I believe it's a first ever strike!
Victorian volunteer fire fighters in the Country Fire Authority (CFA) have gone on strike and are refusing to fight fires originating in Solar, Wind and Battery Factories.
1. Because of the risk to their health from toxic smoke, given off by these fires. And the risk of being trapped amongst the solar panels and security fences.
2. Because with the Wind Turbines being on 280m towers, when they catch fire they are unreachable to be extinguished from the ground, they throw burning debris for a distance of 500m to a kilometre away, starting more fires. And flying water bombers have to keep 5 kilometres or more away for safety reasons, meaning the fires cannot be fought until they are well and truly out of control.
3. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) fires are very difficult to control. The smoke is extremely toxic. They are made with a lithium component that can self combust if a fault arises, they can react explosively when sprayed with water, although they need to be cooled with large quantities of water. And a battery will continuously ignite for several days until burnt out.
4. Thousands of kilometres of High Voltage Transmission Lines. The lines are a great risk of starting bushfires, and firefighters have to be very careful even crossing underneath the Transmission lines, let alone fighting the fires, near the transmission lines because of the risk of electricity arcing from the power lines.
It is not surprising that the CFA fire fighters are putting their lives and safety first.
BUT THEN COMES THE BIG DILEMMA. WHAT OF THE SAFETY OF RURAL AUSTRALIA?
Australia is known worldwide, as one of the most bushfire prone countries in the World, with some fires taking a huge toll. For instance, in the Black Saturday Bushfires that occurred on the 7th Feb 2009. The fires saw 450,000 hectares of land burnt, 175 people died, 414 were injured, with 3,500 building destroyed, 2,029 being homes.
NOW IN THE WISDOM AND GREED OF THE ENERGY MINISTERS AND ASSOCIATED INVESTORS THEY HAVE:
Sprayed across Australia, up to fifty to 100, Solar Factories each tightly packed with up to a 1,000,000 electrified solar panels, plus inverters, and BESS’s. Along with the solar factories. Up to 6,000 Wind turbines on 250m to 300m towers with associated BESS;’s have also been scattered on hills and inaccessible mountain ranges. All these electrified unreliables are to be connected with 28,000kms of HV Transmission Lines.
WHAT A TINDERBOX HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO BE SETUP. AGAINST THE WISHES OF RURAL AUSTRALIANS.
All that is needed is an across States day of TOTAL FIREBAN, with 43d temperature and a hot 75km/hr Northerly wind. Several solar panels to malfunction, along with five to ten wind turbines and a BESS. With fire fighters not willing to risk their lives to fight the fires.
THE RESULT WILL BE A CATASTROPHE THAT WILL BURN OUT A HUGE PART OF AUSTRALIA.
ONCE AGAIN I WILL DEMAND. THAT THE TRANSITION TO RENEWABLES MUST BE STOPPED NOW
All this again underlines how important (beginning with Liddell which closed in April 2023, Eraring in 2025, Yallourn in (2032 now 2028), Bayswater in 2033, with Loyang A in 2045). AND THAT NONE OF THESE COAL FIRED POWER STATIONS BE DEMOLISHED AFTER IT IS CLOSED, BUT BE MOTHBALLED, SO IT CAN BE RESTARTED IN THE EVENT, THAT A SHORTAGE OF ELECTRICAL GENERATION REQUIRES IT TO BE RESTARTED. Even if this requires the coal fired generators be compulsory acquired by the relevant Government, in the National interest.
May I strongly urge all business owners, large and small. CEO’s Managers, those in charge of aged care homes, and other public institutions, everyone in a position of management. Homeowners, etc. Reliable, low-cost power is essential. Blackouts are a diabolically, serious issue. Talk with your management, boards, staff about how it will affect your business.
The ACT Government claims that they are totally renewable energy powered. The ACT Government is deluding themselves and doesn’t realise how wrong they are. As all their electricity comes from the NSW Grid. It is more likely to be anywhere between 60% to 80% fossil fuels and only 20% to 30% unreliables, with the damage unreliables are doing to Rural Australia the whole project is a disaster.
Continue to promote our petition as widely as possible. https://www.change.org/p/blackouts-will-be-devastating-they-must-be-avoided-at-all-costs
Please donate $20 or $50 to keep our petition in the public eye. People are waking up. Promote the petition on Change.org and share it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, 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: Eastern States 19th June 2024 3.15pm EST. Batteries 0%, Biomass 0%, Black Coal 41% Brown Coal 19%, Gas 5%, Hydro 9% Diesel 0% Solar 20%, Wind 6%. What should be a peak time for solar and wind production, but they are only contributing 26% of the Grid requirements.
Note Electricity costs: Qld running on 66% Black coal 29% Solar 1% Wind Cost $39(MWh). - Victoria 77% Brown coal 7% Solar 3% Wind Cost $228 (MWh)
STOP PRESS: South Australia 4th June 2024 9.05pm EST. Batteries 0%, Gas 97%, Diesel 3% Solar 0%, Wind 0%.
SA RENEWABLES CAPITAL OF AUSTRALIA WITH BATTERIES, SOLAR AND WIND PRODUCING NO ELECTRICITY, ZERO, NOTHING
We are up to 3,347 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? The possibility is too awful to contemplate.
WE MUST KEEP THOSE COAL FIRED GENERATORS GOING, TO KEEP OUR SOCIETY FROM HAVING BLACKOUTS, POWER RATIONING AND EXHORBITANT ENERGY PRICES.