Wind farms have been present in Australia for quite some time, however their position as a means of generating energy have been nothing short of passionate.
The Australian political landscape has had varying positions on the viability and general worth of wind farms and there have been divisions on the power source at both federal and state government level.
Wind farms as well as a whole host of renewable energy sources have long generated varying attitudes from many stakeholders in a wide range of industries from members of the general public to leaders in Australian science. Domestically, there have been many complaints about noise, and a lack of efficiency in energy supply (they work harder but produce less energy). They are also said to be an eyesore, particularly as they are dotted over an expansive stretch of land. So do these complaints warrant the end of wind farms?
According to the World Resource Centre, currently Australia is the 5th highest producer of greenhouse gases per capita. As a large exporter of coal, its burning also produces high levels of carbon dioxide. With the Rudd government ratifying the Kyoto Protocol in 2007 and the Labor government setting targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there have been a number of new large scale wind power proposals, including the $1.2bn Ceres project.
This debate is not just isolated in Australia. Climate change and renewable energy sources are a hot topic globally, with the Grantham Research institute finding that onshore wind farms in the UK will be on par with traditional energy sources within 3 years.
Like most machinery, minimising the running costs are crucial to maximising the benefits of this system and condition monitoring is a key tool in ensuring processes are completely optimised. Vibration monitoring offers operators advanced warning of any variations in a turbine’s operation and allowing any measures to ensure maximised performance are able to be accounted for before it’s too late.
GVS Reliability Products supply Hansford Sensors products, who are currently working with manufacturers in this wind power industry to help optimise this energy source. As a supplier of their products, we are happy to be associated with a product that helps to generate an environmentally important energy source and one that will hopefully help to sustain our beautiful planet.
