FAQ - Your Questions Answered

Why Offshore Wind?

• Unlike other energy sources, wind energy produces zero greenhouse gas emissions and is inexhaustible.

• With stringent planning and environmental assessment, offshore wind has less environmental impact than almost any other energy source.

• Offshore wind power is superior to onshore wind power, producing more energy at peak times and reducing the pressure on farms and forests.

• Wind power provides far better economic opportunity and jobs for local communities than other proposed energy industries.

• Offshore wind produces electricity far cheaper than other types of power, e.g., nuclear.

Why here in the Illawarra?

• The Illawarra region is the ideal location for wind power because we are close to necessary energy infrastructure and supporting industry.

• The region will also face huge economic and industrial change over the coming years, making offshore wind a great opportunity to build stronger and more prosperous communities, and create quality, secure jobs.

Facts about Offshore Wind:

• Offshore wind is far, far better for ocean wildlife

  • Scientists and environmental groups like Greenpeace overwhelmingly agree that climate change is the most serious threat to ocean wildlife and reducing carbon emissions is the best way to protect our marine wildlife. Stringent environmental assessment and planning of offshore wind will ensure wildlife is protected and potential risks are mitigated. See Sea Shepard Australia’s position and Greenpeace Australia’s position on offshore wind.

• Wind turbines do not affect the surf

  • Offshore wind farms exist off the coast of surf beaches around the world and cause no harm to surf conditions and swell. Wind turbines are placed far out from the shore, widely placed and floating, making no difference to the surf onshore. See Prof Rob Brander (Dr Rip) Illawarra Flame article for more information here.

• Offshore wind is a strong and consistent power source

  • Offshore wind can reliably provide us with cheap, consistent energy at peak times, such as overnight when solar and onshore wind are not as effective. The proposed Illawarra offshore wind development will have the potential to generate 4.2GW of renewable energy, enough to power 3.4 million homes. See DCCEEW proposal for more information. It’s also important to consider that a large overnight supply of energy is needed to help people move to Electric Vehicles. The power demand over night will become much higher while people are charging their cars.

• Wind power will help save birdlife

  • Scientists agree that climate change poses the greatest threat to birds, and that concerns about collisions with turbines are exaggerated: A recent study of bird behaviour near offshore wind turbines found no collisions in two years of monitoring. Establishing wind energy is key in slowing climate change and protecting birds. The DCCEEW - the government body overseeing the offshore wind zones - have released a study on potential mitigation methods to be used in Australian offshore wind zones.

• Fish populations flourish around wind farms

  • Wind farms improve fish populations by creating rich underwater habitats, improving recreational fishing in the area. People fish in wind farms around the world, and they could here, too. See these notes from marine biodiversity scientists and an offshore wind scientist on fish populations around offshore wind turbines in Belgium.

• Wind Turbines will be difficult to see from the coast

  • The declared zone for wind turbines is at least 20km offshore. This distance combined with typical air conditions will make the turbines very difficult to see from the coast. You can see modelling images from DCCEEW for the Illawarra offshore REZ.

Keep an eye on misinformation:

• Scare tactics

  • It is harder to accurately assess the veracity of information when the message targets the fears and anxieties of the reader.

    e.g. Highlighting/exaggerating potential catastrophic outcomes with little basis

• Selective information

  • Scientific information is easily cherry picked or falsely construed. Always assess the source and its credibility/reputation among experts. And keep in mind that no change has zero impact. We already are shifting away from fossil fuel, and it is important to look at how we can mitigate and protect from any unwanted impacts.

    e.g. Only sharing outdated
    or non-peer reviewed studies

• “Everybody agrees”

  • Using various tactics, like blanket statements, to make an opinion seem more popular than it actually is can make that view appear more reasonable and legitimate.

    e.g. Exaggerating rally attendance numbers

• Aggressive assertiveness

  • We all tend to shut down or go into defence mode when people approach us in aggressive and overly assertive ways. The same goes for conversations. If you are feeling that someone is engaging in a conversation by being aggressive or assertive, you are welcome to disengage and walk away, or share the above facts to help share your perspective. Look out for people who are ‘sealioning’ or ‘flooding’ conversation spaces with their points of view - this is a tactic used to dominate a space and and shut down any counter perspectives.