Wind power generated more than 6400GWh of electricity in Australia in the past year, with investment in wind power totalling $1.16 billion during the 2010-11 financial year. The Clean Energy Council's recent renewable energy report shows that the amount of wind power in Australia has grown by an average of 35 per cent per year over the past five years, with the efficiency and power output of turbines quickly evolving. South Australia alone may have 4.405GW of wind installed by 2030, resulting in significant numbers of hours where wind energy production is expected to exceed demand. With a predicted fourfold increase to the existing 1.75GW of wind over the next 20 years, the National Electricity Market (NEM) is facing a potential dramatic increase in wind energy.Integrating the variable, intermittent and asynchronous nature of wind power into the NEM brings a host of technical challenges. For generators looking to build wind farms and gain access or connection agreements with network providers, the negotiation process can be challenging. Community concerns must also be addressed, with the South Australian Opposition's recent 2km exclusion zone policy proposal for wind farms causing the Clean Energy Council to label it a major threat to investment. But the uncertainty and cost involved in building wind farms continue to reduce as state and federal legislation drives investment towards renewable energy.
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