VICTORIA'S landscape could be covered with up to 2500 turbines, if plans for more wind farms come to fruition.
And the Victorian Government says it does not have an upper limit on the number of turbines it will approve for the state.
- Are wind farms a viable power source?
- Have Your Say now in the form below
Eight wind farms, with a total of 266 turbines, already operate in Victoria.
Information from the Department of Primary Industries shows another 20 wind farms have been approved, with a total of 850 turbines.
A further 28 farms, with a total of 996 turbines, are being planned by various wind farm companies, most of them in Western Victoria.
Of the 28 proposed wind farms, 11 do not have the number of turbines listed.
Among the proposed wind farms is the controversial project at Stockyard Hill, south of Beaufort.
A planning permit has been lodged with the Minister for Planning, and if approved the 242-turbine wind farm will be the largest in Victoria.
Western District Landscape Guardians spokeswoman Cassie Franzose said since wind was an intermittent power source, it had to be "shadowed" by fossil fuel power stations.
"It's like riding your bike to work, but having someone follow you in your car in case you can't cycle all the way," Ms Franzose said.
"The further you dig the more you realise the turbines cannot do what they claim to do."
Ms Franzose said rural people were carrying the burden of having the dozens of turbines in their district.
"We're told we have to sacrifice for the greater good and if you don't then it will devastate the planet," Ms Franzose said.
"But this is about making people feel good, particularly city dwellers so they don't feeling guilty about running their air-conditioning.
"It does not encourage people to reduce their electricity consumption."
A spokesman for Planning Minister Justin Madden said the Government was committed to managing energy generation from wind farms in a way that appropriately balanced environmental, economic and social factors including their location and impact on local communities.
"Each proposal is considered individually on its merits.
"As Victoria's economy grows the demand for energy grows with it.
"Cleaner energy - such as wind, solar and hydro - is helping to change the overall energy mix and will, in time, lead to a lower reliance on the use of coal to generate our electricity."
