Why the rush to build renewables?

Dear Madam Editor

Last Thursday, as I was driving, I was listening to Chris Smith on radio 2SM Sydney.

He commented on the closure of the Codrington wind farm in south western Victoria – I believe it is near Port Fairy.

He stated that it is being closed because Pacific Blue, the energy company that developed it (and is now Chinese-owned) has found it will be too expensive to replace the turbines after 20 years. Yambuk farm nearby is also due to be decommissioned

He also said that the decommissioning process will be difficult as the large blades are not recyclable and rehabilitating the farm land will be nigh impossible as the huge concrete foundations cannot be removed. I was disappointed to read that Michael McCormack MP thinks it is perfectly acceptable.

Now that the proposed solar farm near Yass has been shut down – he is quoted as saying it will be far more suitable to build such things 400 kms away on the Hay Plains.

Obviously, he must be part of the Not in My Back Yard Movement.

I would be interested to actually hear how building these renewable monstrosities is going to be such an economic boon to the Hay community? Yes, in the short term whilst they are being built there should be an upside and some landholders benefit but after that what then? I would like to be enlightened. In the meantime, my understanding is that they are being subsidised to a huge extent by the taxpayer and yet meanwhile our power bills continue to soar.

But the bottom line is – why this huge expense and rush to build highly subsidised renewables that actually have to be renewed down the track and impinge on the environment they are supposedly saving?

I believe the efficiency, environmental and economic viability of this left ideologically driven push by Christopher Bowen is highly questionable. Thanking you for your time

Yours faithfully, Marg Harvey.