Nicky Ison (@nickymison) is the “founding director of the Community Power Agency and research associate at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney.” It sure looks like he has a lot at stake in pushing for more and more “renewable” energy to be built. And he thinks they can do 100%. Despite the utter failure of renewables during a heat wave in Australia
What would Australia look like powered by 100% renewable energy?
Probably like the center area
Anyhow, Nicky thinks it would look like
1. Big on wind and solar
In future, the bulk of our electricity will come from the most affordable technologies – wind and solar photovoltaic (PV). In areas with the best renewable resources, big wind and solar projects connected to transmission lines will generate electricity to power Australia’s industry, transport, cities and exports.
2. Lots of different technologies in different locations
These solar and wind farms will be spread across the country, sharing their output, because in a huge continent the size of Australia, the wind is almost always blowing somewhere.
Basically, they would have to cover over the continent sized nation with solar panels and wind turbines, destroying the pristine areas, destroying wildlife areas, leaving lots of concrete pads for the turbines, disrupting the habits of wildlife as they turn and cast constantly turning shadows, as well as all the solar panels keeping sunlight from hitting the plant life.
Hold on … hydropower in the dry continent of Australia? Yes, they have identified 22,000 potential sites, mainly off-river reservoirs in hilly terrain or abandoned mine sites, and just 0.1% of those could meet all of Australia’s storage needs in a 100% renewable grid.
And the extreme enviros will block these hydropower sites, as well as putting up the solar panels and wind turbines, and, failing that, the transmission lines which can disrupt wildlife and despoil the environment.
Future electricity use will be much more dynamic. When the sun is shining or a gale is blowing, smart software will send a signal to energy users to turn on their pumps and fill up their batteries.
First, the tech to truly hold the necessary energy doesn’t really exist. Second, the batteries only last so long, creating a toxic mess. Good idea, guys!
6. Industry and transport go renewable too, and not just in Australia
In other words, they’re going to force Other People out of their fossil fueled vehicles, and do away with clean, abundant, reliable natural gas. Will they require the demolition of all airports, too?
Such a transition has engineering and policy challenges that must be addressed, but with our smartest minds on the job, creating this energy system of the future is already under way. The biggest question that remains is – will we do it at the speed that climate change demands?
Will they do it at the speed to make Nicky and the other Warmists pushing this lots of money quickly?
You do realize that despite the right’s best (worst?) efforts transitioning from fossil fuels is going to happen. In fits and starts, but it’s going to happen.
Sure it is, right after they find a suitable alternative.
Which is nowhere on the horizon.
In the words of Randy Newman:
Now Asia’s crowded
And Europe’s too old.
Africa’s far too hot,
And Canada’s too cold.
And South America stole our name.
Let’s drop the big one; there’ll be no one left to blame us.
Bridge:
We’ll save Australia;
Don’t wanna hurt no kangaroo.
We’ll build an all-American amusement park there;
They’ve got surfing, too.