In an unprecedented year that has featured bush fires, floods, a global pandemic, the election of the 46th US president, the team at Walker Wayland NSW have been focused on servicing our clients all while considering our environmental and social footprint. This resulted in achieving Carbon Neutral Status with Climate Active. A key feature of our Carbon Neutral Journey has been our commitment to investing in wind farm projects in Australia and overseas as this was our chosen path to negate our greenhouse gas emissions.
Currently one of Australia’s main sources of renewable energy, accounting for 8.5% of the total energy demand for the nation in 2019, wind energy is one of the cleanest forms of energy because it does not rely on the use of non-renewable energy to run. After the initial manufacturing and installation, a wind turbine is powered exclusively by the wind and can generate enough energy, on average, to power the average energy consumption of a household for a day with just one rotation of the blades[1].
With advances in technology making the turbines larger and more efficient, wind turbines are becoming more accessible to not only businesses but also individuals and farmers. In the not so distant future, there is the high possibility that while driving down the coast you will be seeing cows and wind turbines sharing fields.
Source: https://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/resources/technologies/wind
While the initial cost of set up is significant, this cost generally accounts for 75% of the total cost of the turbine with the remaining costs for the life of the turbine being only operation and maintenance costs. Once running there are no fuel or carbon costs, which when compared to the costs of running a gas power plant the overall costs of running a wind farm are minimal. With a lifetime of 20 to 25 years and electricity production time of, on average, 70-85% of the turbine’s life, wind farming is the future of renewable energy in Australia[2].
We here at Walker Wayland NSW feel obliged to measure our environmental impact for the benefit of generations to come and it is for this reason we are committed to investing in Wind farms as a source of renewable energy.
If you would like to hear more about our Carbon Neutral journey, please feel free to reach out. We can potentially assist you with becoming Carbon Neutral as we offer reporting and assurance services that facilitate becoming Carbon Neutral. We are proud to say that we are only one of two accounting firms in Australia that have achieved this status.
[1] https://www.inspirecleanenergy.com/blog/clean-energy-101/how-much-energy-does-wind-turbine-produce
[2] https://www.ewea.org/wind-energy-basics/faq/#:~:text=The%20output%20of%20a%20wind,average%20EU%20households%20with%20electricity
