20895 ACE Language (Yr 6) Structures and Language Features

Windfarms: how good are they?
Resource sheet
The use of wind as a free and readily available source of power is not new. Ancient sailors
captured wind to sail long distances and explore the world. Farmers have also used wind for
generations, to turn windmills pumping water for their stock and crops, and for grinding
their grain.
Today windfarms use wind to generate electricity by turning two or three huge 60-metre long
propeller-like blades set high up on a 20-storey tower where they can capture more wind
energy. There are many of these turbines clustered over a large area at a windfarm. They
are positioned where the wind is fairly strong and constant; some on land that is unsuitable
for other purposes and some on land still used
for farming. Offshore windfarms have also
been established.
It is claimed the wind energy industry is
booming and that by 2050, one-third of
the world’s electricity will be generated
by wind. Electricity produced by
windfarms is renewable and costs are
low once a turbine is erected. Less
fossil fuel is being burned to make
electricity and greenhouse gases are
being reduced. They cause no air or
water pollution and do not harm the
environment.
Interestingly, this source of electricity,
while enthusiastically embraced by many
of the world’s populations, is not without
controversy. It has been reported that some existing
windfarms have been shut down because of costs and some strongly voiced opposition has
been widely reported in the media. Complaints were made about blade glint and noise. So,
low-reflective coating was added to sails and people were told windfarm noise is inaudible
to humans. But the main concerns involve health issues, such as anxiety, epilepsy caused
by shadow flicker, insomnia, hearing loss, and speech and learning difficulties in children.
Research so far is inconclusive, but it is known that anxiety itself can cause these symptoms.
Birds are another issue. A log of the birds killed by rotating sails has been kept at many
windfarms. Although bird migratory routes are now taken into account by developers,
many are still dying.
As world energy consumption continues to rise, sustainable solutions are essential. Despite
some people’s aversion to the strange, almost alien appearance of these huge machines
’visually polluting’ the landscape, they are one part of the solution. However, some people
have expressed concerns about production costs and the health questions deserve further
research.
Australian Curriculum English – Language: Text structure and organisation (Year 6) www.ricpublications.com.au R.I.C. Publications ®
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Understand how authors often innovate on text structures and play with language features to achieve particular aesthetic, humorous and persuasive purposes and effects (ACELA1518)
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