"I am not against fossil at all . I dread the idea of Labor winning the federal election and imposing their ideologic 50% renewables by 2030 without any idea of how to do it" . I like that comment acorn, as you would expect.
I thank you for your research and respect your knowledge on the topic.
I am not going to argue with you as I admit I do not have the working knowledge of the projected economics of coal v renewables
However, what I am saying is that every effort should be made by government to ensure energy security particularly for the population of the east coast and SA. I would think it makes sense to make the best efforts to extend the life of established coal fired power stations of which there are, I believe, around 26, until renewables can be fully and economically engaged as a suite of power sources.
I have always dreamed of a day when renewable energy sources could power the World, however, whilst coal currently provides the cheapest and most reliable base load capacity, why would we prematurely try to destroy our economy by scrapping the very lifeblood of our economy and electricity generation for the masses. Don't you agree?
The economic viability of actually providing base load power generation for Australia may be moot until it can be established that alternative renewable sources, (such as nuclear in the mix). In other words, until it can be fully demonstrated that renewables can effectively replace coal completely, we just may have to pay the price for new coal fired power stations. After all, it could be likened as a national necessity such as public transport, which never makes a profit.
At the end of the day, the government of the day, has a responsibility to provide first world power generation for its citizens on a continual basis. If the current method of providing such power becomes more expensive we can all hope that renewables are phased in as they become competitive and as reliable as coal has been for centuries.
Once again, I am not knocking you on this one and appreciate your research. I'm just venturing my opinion of rational economics and practical political responsibilities.
