Turbine power grew to 40 per cent last year

Wind power generation across the eastern states of Australia grew by 40% last year as several large farms began operating. A Climate Group report on electricity generation and its emissions, covering all states except Western Australia, found 83% of power used in 2009 came from greenhouse-intensive coal. Nine per cent was from renewable sources - mainly hydro power - and 8% from gas. The biggest growth from renewable sources was from wind turbines, which fed 4.1 million megawatt hours into the national electricity grid. The increase was boosted by the opening of the largest wind farm at Waubra, north-west of Ballarat. Wind supplies about 2% of total power across the eastern seaboard. This is expected to grow dramatically over the next decade as wind farms are built to meet the bulk of the national 20% renewable energy target. The growth in renewable power last year meant emissions were about 2 million tonnes lower than if the electricity had come from coal.