Cows graze near Portland Wind Farms

Portland, in the state of Victoria, was the first Australian council to receive a development application for wind turbines and now has enough in the shire to provide energy for several local towns combined.

Unique identifier: GP01PTA

Type: Image

Shoot date: 27/01/2009

Locations: Australia, Oceania, Portland (Australia), Victoria (Australia)

Credit line: © Greenpeace / Dean Sewell

Ranking: ★★★★★★ (B)

Containers

Shoot:

Renewables Documentation: Portland Wind Farm

Profitable wind farms are appearing at a rapid rate of knots, right across southern Australia. Victoria, just one state, shows just how easily and quickly we can exploit this free, clean energy source. With few downsides, some industry players have been quick to take advantage of the everlasting wind resource, shifting a formerly fringe technology into a now mainstream power source. Portland was a testing ground for wind energy in Australia; it received the country’s first application for a development. Another wind farm, near the tiny town of Waubra, north of Melbourne, will host 129 turbines when finished in 2009. The power produced from Waubra will be enough for a town the size of Ballarat (nearly 100,000 people) and it will deliver approximately 650,000 tonnes of CO2 savings.

Related Collections:

Energy Revolution Report 3rd Edition 2010

Renewable Energy (All Photographers)

Renewables Documentation: Australia (All Photographers)

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