How heatwaves could fuel Victorian wind farm

Victoria’s crazy weather patterns mean a proposed Gippsland wind farm could generate a fifth of the state’s electricity needs, the team behind the project says.

Every heatwave in Melbourne over the past three decades also brought strong winds in the evening at the proposed site of Australia’s first offshore wind farm.

The team behind the Star of the South project say this means the wind farm would be perfectly positioned to pump power into Victoria’s energy grid when it is stretched to the limit by Melburnians turning on their air conditioners on sweltering days.

The $8-10bn project, proposed off the south coast of Gippsland, could generate a fifth of the state’s electricity needs, powering about 1.2 million homes.

A detailed analysis of Bureau of Meteorology records found weather patterns which caused heatwaves in Melbourne were accompanied by a high pressure system that brought strong winds in Bass Strait.

Last summer, wind monitors in place to assess the project’s viability found that on four of the hottest evenings, the site’s capacity factor was nearly 70 per cent — well above the 20-40 per cent capacity of a typical wind farm.

Wind speeds at those times averaged 47km/h, compared to a summer average of 13km/h.

A detailed analysis of Bureau of Meteorology records found weather patterns which caused heatwaves in Melbourne were accompanied by strong winds in Bass Strait.

Victorians have had their power switched off in recent years as energy authorities have battled keep the grid operating during heatwaves, with ageing coal-fired power stations experiencing reliability issues and onshore solar and wind generators slowing down during peak afternoons.

Star of the South Project chief Casper Frost Thorhauge, who has developed offshore wind farms in Asia and Europe, said the project would complement other renewables “to make a more reliable and diverse system”.

“We analysed data over nearly 30 years and found a unique weather pattern on hot days that sees Bass Strait winds build up in the evening, creating strong offshore winds when demand for power is high,” he said.

“Star of the South would harness Gippsland’s offshore wind resource, providing new generation to power Victorian homes with clean energy.”

The analysis of weather bureau records looked at conditions at the Star of the South site — and renewable energy zones in Victoria’s west and southwest — on days above 35C in Melbourne.

There were good wind conditions in at least one of the three sites during 85 per cent of hot hours, and excellent conditions during 51 per cent of hot hours. But without Star of the South, good wind conditions dropped to 61 per cent and excellent conditions fell to 21 per cent.

The federal government is now developing a regulatory framework to enable offshore wind projects like Star of the South.

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