Read more carefully? Try readijng what I said: "Note that I referred to "the cost of energy" not "household electricity bills"."
Renewables (unreliables) and the grid : Here's a US article from a Green source - http://ecowatch.com/2013/12/03/electric-grid-ready-renewable-energy-future/
"“The grid would have to be much more flexible,” Arent said. “The utility model of the future would have to look different. And of course, in the … economically ideal case, we would build much more transmission.” [..description of large expenditure on batteries..] Meanwhile, Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, who also sits on the board of grid overseer, the California Independent System Operator, was a little more blunt in describing the problem.
“We are getting to the point where we will have to pay people not to produce power,” he told the Los Angeles Times.
[..] “The grid was not built for renewables,” NREL senior analyst Trieu Mai said.
The U.S. Department of Energy, which oversees NREL, is using a supercomputer named Peregrine that “does a quadrillion calculations per second to help scientists figure out how to keep the lights on,” the Los Angeles Times observed."
Is Australia any better prepared now than the US was in 2013?
LED lighting : Virtually all my lights are LED. They are very expensive. They do save on electricity but are a net cost increase. Would I still use incandescent bulbs if they weren't illegal? Yes, especially in the main living areas because their light is so much eaier to live with. We have got so used to the curly bulbs and LEDs that we have forgotten how lousy they are compared with the old ones. Efficient, sure, but lousy light. And BTW I have solar panels for hot water and geothermal heating for winter, so I reckon I'm greener than a lot of Greens.
Shovels and spoons : It's still a Bastiat's Window.
Global community : Fine if the rest of the world join in. Since China won't do anything before 2030, and India isn't doing anything, and Germany is building coal-fired power stations, and ....... well you surely get the message : Australia really truly can't make a difference. You have no choice. When the Chinese, Indians and Germans and co have pumped up the temperature (assuming CO2 has an effect), you will have to adapt to it.
SLX : I sold out a while ago, but still keep an eye. I don't think there's any value outside GLE, and that is looking iffy, but as always I'm happy to be proved wrong.
SLX Price at posting:
48.5¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Not Held
(20min delay)
