Wind farm fallacies

ONCE again we see in print (CP, 22/8) a renewable energy myth – “The wind farm will … meet the annual needs of 75,000 North Queensland homes”.

It won’t. No wind farm can meet the annual energy needs of any homes because wind is intermittent.

When the wind drops or blows too hard the wind-energy factory becomes an expensive ornament to muddled thinking.

Its developers didn’t build it because they love Gaia. They did so to farm subsidies from electricity users. That’s you, by the way. If we had clear-thinking political policy-setters we’d have no subsidies for renewables.

We’d also collect a bond from windfactory builders to demolish their birdkilling monstrosity when it wears out in a decade or two. Peter Campion, Tolga

Coupled with this is the failure risk of the ageing assessed Copperlode Dam, which does not meet Cairns domestic water needs during the dry and top tourist season, and is fast approaching its catchment extension date.

All planners will tell you there is never enough money to meet the demand, however, mass destruction of property and possible loss of life does increase the priority for funding.

Knowledge will help understand the risks we face.

Can the council produce a flood inundation map based on the above risks, a disaster mitigation strategy and immediately install a disaster alarm system? William Squair, Brinsmead