Potential Sites for Off-Shore Wind Power in Australia

This study identifies potential sites for off-shore wind power in Australia. It uses a systematic framework, a type of multi-criteria analysis with constraints. The method fosters a transparent, participatory process for inputting criteria. The key parameters considered are the annual mean wind speeds, the depth of water, distance from the shore, and locations of existing transmission lines, centres of electricity demand and protected areas. Although ocean depth increases rapidly around most of the long Australian coastline and many regions are almost uninhabited, we find several regions of high potential near populated areas. The best sites are located off the Western Australian coast near the South-West Integrated System (grid). There are also several possible site regions off the coasts of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.