Late last year, we firstly hosted Japanese researchers and community wind advocates from Hosei University, Nagoya University and ISEP, who were undertaking research on social acceptance and wind farms in Australia and then seeking to apply their findings to the Japanese context.

One of the researchers, Yasushi, was the founder and director of Japan’s first community-owned wind farm. Much was learnt by us exploring our different models and lessons learnt.

In February, Taryn Lane represented Hepburn Wind and Embark at Japan’s national community energy conference presented by ISEP and various other speaking engagements and community workshops.

Over 300 community members showed up at the national conference in Ube, Yamaguchi province, where the next nuclear power plant is due to be built. Taryn also presented alongside Soren Hermansen (Samso Island) and Kristopher Stevens (OSEA).

300 participants showed up to the community energy conference in Ube, Japan.

This month we then hosted a delegation of youth ambassadors from Fukushima. Our local paper covered the visit.

wind farm dog Squizzy (CEO Tracy Anthony’s pet pooch) always steals the show.

Our application form and guidelines to apply are online and applications will be accepted until 5pm on 24 May.

The Fund’s focus is squarely on our community and aims to:

●  strengthen and build capacity within our local community

●  inspire innovative approaches to local issues

●  encourage collaboration and collective action

●  raise awareness of and commitment to sustainability

●  deliver positive environmental outcomes.

The Fund supports projects by community organisations that will provide lasting benefits across the following areas: environmental, well-being, education, recreation and cultural.

Full details are available at hepburnwind.com.au/fund or by calling 5348 6760.

With Tony Gill and Simon Holmes à Court co-chairing the meeting we managed to successfully pass a large number of special resolutions, vote in three new directors and share ideas with those in attendance. We welcome John Edgoose, Tony Gill and Mitch Watson to the team and are looking forward to working with them over the coming years.

After the meeting we braved the wintry conditions to open up Gale for those who were keen to have a look inside.

Further congratulations to Tony Gill who was recently appointed by the board to the position of Chair. Tony has a passion for governance and has driven the development of our co-operative’s rules and management policies over the past six months.

Our board of 2013

Mark Dreyfus praised Hepburn Wind as a prime example of what can be achieved through community-based innovation.

Peter Rae, a former Liberal Senator for Tasmania and also the Chairman of the International Renewable Energy Alliance said “With the award, WWEA would also like to encourage the government of Victoria and Australia as well as governments around the world to support communities in their efforts to harvest clean and inexhaustible wind power, for their own benefit and for the benefit of the planet.”

Last week we received formal notification that, after thorough investigation and assessment, the Hepburn Shire Council is satisfied that the wind farm is compliant with the relevant noise standards.

At the request of the the shire, the Victorian Environment Protection Authority (EPA) provided an independent assessment and have advised that they too are satisfied with the acoustic reporting.

We are grateful to the Council and the EPA for carrying out their duties with diligence and due care for our community. We will be offering a forum for all residents in the vicinity of the wind farm to present the final report.

During the monitoring program, noise was monitored at 10 locations, 24 hours a day for at least two weeks both before and after construction. A copy of the report is available on our website.

The final noise report and associated letters from Hepburn Shire Council and EPA are available here.

Just this morning our two turbines, Gale and Gusto, generated their 10 millionth kilowatt hour of clean, safe energy. This came just days after the anniversary of our first generation at the end of last month.

Thankyou to the WWEA for valuing our journey and congratulations to all of our members, the founders and the Hepburn Wind team ? what a week of achievement!

They have recorded the brush-tailed phascogale which is listed as vulnerable. It is not recorded as found in the Wombat (except the Hepburn block) and a pair of spotted quail-thrushes which are listed as near threatened.

The community-owned windfarm was one of nine Australian cooperatives selected to be on Australia Post stamps commemorating the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives.

Read the article in The Advocate. Sourvenir stamp sheets may be purchased online at the Australia Post online shop. Click the image below to go to auspost.

When I became the acting medical officer of health for Chatham-Kent, little did I know that I would be swept headlong into controversy about harnessing the wind right here in our backyard. Three years ago, I was asked to help make sense of the conflicting information the local council was receiving about the effects of wind turbines on human health.

I researched the topic extensively and found no scientifically credible evidence that wind turbines eroded human health. I was then asked to produce a more extensive report that was issued by the Chatham-Kent Health Unit. Since then I have been asked to speak on a number of occasions about wind turbines and health, and I have collaborated on an international panel review on the topic with some of the biggest names in audiology and occupational health.

It is admittedly a complicated topic that has been made more complicated by the huge amount of misinformation that has been circulated. Wind turbines do not produce unique sounds in terms of intensity or characteristics. The sound intensity is virtually the same as what is found in normal urban environments.

There is also no convincing scientific evidence of an epidemiologic link between wind turbine sound exposure and health problems. However, a very small number of people believe otherwise; they’ve attributed illnesses of all kinds to wind turbines. There is no doubt that some people find the low level swishswish sound of wind turbines annoying. And these people claim that annoyance itself is a health effect, since annoyance can lead to stress and too much stress is bad. However, by such criteria, living anywhere in a town or city is a threat to health.

Wind power opponents continue to make claims about sickness caused by turbines, which they call “industrial” wind turbines, as that sounds more threatening. However, 10 reviews, including reviews by Ontario’s chief medical health officer, the Australian government, the Sierra Club and McMaster University have confirmed that there is no evidence of direct adverse health effects from wind turbines when sited to comply with Ontario’s noise regulations.

Furthermore, all the power generation alternatives except solar energy are clearly worse than wind turbines in terms of health and environmenral effects. That’s especially true of coal-fired generating stations. According to a study prepared for the Ontario government, coal plants cause nearly 250 deaths and more than 120,000 illnesses (such as asthma attacks) each year in the province. So while I am sympathetic to concerns raised by local residents and agree that any projects must be sited in a way that minimizes impact on local residents, when it comes to energy choices for healthy communities, I am confident that we shouldn’t be tilting at windmills.

Dr. W David Colby is acting medical officer of health in Chatham-Kent, and associate professor at the University of Western Ontario’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.