Some bright spots appear in the general gloom depicted in Nick O’Malley’s report on the flight of investment from the offshore wind industry (“Trump huff and puff blows wind industry off”, August 31). Solar is booming, especially on rooftops, and the onshore wind industry is well established. The Australian Energy Market Operator’s forecasts through to 2040 are not heavily dependent on offshore wind power generation. That gives the market time to reassess. What remains troubling is the reluctance of Australian financiers to invest. As Andy Evans is reported as saying, “We want everything cheaply, and we want it now”. Well, we can’t have it cheaply, but now is the time to get moving, as material and construction costs will continue to rise. Energy Minister Chris Bowen put it well when he said, “We don’t do these things because they are easy, we do these things because they are important.” He might well have said, “because the wellbeing of the world depends on it”.
Tom Knowles, Parkville (Vic)
Is this the best choice for replacing fossil fuels?Credit: Getty Images
The American people have elected a madman as president. The latest evidence is his tirade against wind energy, which apparently interferes with his plans to construct golf courses. Now comes the news that a US court has found that most tariffs he has imposed on other countries are illegal. This is a man who has no idea how to separate his personal interests from those of his country, and indeed the rest of the world. It’s time for Australia to turn away from the US and towards Europe to protect its interests. Ian Adair, Hunters Hill
Trump is president only of the USA, not the whole world. Why does he think he can dictate to other countries as to what to do? As he seems to dismiss climate change, he should not “order” other countries to stop using wind power. Marjie Williamson, Blaxland
The reason for the failure of the Australian offshore wind industry to float has nothing to do with Trump. Unlike other more densely populated countries, Australia does not need to go to the extra expense of developing and maintaining offshore wind energy because we have ample vacant terrestrial space with adequate wind. Sadly, Nick O’Malley fails to acknowledge that the Australian coast is unique in that it is a dual avian and cetacean migratory highway, with millions of seabirds and shorebirds flying from north-eastern Europe and Asia to spend summers around the coast, and humpback and southern right whales moving from Antarctica to give birth and mate during the winter. Many of the birds which fly at night would inevitably collide with the turbines, and the extra light, noise and vessel movement would disrupt the vertical migration, which is the primary source of krill and other food for cetaceans. If offshore wind energy development were to go ahead in Australian waters, it would be yet another unnecessary and expensive imposition on a largely intact natural ecosystem. Cherylle Stone, Soldiers Point
Tech appeal limited
As I peruse the SMH online using a phone or laptop, I occasionally feel nostalgia for the hard copy newspaper delivered each morning via a deft throw (“Schools rethink place of tech in class”, August 31). I know several of my friends can’t do without the feel of paper in their hands despite the extra cost. Consequently, I fully endorse the downgrading of laptop use in the learning environment. Textbooks do not need periodic recharging and are less susceptible to loss through theft or malfunction. Furthermore, learning can be enhanced by transcribing notes from whiteboard to exercise book, and imprinting on the mind is accentuated if one must listen carefully to a teacher and take notes. Little doubt that certain essential abilities such as writing legibly would be enhanced. Geoff Harding, Chatswood
Why return to the archaic pen and paper? Why not rethink the three-hour handwritten HSC exams instead? Get with the program. Tech is here to stay. Michele Sharp, Bondi Beach
It is so heartening to read that schools (at least private) are rethinking the use of technology, not only for its impact on learning but also health. It’s disheartening to know this should have happened 10 years ago. Jenny Greenwood, Hunters Hill
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