Close more of these …
Power grids are among the most sophisticated organisms on earth, but they were never designed for the chaos delivered daily by intermittent wind and solar.
For power consumers the first realisation that there’s a problem comes with load shedding (controlled blackouts) or mass blackouts (when the grid manager loses control, altogether).
When sudden and unpredictable collapses of wind power (calm weather) and sudden and wholly predictable collapses of solar power (sunset) coincide with periods of peak demand, it’s candles, torches and Gensets to the rescue. Californians know it, South Australians know it and Texans are learning fast.
In Australia, the hard-green left (Greens and Labor) are determined to wipeout every last coal-fired power plants in the country, rendering power both unaffordable and even more unreliable. Sadly, there are all too many amongst the (notionally conservative) Liberal party eager to assist.
With coal-fired power plants providing more than 70% of electricity consumed across the Eastern Grid, the mathematics is fairly simple: close down another major coal-fired power plants and Australians can get ready for even more time spent boiling or freezing in the dark. Rafe Champion reports.
The coming tipping point in the power supply
Catallaxy Files
Rafe Champion
29 June 2021
