Thanks fitnfam
I wish the electric dream was as clean and environmentally friendly as it is purported to be. Looking forward 15 to 20 years when solar panels and wind turbines need replacement, we may be faced with one of the greatest environmental challenges the world could encounter in the disposal of this equipment. Currently in Queensland, foreign companies have carte blanche to destroy many pristine ridges of the Great Dividing Range to install wind turbines and further approval to vandalise nature to join these turbines to the power grid. This destruction applies equally so to the coverage of farmland and natural habitat by solar farms. This destruction may even extend to the sea if the installation of wind turbines extends to this environment. Of course, it is easy for city dwellers to rationalise that they are utilising clean power in their local environment, out of view of the destruction wreaked on nature to achieve this outcome. The intermittent energy produced by this destruction will have to be backed up by a reliable power source, otherwise we will suffer blackouts to our power supply and force industry to relocate to a more reliable location.
Worldwide there is questioning over the sudden conversion to so-called renewable energy and specifically Europe has revised the dream to utilise alternate power sources. There is a mixture of sincerity and extreme zealotry entwined with the current power debate, but it is clear that the world cannot rely solely on intermittent renewables to function H24 with current technology.
The indecent haste of this imperative to install renewable energy at any cost has taken a toll on logic and common sense. In bygone days, decent people cared about the destruction of Koala habitat and pristine forest and the discarding of fertile farmland and the families who farmed these lands over many generations.
The whole debate has been fuelled by the likes of Al Gore and the WEF and and it can be no surprise to anyone that there are certain beneficiaries of this revolution who have become very wealthy from the process.
There certainly is a place for renewable energy, but until technology exists to firmly backup this energy source, we must utilise other power sources to maintain a reliable power supply.
Countries such as Saudi Arabia are travelling down the nuclear route to backup renewables. In the USA, the Tech Gurus are investing heavily in nuclear as AI is said to require a doubling of the power source within 5 years.
From a perspective of HGO we are in a WIN WIN position where any change will require increasing amounts of copper. Part of this statement fills me with an element of guilt as I will be profiting through the destruction of nature by the installation of wind turbines, solar panels and transmission lines. My hope is that the current destruction will be moderated by common sense and a clear vision of what is happening in our country.
