Alan Deidun
Sowing the wind as the clock ticks
Ilatch on the recent unveiling of three proposed sites for the installation of wind farm operations, one offshore (at Sikka l-Bajda) and two onshore (Ħal Far and Baħrija), to call for an inpassionate debate on renewables to finally kick-start in our islands.
I write this article in my capacity as chairman of the now disbanded Committee on Offshore Wind Energy, set up by the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs and entrusted with the mandate of assessing the feasibility of the site of Sikka l-Bajda for an offshore wind farm.
The Sikka l-Bajda offshore wind farm and the two onshore projects will have environmental impacts, as all other large projects. Such impacts first need to be identified through a comprehensive EIA (environment impact assessment) study and then mitigated through responsible design. A positive environmental offshoot from the Sikka l-Bajda project could be the declaration of the marine area around the turbines as a non-fishing and non-anchoring zone, effectively turning it into a marine conservation area of sorts, something which has been on the cards since 1992! The same marine area is now used as a ship bunkering zone.
Some comments on The Times online are telling. A succint one stated that this is all a waste of money, as if a five per cent contribution to our national electricity needs by the three combined wind projects is a mean feat! Other illuminations included the strident assertion that wind farms are very noisy and ugly. Those installed on a domestic scale do generate noise but the large 0.85MW or the huge 5MW ones generate noise levels which challenge the limits of audition. As to the visual impact issue, this is highly subjective.
I trust that in the debate that will invariably rage over this project, one overriding consideration is kept in focus: Malta is bound by the 20/20/20 European targets with respect to greenhouse gas emissions. More specifically, 10 per cent of the energy needs of our country must be met by renewable sources by the year 2020 (actually, the 10 per cent mark is higher because we are speaking in terms of energy consumed rather than in terms of energy generated). Any eventual defaults of such a target, say by one per cent, would translate in a €900 million penalty according to the Climate Change Committee report published a few months back.
When all three wind farm sites are on stream, they would be offsetting the carbon dioxide emissions released annually by about 130,000 cars, or almost one half of our vehicle fleet. I trust that, in the absence of pro-environmental arguments getting the public excited in these dire economic times, this should be the overriding consideration in any eventual debates.
The government has not discounted alternative wind farm sites nor alternative renewable resources to this effect; solar energy remains firmly on the agenda too. I am one of those who strongly believe that an energy mix is needed to comply with our obligations. Wind power on a large scale remains the most economically-feasible renewable source of energy, much more than solar energy. However, having an offshore or onshore wind farm does not exclude investments in solar or in other sources. The fee paid by Enemalta to those who feed into the national grid energy derived from photovoltaic cells remains miserably low, for example.
But let's keep our feet on the ground. Exploring alternatives, such as current, wave or geothermal energy, should be encouraged but this will not stop the clock from ticking. Hence, while such research ensues, some decisions must be made at this point in time. A mature and responsible debate is called for at this stage. Let's not allow this umpteenth opportunity to be squandered by undignified squabbles. Let us allow the technologically-savvy to do the talk.
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Andrew Camilleri
May 2nd 2009, 12:25
@Victor Laiviera: Look who's commenting. The usual cheek from Labour. I won't even bother arguing with blinkered socialists. One cannot have a decent conversation without politics and criticism of the government being thrown in somewhere. Yes, the government can be criticised about certain issues, but about everything? It's as though living under a PL government would be heaven on Earth. With Joseph Muscat as leader? Forget it. I don't want my Prime Minister foaming at the mouth to get his 'point' through, as in the shameful parliamentary debate on emending the electoral laws.
Victor Laiviera
May 1st 2009, 09:50
If Mr Deidun thinks that the debate should be left to the technically-savvy, how come he has thrown in his lot with a party that, when in Government, invariably bases its decisons on partisan political interests well ahead of the national interest?
A Borg
May 1st 2009, 09:26
let's be frank, nobody wants the wind turbines in his backyard. as regards the noise, yes they do produce noise, low frequency at times maybe, but fact is that they have even been responsible for altering animal behaviour.
and dear, about the "natural marine reserve", dr deidun, are you sure of what you're saying? are you considering the tonns of construction material which will be implemented in this operation and the harm this will cause? obviously all this comes without mentioning the expensive maintenance, the very challenge of getting these monsters through our roads (everybody is aware of the state of our infrastructure), and the amount of wind. a breeze is considered wind, but it cannot be appropriately harnessed to create a suffiecient amount of energy.
i'm perplexed as to why the government has set it's mind on wind and isn't focusing on the sun we have, which i believe everybody agrees, is our most widely available resource.
GaleaL
May 1st 2009, 09:19
Andrew Camilleri
Studies will be resurrected just before next general election as they have been resurrected now just before the EP election. How long does the PN expect the people to remain naive?
dr joseph n borg
Apr 30th 2009, 22:02
why isn't the visual impact given its due. these turbines are as high as the portomaso tower!!!! yes. the image proposed is decietfull....Now take a deep breath, close your eyes and immagine 19 portomasos next to each other at ghadira bay... crazy
Fiona Grech
Apr 30th 2009, 21:45
I say less talk and more action! These windfarms are way overdue, isnt it about time we concerned ourselves with the state of the planet and how we can make life better for our children rather than aesthetics at this point in time...
Andrew Camilleri
Apr 30th 2009, 20:56
Part 2
Land based facilities may be cheaper - but hey, have you seen the size of our islands compared to the land area in somewhere like France? Do you honestly think we can afford to throw away more land? Land is precious. If something does not need land to be useful, then why waste land? It may be more expensive in the short term, but one has to look at costs in the long term. It may be much more costly, in the end, to build something on land. Of course, there would need to be studies on that.
Andrew Camilleri
Apr 30th 2009, 20:53
Part 1
I do not think the government is 'rushing into it'. EIAs are going to be conducted, of course; I am sure that the government will abide by any of the findings which these studies may come up with.
The issue of alternative energy is a pressing one, and one has to start from somewhere in a country where there is practically no clean energy in general use. With regards to alternative forms of energy, wind energy has so far proved to be the most viable and cost effective. Solar energy, for example, utilizes photovoltaic cells which as yet are still inefficient. This means that much of the energy they receive from the sun is wasted, say as heat. Wind turbines are much more efficient.
You stated that Malta is not windy enough. I'd hate to disabuse you, but on average, Malta has only three days without wind every year.
r scicluna
Apr 30th 2009, 20:00
Re wied rini wind turbines - i wish someone would keep in mind that wied rini is not in the middle of nowhere. The villages of Bahrija Mtahleb and Dingli are very near - no one wants their lives disturbed by the noise.
Marco Cremona
Apr 30th 2009, 17:32
In my opinion, it is irresponsible to rush into developing multi-million-euro wind -farms without carrying out a thorough assessment of all the options available. It is a well known fact that the wind resource on Malta is very poor; the country is densely populated and there will inevitably be a social impact wherever a wind farm is installed. Moreover, wind farms produce intermittent and inconsistent energy, which will cause havoc to a small and isolated electricity network thus still necessitating a connection to mainland Europe. Offshore wind installations are much more costly than land based facilities – yet government announced plans to ‘invest’ almost EUR400m on the basis of such unfavourable information, the bulk of which will go for a very expensive offshore installation.
There exist less expensive and troublesome alternatives. It is possible that Malta invests in a wind farm in Scotland where the wind potential is many times better and where the aesthetic, social and environmental impacts are much less– and the electricity generated accounts for Malta reaching its renewable energy targets. Has this option been considered?
We should be investing in energy efficiency not grandoise installations. The RES target is best reached if we invest elsewhere.
ALAN DEIDUN
Apr 30th 2009, 15:36
Dear Mr. Portelli - rather than being cynical, why not try to understand that every Sunday morning, from 11am to 12pm, the party organises a djalogu in a particular town or village - if the organisers expected me to attend, then they should have chosen another time.
On another note, I invited Dr. Cassola, along with Mr. Leo Brincat, for an environmental seminar I organised at AZAD last week - he declined. Do I construe hidden agendas on behalf of Dr.Cassola? Certainly not, since I know the individual and am aware of his busy schedule. Hence, rather than being cynical, I suggest you try to give new candidates like myself a chance if you really believe in revamping the local political scene since at the moment I am very disillusioned with the criticism I am continuously getting from some supposedly green quarters, ever since the start of my campaign.
Anton Portelli
Apr 30th 2009, 10:35
is this the reason why Mr. Deidun did not appear for the debate on 'Energy' organised by the Circolo Gozitano in Gozo last Sunday?