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Turbine plan a waste of money
Credit: by Nick Moncrieff-Hill, Southern Courier, southern-courier.whereilive.com.au 24 August 2010 ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
A proposal to build a wind turbine in Arthur Byrne Reserve, Maroubra, has been panned by residents who have labelled the green initiative an absurd stunt and a waste of ratepayer money.
The development application for the 14m pole with a rotary blade about 4m in diameter was submitted by Randwick Council to its own planning department earlier this month.
The device will cost $40,000 and is expected to produce energy that will be returned to the nearby power grid. The initiative is intended to encourage residents to embrace alternative energy sources.
“It will supplement the current grid minimally but it will also provide a demonstration of the use of alternative energy within Randwick City Council, as part of the council’s commitment to environmental sustainability,” a report attached to the development application stated.
However, some residents said not only would the turbine be unsuitable for private residential use, but it would kill native birds, create noise pollution and obstruct views.
Wind farm developer Steve Jackson, a Maroubra resident, said the turbine was overpriced and would generate only enough energy to power one home for three months, or “about what a street light needs”.
“Council seems to be trying to promote a technology that no Randwick City residents will be able to replicate and it costs about 10 times the cost of a sensible alternative,” Mr Jackson said.
“Council would, in my view, gain far more benefit from an educational program or from demonstrating technologies that are actually able to be utilised within the City of Randwick.”
Mr Jackson said he would appeal in the Land and Environment Court any decision to install the turbine and asked Randwick councillors to debate the application at their next monthly meeting.
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