Today 23/11/23, Federal energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced the Capacity Investment Scheme will be increased by 500% to deliver enough battery, wind, solar and pumped hydro generation to replace exiting coal-fired and thermal power sources. The program will be expanded from its initial mandate to underwrite 6 gigawatts of renewable energy projects to 32GW. Note: The cost to taxpayers is being kept secret under commercial-in-confidence provisions.
In making this announcement, there is no other way to put this, other than to say we have an intellectually challenged Federal Energy Minister Bowen. Who simply can’t grasp the simple facts that no matter how many solar panels, wind turbines, batteries or pumped hydro you have, if they are all critically fuel starved, then they WILL NEVER BE ABLE to replace exiting coal-fired and thermal power sources.
I say fuel starved because. 1. Solar panels are powered by a weather fuel Sunshine. At 12am every day the fuel tank is empty and will remain empty for the next seven to eight hours, until the Sun rises at 7am or 8am. If the weather is fine there may be nine hours of fuel available. But this is uncertain and subject to cloud cover and the fuel tank can suddenly be empty at any time. Beginning between 5pm and 6pm, the fuel tank becomes empty and remains empty for the next fifteen to sixteen hours. This means the fuel tank for solar panels is empty for a minimum of fifteen hours of everyday and could be up to the whole day. A Solar farm can guarantee it will provide zero electricity for the hours of darkness and cannot guarantee it will provide electricity for any particular hour of the day.
2. Wind Turbines are powered by a weather fuel the Wind. At 12am on any day, there is no certainty that the fuel tank will have any fuel available as the weather may be calm. Because they can only produce electricity, when the wind speed is between 12kms/hr and 90kms/hr. The industry reports that Wind Turbines only produce electricity on average for only 35% of their rated capacity or on average for eight hours per day. https://www.turbinegenerator.org/wind/advantages/disadvantages/ Wind Turbines can be becalmed for days at a time, producing no electricity. Likewise, if a gale blows for several days no electricity is produced.
3. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). BESS are becoming integrated into solar and wind farms and as stand-alone entities. The purpose of a BESS is to store surplus energy from solar and wind farms and resell it at a higher price. Batteries alone can never produce any electricity. Batteries are inefficient as they release less electricity that what they take in. BESS are another renewable that only increases the price of electricity to the consumer.
4. Pumped Hydro. Is considered another form of a battery, but is even more costly and inefficient. As shown by the disaster that is Snowy 2.
THE HUGHLY DAMAGING RESULT OF THIS DECISION IS THAT BOWEN WILL HAVE CLOSED DOWN ALL THE COAL FIRED AND THERMAL POWER SOURCES. BUT HIS REPLACEMENT SOLAR PANELS, WIND TURBINES, BATTERIES AND PUMPED HYDRO WILL BE PROVED TO BE HOPELESSLY INADEQUATE.
THIS WILL BE THE BIGGEST AND MOST DAMAGING FAILURE IN PUBLIC POLICY IN AUSTRALIAN HISTORY.
And to compound the problems a Renewable Factories Blight Disease will be created that will seriously damage Rural Australia both economically and environmentally
1. Permanently removing, millions of hectares of agricultural land from production and permanently contaminating offshore oceans
2. Hugely increasing the risk of uncontrollable wildfires, which will threaten the safety of Country living.
3. Slaughter our unique wildlife in numbers leading to extinction.
4. Permanently pollute land, along with surface and underground water runoff.
5. Blighting the renowned scenic beauty and peacefulness of the landscape.
6. Despoiling tourism attractions.
7. Devaluing land values and country lifestyles.
8. REFs intermittent and unreliable renewable electricity production increases electricity prices for both country and city.
9. Australia’s national security is at risk, with a large part of our electricity production and distribution being controlled by foreign companies.
Please promote our petition as widely as possible. https://www.change.org/p/blackouts-will-be-devastating-they-must-be-avoided-at-all-costs I would value it if you are able to donate $20 or $50 to promote the petition on Change.org and also promote it on Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp or Email.
KEEP INFORMED BY DAILY MONITORING THE AEMO DATA DASHBOARD. And alert your friends to watch the AEMO dashboard, the more know what's happening the better.
Particularly at 7pm and 7am (Or a time that suits you?) watch (and record) the mix of coal, gas hydro, batteries, solar and wind generation and the prices per MWh for each State on the AEMO dashboard.
Example: 21 Nov 10.10am EDST. Batteries 0%, Biomass 0%, Black Coal 43%, Brown Coal 19%, Gas 3%, Hydro 4% Diesel 0% Solar 26%, Wind 5% (The unreliables Solar and Wind total of 31%),
A pathetic 5% from Wind nationally. With SA having 8% gas, 39% solar and 50% wind. That looks Ok for SA, but on a calm dark night it would be a totally different story altogether.
Unreliables can be cheap for a few hours. But it is the average over 24hrs, that matters on your electricity bill.
AND FOR KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON AND EVERYTHING FUNCTIONING.
We are up to 2,531 signatures, let’s increase it by many more, everyone’s future depends on it. Continue to spread the word, to all family, friends, anyone you meet, particularly discuss it with shop and business owners. Ask the question, “How do you plan to cope when the blackouts come? Are you thinking of buying a generator? I’m having second thoughts about the portable generator, but I have gas for cooking and heating. WE MUST KEEP THOSE COAL FIRED GENERATORS GOING.