| Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools. |
Wind Power in Australia: Overcoming Technological and Institutional BarriersRMIT University, Australia
RMIT University, Australia Until recently, Australia had little installed wind capacity, although there had been many investigations into its potential during the preceding decades. Formerly, state-owned monopoly utilities showed only token interest in wind power and could dictate the terms of energy debates. This situation changed in the late 1990s: Installed wind capacity began growing rapidly following the introduction of supportive renewable energy policies and the restructuring of the electricity industry. However, wind farms still provide only 1% of Australia's electricity, the future of supportive policies is uncertain, and industry momentum is yet to become self-sustaining. Wind power, the authors argue, faces significant technological and institutional barriers, which need to be overcome if wind power is to play a significant role in Australia's electricity supply. The current window of opportunity is providing—for the first time—a significant space in which these barriers can be better understood and addressed and the requirements for wind power institutionally embedded.
Key Words: wind power • Australia • lock-out • niche • institutional barriers
Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, Vol. 28, No. 2,
115-127 (2008) |
|||
 |
|
|
 |
|
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
