Australia Stepping Back From The Coal-Fired Edge

Climate change is powerfully symbolized by severe drought. Extended, widespread drought can make potable water scarce. Desalination plants are energy intensive and expensive to build and run: the several recently build or planned for Australia may be taken as a sign of climate change desperation.

Coal rules Australian exports and politics. So, each time Australia plans more de-sal plants we might expect extra coal fired electricity capacity add-ons to complete the vicious cycle. Perhaps not for Sydney.

SYDNEY'S controversial desalination plant will be supplied with power from 75 wind turbines from as many as six wind farms to be built across the state.
The $1.7 billion project will demand almost one-fifth of the country's wind-generated energy, providing the biggest ever boost to the state's green energy industry.

Water Utilities Minister Nathan Rees will today issue a request for proposals from energy suppliers to power the 400,000MwH plant.

It follows a briefing by Sydney Water to 22 renewable energy providers earlier this month about supplying green energy to power Sydney's desalination plant...

The plant's green energy demand comes on top of Sydney Water's recent announcement that the rest of its operations would become carbon neutral by 2020.

Via::The Daily Telegraph, "Wind fires desal water plant" Image credit::The ABB Group, Perth Australia Desal Plant