Wind power grows at energetic pace

Wind power was the fastest growing part of the energy sector, increasing by 360 per cent last year, a power summit in Auckland was told yesterday.

Wind Energy Association chief executive James Glennie said 2004 had seen 130 megawatts (MW) of capacity commissioned.

Moreover, 70MW of new capacity had been commissioned in the past four months and 170MW was in the consent process.

"Today about 1000MW of wind energy developments could be built at prices very competitive with any other form of generation and without subsidies," Glennie said. "Most importantly, however, the cost of electricity produced from a wind turbine is largely known for a 20-year period from the day the turbine is switched on.

"The opposite is true for fossil fuels, which are being traded on an increasingly volatile market."

However, wind energy did not hold "all the answers".

The energy industry needed to stop its in-fighting and look to a balanced energy generation portfolio, involving hydro, wind, geothermal, coal, natural gas and maybe other energy sources as well.

"What has changed is that wind energy can now compete on every front with any other form of electricity generation and we plan on doing just that," Glennie said.

- NZPA