both now and in the future” explains Mayor Allgood. “Many are looking to alternative energy, changing their light bulbs, installing rain water tanks and solar panels.”

She attributes the high level community engagement, largely facilitated by Pacific Hydro, the wind farm’s operator, as key to the community’s environmental awareness and to the project’s success.

“Pacific Hydro engaged the whole community and gave a fantastic insight into the idea from day one. All Aboriginal community members were involved at the site, and even seeds from surrounding trees were gathered to be propagated for replanting if needed in the future.”

The consultation process, conducted in 2002, involved meetings with the Buangor and wider communities to discuss issues, including the project’s visual impact; its effect on birdlife, native vegetation and aboriginal cultural heritage; and, minimising its disturbance during the construction phase.

In addition to this, the opportunity to see the wind towers up close in all their towering glory was another effective way for the community to be involved in the project. During the consultation process, a full size tower was transported into Ararat for viewing by school groups, giving younger people a chance to grasp the scale of the project. Since completion of the wind farm, tours to the foot of the towers have elicited some delighted responses, including one visitor’s exclamation “The wind farm took my breath away.”

Mayor Allgood has also been impressed with Pacific Hydro’s long term commitment to the community through its Sustainable Communities Fund.

To date, the program has provided approximately $200,000 to over 60 local community groups, including hospitals, kindergartens, local environmental forums, rain water collection programs, sporting club uniforms and local festivals.

“Pacific Hydro has certainly embraced this community,” says Mayor Allgood.

It has also created significant local employment, investment and tourism opportunities. Half of the $76 million project cost was spent generating new investment in the local economy through construction, operation and maintenance.

Power to the people

The Challicum Power Plant connected to the National Electricity Grid via a switchyard near Buangor, enabling power generated from the project to be sold to Origin Energy under a long term Power Purchase Agreement.

Dominic Drenen, Manager of Origin’s Emerging Customer Solutions team, explains that the company’s GreenPower products are becoming an increasingly popular choice. While five years ago such customers were virtually non-existent, Origin is now close to having half a million customers who purchase GreenPower. The majority of this is sourced from wind power, but it also comprises biomass and solar power.

Mr Drenen says the main advantage of wind is that it is the most widely available source of green power, the most scaleable, and is also easily understood from a customer’s perspective.

“There has certainly been a gradual increase in awareness over the last five years. A lot of our customers are now being more astute and asking very detailed questions, whereas before they didn’t really question where their green power was coming from.”

This heightened awareness has prompted Origin to consider new ways of providing renewable power solutions to its customers including the development of its own renewable energy projects such as the 30 MW Cullerin Range Wind Farm located 12 km east of the New South Wales township of Gunning.

In addition, Origin is investigating the viability of developing micro wind turbines for residential and small business customers, allowing them to contribute their own green power to the electricity grid.

“We know there is a certain percentage of customers who would like a more direct relationship with the energy they are using,” explains Mr Drenen. He adds that although such a product is not likely to be available for at least six to twelve months, the presence of wind farms in urban areas would help to increase the general acceptance of green energy as a reliable source of power

Looking back – wind tech developments

Wind power has come a long way since Challicum Hills was commissioned in August 2003. When the 52.5 MW wind farm was completed, it became Australia’s largest. Today, the nearby Waubra Wind Farm will have a generation capacity of 192 MW when it is fully operation in June 2009, making it the largest wind farm in the Southern hemisphere.

This increase in total generation capacity is a result of more turbines at each site – the Waubra project has 128 turbines, compared with Challicum’s 32 – coupled with an increase in the capacity of the individual turbines.

But it is not only the scale of wind farm operations that is driving the industry forward. According to Lars N Thomsen, an independent wind energy expert from the Danish Wind Power Academy, technical developments over the last five to ten years have meant that wind power has the potential to play a much greater role in Australia’s renewable energy market.

He highlights a number of particular developments that have enhanced the power quality produced by wind farms.

Controlling maximum power output

One of the most important developments has been the ability to control the amount of power produced by a wind farm. Using weather forecasting and a system known as park control, a maximum energy level can be set so that output to the grid is consistent over longer periods of time.

“Today you are able to control a wind farm a lot better. The forecasts for the next day of wind flow are getting better and better, so that means you will be able to take a share of base load,” explains Mr Thomsen.

Predicting wind flow

While predicting wind conditions is not easy, there have been some major developments in wind forecasting that have improved the ability of grid operators to integrate wind power into the electricity network, and therefore enhance its stability. Conscious of the need to develop even more accurate forecasting, the National Electricity Market Management Company (NEMMCO – soon to become the Australian Energy Market Operator) is currently undertaking the development of an Australian Wind Energy Forecasting System.

Grid errors and reactive power

Two other developments have also contributed to a wind capacity able to provide reliable green energy.

Today’s wind farms are able to survive short term errors on the grid, he says. “Five years back, if there was any error on the grid, for example if it is very windy and the transmission lines touch each other, it could mean a whole wind farm would cut out. Now, no matter which turbine manufacturer you choose, they would have a solution for that. The turbines are able to stay connected to the grid, helping to re-establish the grid.”

There have also been significant advances made in the way wind turbines interact with the grid.

Like all forms of power generation, reactive power is required to energise a wind generator. Reactive power creates the magnetic field that enables the generator to produce electrical energy.

During generation, advances in wind energy technology means that reactive power can now be sourced from the turbine itself, rather than from an external source, like a capacitor bank, which was previously required.

“These are just a few examples of improvements in wind energy technology, which enable much larger wind farms to connect into the grid without having a negative impact on the security of the network,” added Mr Thomsen.

Looking forward

After the success of Challicum Hills, the Ararat Rural City Council is currently expanding its wind energy project with a Renewable Energy Park, situated on the Western Highway on the outskirts of Ararat, while adjoining municipalities and farmers are also welcoming similar projects.

For now, while the wind power industry continues to develop new ways of controlling energy output and integration into the grid, and while key players hold their breath for the outcome of the Federal Government’s Renewable Energy Target Scheme legislation, the Challicum Hills project is a successful example of the importance of community involvement in wind farm projects.