Do you know how wind turbines are built?
The cost of building a wind turbine in Australia can vary significantly depending on several factors such as the size and type of the turbine, location, and infrastructure requirements. On average, here are some general estimates:
- Small Wind Turbines (residential or small business use):
- Cost: AUD 10,000 to AUD 50,000 per turbine.
- Capacity: Typically, less than 100 kW.
- Commercial-Scale Wind Turbines:
- Cost: AUD 1.5 million to AUD 2.5 million per MW of installed capacity.
- Example: A 2 MW turbine might cost between AUD 3 million and AUD 5 million.
- Utility-Scale Wind Farms:
- Cost: Total project costs can range from AUD 1.5 million to AUD 2.5 million per MW of capacity.
- Example: A 100 MW wind farm might cost between AUD 150 million and AUD 250 million.
Maintenance costs will add to the total investment over the lifespan of the turbine.
There is an enormous amount of “data” floating around on the cost of renewable energy, and the research I have done has shown that figures from cheapest to dearest can be fivefold. Depending on what agenda any author wants to push depends on what data source they select. I respect the data published above as it represents data that is available on various websites. As an example, the published figures by Equinor for their largest floating offshore wind farm in the world [Hywind Tampen] which has just been commissioned, states 88mw nameplate capacity at a cost of AUD$1.12billion. This equates to AUD$12.74million/mw. Compare this to commercial wind farm figures above of AUD$5million for 2mw it makes floating offshore 5 times more expensive than the most expensive on land. The popular figure quoted by pollies and their supporters and anyone else who will listen say that offshore wind is only twice as expensive as on land, and as I said this is their agenda to push for offshore wind development. Clearly the “green agenda” has chosen to ignore the fact that floating offshore wind is incredibly expensive to install and incredibly expensive to maintain, not to mention who pays for this cost through increased energy prices. It is a minefield out there when you are trying to make an informed decision on the future of energy supply for our country. Until such time as Australians as a nation change their social conscience towards nuclear energy, then we will be on this renewable path, and all it has to offer.
They use 110,000 tons of concrete and 45 tons of steel in the base. How much CO2 to make that? The blades have to be replaced every 20-25 years. Same for solar panels. They would ALL have to be replaced 4 times in the lifetime of a nuclear plant. Watch your electricity bill skyrocket.