Malta “cannot completely ignore wind energy”. Photo: Darrin Zammit LupiMalta “cannot completely ignore wind energy”. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Renewable energy experts disagree with the government’s decision to scrap projects for the development of wind energy and insist the option should remain open. At the same time, they agree that more emphasis should be put on energy from the sun because the industry has changed, solar farms having become cheaper and more economically viable.

The government announced on Monday it had stopped pursuing the development of large-scale wind farms to meet 2020 EU energy targets. It said it would shift its policy to solar energy by encouraging the construction of massive solar farms.

Malta is bound by EU rules to produce 10 per cent of its energy needs through renewable sources by the end of this decade. So far, the island is far from reaching its targets.

Speaking to Times of Malta yesterday, Tonio Sant, chairman of the university’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, said that although solar energy had to be exploited, he disagreed with scrapping wind energy projects entirely.

“It is bad to put all your eggs in one basket and the option of wind energy should still be left open. We need a mix and our studies show that onshore wind energy in Malta is economically viable.”

Prof. Sant said studies conducted by the university showed that wind currents were strong enough to support wind farms in Malta. “There are environmental impacts but these can be mitigated. There are also the same impacts, or even worse, with regard to solar farms,” he pointed out.

Our studies show that onshore wind energy in Malta is viable

Edward Mallia – one of the most well-researched academics on renewable energy in Malta – holds a similar opinion.

While stating that the offshore wind farm proposed for the Sikka l-Bajda by the previous government was “a bit overblown” and had many environmental problems, he feels Malta cannot completely ignore wind energy.

Agreeing that the recent Chinese investment in Malta and interest in supplying PV panels may have played a role in the government’s change of plans, he said the problem was that the government never gave all the information whenever such a decision was made.

“[Minister] Konrad Mizzi has been playing striptease all the time. Just look at the power station contract,” he said to illustrate his point about lack of transparency.

Prof. Mallia agreed that solar energy was important for the island, though he expressed doubts on whether the island could afford the 2.7 square kilometres of space that is required to have enough PV panels to make up for the loss of wind energy.

Former Enemalta chairman Robert Ghirlando also disagreed with scrapping the wind option but said he was not surprised with the policy shift because “the writing was on the wall”.

Prof. Ghirlando, who lectures on renewable energy at the university, said the problem with wind energy was not one of viability but of location.

“At the same time, technology is advancing rapidly and we should not close the door.”

Under a National Renewable Energy plan submitted to the EU by the previous government in 2011, Malta is proposing the construction of three wind farms, two onshore at Ħal Far and Wied Rini, in Baħrija, and another one, the largest, about 30 kilometres offshore of Gozo.

Despite its announcement of the move to solar, based on studies showing that wind projects lack viability, the government has not published any studies on wind energy.

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