SECURING OUR FUTURE - KIAMA GREENS POLICY
South Coast Community Wind Power
Aspiration:-
To establish a wind power manufacturing, maintenance and generation industry on the South Coast, where the community owns the generation capacity and benefits through long-term employment, skills creation and financially from the sale of excess energy.
Kiama Greens Recognise-:
- Combatting climate change will demand a high rate of uptake of alternative, sustainable, zero or low emission electricity generation alternatives to current fossil fuel based generators.
- the high level of inefficiencies of transmitting electricity over long distances and the need to smaller, local generation capacity;
- that with the onset of a post Peak oil economy and associated steeply rising fuel costs, local employment will become a serious economic imperative:
- the social, family and economic cost to individuals and local business, of travelling long distances for employment as increasing number of Kiama residents
- the negative impact on local business and services to residents that the lack of employment opportunities has on community viability;
- the need for alternative income streams to maintain the viability of local councils and prevent amalgamations.
- The high suitability of the South Coast wind patterns to a wind power generation.
- Farmers need a steady source of income, that would particularly assist during transition periods to new and diversified agricultural enterprises.
Kiama Greens on Kiama Council will work to:
- encourage the establishment of a an alternative energy, including wind power, manufacturing, maintenance and generation industry on the South Coast in association with other proximate LGAs; and
- investigate the possibility of community owned generation capacity (owned by local councils) where profits are returned to local councils along lines similar to the long established Danish wind power model.
- determine sites for wind turbines by proper community education and consultation beforehand, along the lines of the successful Danish model
- Landholders are paid an annual rate for wind turbines sited on their properties.
Click here for Ben's Fact Sheet on Windpower
Download Windpower Fact Sheet |