Farms For Food
Wind Farms and Farming
The focus of this page is to examine the implications for potential wind farms hosts, neighbours and rural communities in the state of Victoria under current legislation. ​
The Corporatisation of the Renewables Sector
We can't talk about renewable energy technologies without first talking about "Greenwashing".
​Global warming and climate change pose several significant threats to farming and agriculture and in fact the entire world. These threats create a sense of fear and uncertainty for our generation and our future generations. Much needs to be done to reduce our carbon emissions and what we as a society consume. We have known this for many years and yet our global trading system, world economics and the reliance on the profits from fossil fuels has impeded progress.
​As countries attempt to transition to renewable energies, or cleaner energy, and away from fossil fuel use, the need for more energy consumption has risen. Industries, that are some of our biggest emitters of carbon, are investing in renewable technologies as a means of 'off-setting' their emissions rather than actually reducing their production or use of fossil fuels.
​Renewable technologies such as wind and solar have been corporatised and turned into 'farms' on a grand scale. Rather than individuals having a solar panel on their roof directly powering their home, they are now in fields feeding into a giant battery. Corporate investment into renewable technology has been driven, not by a desire to reduce carbon emissions, but as a way to monopolise the power system and to monetise it.
​Greenwashing in the renewable sector refers to the practice of companies or organizations misleading consumers about the environmental benefits of their products, services, or policies. This can create a false impression that a company is environmentally friendly when, in reality, its practices may not significantly contribute to sustainability or may even be harmful.​
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Greenwashing Example
The company Shell PLC is a major investor in one of the wind farm companies in Australia. Shell is ranked as one of the top ten owner invested companies with the highest carbon emission world-wide. It contributes to 1.6% of the world total carbon budget. Client Earth has currently filed a lawsuit against Shell PLC for their inadequate climate strategy in the High Court of England. Over the years, Shell has been the subject of many other lawsuits where their malpractice has purportedly led to environmental damage and a threat to the health of humans.
Cleaner but not Clean
"Building and erecting wind turbines requires hundreds of tons of materials — steel, concrete, fiberglass, copper, and more exotic stuff like neodymium and dysprosium used in permanent magnets.
All of it has a carbon footprint. Making steel requires the combustion of metallurgical coal in blast furnaces. Mining metals and rare earths is energy intensive. And the manufacture of concrete emits lots of carbon dioxide." (source)
All forms of power production leave a carbon footprint. There is no guilt free form of energy. The debates about energy production become quite black and white, however renewables or not, they all have their pros and cons. If you want to harness a resource and turn it into electricity, then whatever technology you use it will be reliant on the mining sector in some form and it will have a negative environmental impact. ​We all want to feel better about the products that we consume and that they are cleaner, or greener or ethically made. Unfortunately, these terms have lost their meaning through spin and marketing catch phrases.
​​What is the carbon footprint of a wind turbine?
​It is very hard to determine the carbon footprint of a wind turbine- particularly from cradle to grave.
This is due to several factors:
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Differing manufacturing processes and fabrication across countries. Australia does not have the same level of data available compared to North America and Europe.
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Wind turbines are improving their efficiency over time, and it is hard to compare one model to a much older version.
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Wind turbines are increasing in size- the turbines erected at Cape Bridgewater are 110 meters high, whereas the turbines proposed for current projects such as Warracknabeal Energy Park are 280 metres high.
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The life expectancy of each turbine is not fixed and certain components, particularly the wind blades, need to be regularly replaced over the life of the turbine.
Estimates state that turbines will have off-set their carbon emissions within six months to a year of harnessing wind. This figure considers the turbine structure in isolation and does not accommodate the related energy use of mining its components, transportation of materials and the associated technical infrastructure, the cables, batteries, concrete, road work and earth works.
Wind turbines are cleaner, but not clean and there is still much work to be done to improve their longevity and their sustainability.
Concrete Footings:
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For the proposed Warracknabeal Wind Park, the height is as yet unprecedented at 280 metres. The MacIntyre Wind Farm Precinct, consists of 180 x 5.7MW Nordex turbines with a rotor diameter of 163m on a hub height of 148m. Each of these turbines require foundations consisting of circa 650 cubic metres of concrete and 85 tonnes of reinforcement.
The Warracknabeal Energy Park Example
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Associated infrastructures to implement wind turbines are significant. For example, the proposed Warracknabeal Energy Park with up to 230 (7-8MW) Wind Turbines:
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Up to 230 Turbines with a maximum tip height up to 280m above ground level. Proposed Wind Turbine Generator specifications are based on WTGs that are currently under development and anticipated to be commercially available in the near future.
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Two substations.
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Two 300-600MWh Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), co-located with the substations.
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Overhead high voltage transmission lines running between the two substations.
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Approx 34 Km of overhead high voltage transmission from the southern substation of the Project to the Murra Warra Terminal Station.
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Approx 23 km of overhead 33kV transmission lines within the wind farm project sections, connecting groups of turbines that are furthest away from the substations.
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Transmission and grid connection infrastructure.
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Up to 2 Operations and maintenance facilities.
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Turbine foundations and hardstands.
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Site access points and access tracks with drainage where required.
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Approx 282 Km Underground cabling (33kV) buried 1 metre deep.
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Up to 8 permanent meteorological masts.
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Temporary concrete batching plants.
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Temporary site compounds, equipment laydowns and storage yards.
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Approximately 223km of unsealed all weather access tracks.
Turbine Waste
The life expectancy of each turbine is estimated to be 20-30 years, after this time they need to be re-powered or decommissioned. Because older turbines become technologically redundant sometimes it is not feasible to re-power them; removal is the only option. This also means the removal of all associated infrastructure. Because wind turbines are ‘hosted’ on leased land, once the contract has ceased there are no regulations that obligate the host to continue the re-powering of the turbine. If the turbine was owned and operated by the government and not a private company on private land, then this issue of decommission and re-powering could negate a ‘planned obsolescence’.
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Recycling turbine components is labour and energy intensive. Some components, particularly blades, which are made of multiple materials are very hard to recycle. The following data is based on overseas figures:
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“Wind turbines constitute composite materials; their end-of-life treatment largely affects the ecosystem and the environment as they are very difficult to recycle. At the same time, between 2020 and 2030, many of the installed wind turbines in the 2000s will reach the end of their useful life… Every year, about 2.4% of wind turbine blades must be replaced… Each kilowatt of wind power requires 10 kilograms of WT blade materials resulting in roughly 200,000 tonnes of blade trash by 2034. Between 2029 and 2033, the quantity of recycled blade material will be 400,000 tonnes, based on a 10 t MW−1 blade material demand. By 2050, it will have increased to 800,000 tonnes per annum. The materials used to make wind turbine blades, specifically glass fibre (GF) reinforced thermoset polymer composite, are difficult to reprocess and turn into new value materials due to their nature.” (Source)
The Corporate Model of Wind Farms in Victoria
In Australia there have been concerns about the model of windfarm implementation for some time. There was a senate inquiry into the social and health impacts of windfarms in 2011. The National Wind Farm Commissioner was appointed by the Australian Government in late 2015 in response to community concerns about wind farms, specifically the 2015 senate inquiry into wind farms and fraud in the industry. This role was later disbanded in 2020 and is now held under the umbrella of The Australian Energy Infrastructure Commission (AEIC). The AEIC annually reports on the issues and complaints associated with energy infrastructure. In 2022 it comprehensively identified issues pertaining to wind farm hosts and neighbours of wind farms. It is imperative that you read this document.
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For a further understanding of senate inquiries, legal precedence, neighbour testimonials, social impact statements, environmental effects and the health implications of living next to wind farms you can investigate Wind Farm Living, Southern Wimmera Renewables Research, and Wind Watch. These websites are privately written and researched and reflect the views of their respective authors.
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It is important to remember that the state government wants to place state infrastructure on private land. The person that owns the infrastructure is a corporate business, who reports to their shareholders and investors. This business model can then place the greatest risks and liability on the host and the neighbour.
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How wind farm companies seek out business
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The first contact from a proponent could be through a salesperson over the phone, cold calling or a brochure drop. When they speak to you, they may infer that your surrounding neighbours may be interested, or have already signed up, or agreed to hosting a turbine. They may tell you that you have the 'best wind in the state.'
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If you engage with discussion with the proponent, you may be asked to sign an exclusivity contract that locks you out of negotiating with any other prospective proponent and this contract may come with financial compensation. With this contract you may not be able to speak to other people about what you have agreed to. This can limit your ability to negotiate.
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The objective of energy parks is to secure enough hosts, in a concentrated area, to then warrant a transmission line. The proponents need to get enough critical mass to make a project seem feasible to the investors. This is a form of speculation.
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You may need to give permission for an access licence granting the wind farm operator with the right to access the land to carry out due diligence and works, such as site investigations and assessments and to determine the feasibility of a wind farm on the land.
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You may be asked to sign an option agreement where the wind farm operator has the option to lease the land and/or to create easements over the whole or any part of the land; and a lease granting rights to exclusive possession of the land for the wind farm turbines and other equipment on the land for a fixed period of time with easements in place over the land, such as an easement for an access road to the wind farm infrastructure or an easement for underground cables.
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Once a host has signed on, and made a lease agreement on their title, that contract may place a caveat on the title for the term of the contract. The contract, held by the proponent, can then be on-sold to potential investors for the lifetime of the contract. The company that a host signs up with, may not be the company that they will be dealing with in the future.
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On 14 March 2024, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announced that renewable energy projects will be eligible for an accelerated planning pathway under the Development Facilitation Program (DFP). This enables the government to “fast track” planning approval to meet its net-zero carbon emissions target. The acceleration of the planning process coupled with the government’s subsidies to implement energy parks has led to a perceived pressure on communities to host a wind farm.
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In December 2020, the Victorian Supreme Court held that the value of electricity generation plant and equipment at a wind farm was not included in the ‘capital improved value’ of land leased to the relevant wind farm operator because such assets were categorised as personal property (and not fixtures).
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In Australia, the government can set council contribution payments based on the generation capacity of wind farm projects. These contributions are often part of the planning and approval process for renewable energy projects.
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Local councils may require developers to pay contributions to help offset the impacts of the project on the community, such as infrastructure needs and environmental considerations. The amount is typically determined by the expected generation capacity of the wind farm and can vary by jurisdiction. The larger the turbine the greater the contribution required.
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Proponents may make financial offers to local communities through a 'community fund.' Whilst attractive, when this money is accepted the community may then revokes it's right to raise objections to the project in the future. The distribution of the community fund may be accessed by organisations that are not directly impacted by the project but may be in the surrounding area.
Community Sponsorship
Whilst energy parks prospect for potential hosts they will attempt to achieve community engagement and social licence by funding community projects and events.
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Before a wind park has even gone through the state planning process, they will attempt to show a community that they are invested in them through donations. Organisations, looking for funding will unwittingly take the money and therefore make their community complicit with the corporations' values.
Renewables Rush
"The Weekly Times" Peter Hunt reported on the 9th of October, 2024:
" Farmers are being swept up in a renewables rush as developers scramble to lock landholders into confidential deals that pay them little more than 2 per cent of each project's earnings.
"It's out of control" Quambatook grain grower Brett Hosking said. "Thirteen different companies have contacted me, and you don't know who's building what."
Wind developers are urging farmers to "sign up now or miss out" on option and licence agreements that block the landholder from dealing with any other renewable energy company for up to four years, but without any commitment to build the project...
One lease agreement seen by The Weekly Times states the farmer will be paid just $25,000 for the first three 3.5MW to 7.5MW turbines, and then $22,000 for each additional tower leaving the company free to vary its turbine capacity income."
You are thinking of hosting a wind farm?
Decomissioning Risks
With regards to decommissioning The Australian Energy and Infrastructure Commission has stated that:
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“While there are no documented examples of costs to decommission a contemporary wind turbine or solar farm in Australia, some published decommissioning plans have calculated costs of about $400,000 per turbine. This cost could increase for larger turbines and could range up to $600,000 per turbine or more. If a turbine has a structural failure and is unstable, it could cost millions of dollars to safely remove the turbine from site. To put these costs into perspective, the total fees earned for hosting a wind turbine for 25 years could be in the range of $250,000 - $750,000 (depending on the turbine capacity and when the wind farm commenced operations). It is therefore possible that the cost to decommission a turbine could be equal to or greater than the total income generated for the landholder over the 25-year operating period. Some proponents are offering to make ongoing deposits into a trust to fund decommissioning of the asset. However, proponents generally commence making these payments in the later years of the project, around years 15 or 20. The delay in commencing payments creates risk as the project owner is required to source significant funding in the declining years of the asset. The risk to the landholder would be significantly reduced if the developer commenced making deposits to fund the decommissioning from commencement of the asset’s operations.”
The following information is not legal advice. These suggested points have been supplied from speaking to current windfarm hosts and neighbours of wind farms.
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Speak to a lawyer that has a specialised knowledge in the wind farm industry. It is critical to get legal advice before signing anything. Documents signed early in the process can limit your ability to negotiate later.
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The proponent may ask your permission to place an easement on your land title. This will allow them to have access to your land for the life of the contract and it will affect its land use and value in the future. This caveat could impact your ability to re-sell your property in the future as the final decision of sale could rest with the proponent. You could be a five-generation farmer and with one signature you could be handing over the control of your farm.
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Speak to your accountant about the potential revenue made by hosting turbines; how this will be taxed, how this will affect your business and equity in your land.
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Speak to people that have hosted windfarms for a length of time to understand the pros and cons. You will get more transparent information in person. Speak to hosts that have remained on the wind farm once it is in full operation.
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Speak to your surrounding neighbours and discuss their concerns. Your decisions impact them, and their families, for many years to come.
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Hosting a wind farm will affect the use of your land. Infrastructures will be placed on your property such as a substation, a battery, underground cabling connecting all the surrounding turbines to a central point. There will be significant tonnes of concrete used to anchor the turbine to the ground- concrete that will never be removed. There may be roadways built between each turbine and fencing will be affected due to the need for 24-hour access.
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Your farming practices, particularly the timing, can be affected by construction and having windfarm workers on your property at critical periods of spraying.
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Assess the fire risk on your farm from the added infrastructure and how the risk can be mitigated. This will need to be addressed by the proponent and your insurance obligations. Some CFA brigades no longer tend to fire associated with turbines, solar farms, battery parks and high voltage transmission lines.
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Visit a windfarm in full operation. Consider how it will affect your ability to live on your own land in the future.
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If you have livestock on the property this will affect how you will fill in your MLA declaration.
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Your farm will be an industrial work site, and the additional infrastructure will change your OHS operations and risks.
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The number of turbines that are proposed by the proponent is a potential number and will be subject to planning. You may think you are agreeing to a certain number of turbines, and therefore projected revenue, however this number may be reduced when it comes to the final stages of planning.
Implications for the Wind Farm Neighbour
If you neighbour onto the border of a wind farm project and/or you fall within a certain radius of the farm you may be affected by the following:
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Your property insurance may be affected, it could be found that adequate insurance cover is not available, and if it were, it could be cost prohibitive in order to cover the cost of any potential damage to the wind farm infrastructure nearby.
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As it stands there is a 1km set-back or buffer zone from the boundary of the project, not the turbine. This affects your ability to build a dwelling in the set-back.
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Your land value may be affected and/or the number of potential buyers may be limited due to what they can do on your land. This will be affected by how close your dwelling is to the actual turbines.
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Your farming practices, particularly the timing, can be affected by having construction and windfarm workers close to your boundary at critical periods of spraying.
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There may be bio-security risks to your farm. There have been incidents of adhesive serrated blades (placed on larger turbine blades to increase efficiency and to evenly distribute the noise produced) flying off and landing in adjacent paddocks.
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The increase of infrastructure on your neighbouring property may increase the risk of a fire hazard.
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Neighbours may feel that their visual amenity is impacted. There have been instances of neighbours being offered compensation to plant screening trees. Accepting this money then makes the neighbour complicit and gives social licence.
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Neighbours of windfarms have reported ‘turbine sickness’ due to the low frequency noise emitted from the turbine. Wind turbines do create noise, and some people are more affected by it than others. There are regulations that the government must adhere to with regards to noise produced by wind turbines.
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Shadow flicker is a term used to describe the intermittent light that is created by a turbine blade when the blade casts a moving shadow at certain times of the day, which some neighbours have reported as a concern.
The Right to Appeal
With the 2024 changes to the Development Facilitation Program Victorians have lost their right to a third-party appeal through VCAT.
Community consultation times have recently been shortened from two years to now, nine weeks.
Set- backs are not placed within the boundaries of the project. Neighbours of windfarms have the set-backs or buffer zones placed on their properties infringing their right to build a dwelling in that area.
Neighbour
"I just don't get it. And I'm past the point now of thinking that perhaps the hosts 'didn't know'. This is really upsetting me. We never knew. We never had a say." Anon
Neighbour
"You know that a windfarm is on the cards when your neighbours go quiet." Anon
Neighbour
“The secrecy of the companies when putting offers on the table was concerning. We were advised not to share any information with our neighbours because they said they couldn't offer them the same deal.” Anon
The impact on community
"I've always been one to hit the emotional side of issues- because for me- that is what life is about. Money is important- yes-but not at the expense of relationships. And that is what I am hearing about- the fracturing of generational relationships in the blink of an eye. The secrecy. The cruelty." Anon.
Farming communities in the Mallee have continued to live and work here for four to five generations. The concept of inheritance and legacy is more that monetary. For the families that have remained here through all the seasons of drought, flood, fire and plagues, they have fought for their livelihood and their farm. The connection to their land is deeply personal. Whilst 150 years of connection is insignificant compared to other traditions or cultures, it is not insignificant to the people that live here now. Each paddock has a name and a history. Family memories have been made in this house or in that tree. And people in this district are not only connected by land but by blood ties.
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It cannot be underestimated that when one family makes a decision to facilitate change that affects another family- the ripple effect is huge. The family ties in this region are all interconnected; people's common ancestors and marriage bonds are interwoven with people's livelihoods. The stakes are high.
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This is why the business model of corporate wind farms is so divisive for rural people. When one group of people is seen to be choosing monetary gain over familial or life-long connections it is very hard to remove the emotion from the decision. And so, the damage to relationships that is currently being experienced in small towns is felt at a very deep and personal level.
Impact on Tourism
The Mallee has long been celebrated for its vast, uninterrupted horizons. The dramatic and awe-inspiring skies dominate the view, and they play a backdrop to country living. When you move to the Mallee you are moving for a 'sky-change'. The area is affectionately called sunset country.
Many communities fear for the visual impact that wind turbines will have on their environment and the people of the Mallee are no different. All natural beauty fills people with awe, and the absence of industrialisation is something to be enjoyed and protected.
Dotted along these sky lines are the abandoned wheat silos. Remnant buildings of the past that have been reclaimed by artists to tell the stories of the region. These silos feature the faces of the people that have lived and worked here and have loved the land. A predominant feature of many of the silos is a recreation of the stunning sunsets and night skies of the Mallee. These decommissioned silos have been transformed into love letters of our land. In 50 years time will we be still travelling along the 'silo art trail' or visiting further abandoned structures that have lost their function except to be a canvas for art?
