Could you imagine a more suitable place than WA for solar...

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sierra

10,697 Posts.

05/05/17

23:58

Post #: 24512067
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Originally posted by thecurious1 ↑

Care to answer a comment from the article?

"Very logical to retire old, high maintenance coal and gas plants.

More questionable is what they are to be replaced with - Munganna at Geraldton is 300 MW, Kalgoorlie smaller. Both cities are connected by long and relatively low capacity powerlines to major generators at Perth and Collie (also to lose 400MW at Muja A&B). What keeps the lights on at on a still summer night when a bushfire is tripping out the powerlines?

Also interesting would be to know how the existing contracts for capacity (much of which is never used) will be wound down."

What are the short to medium term proposed solutions to replace that power? "The latest data from the Clean Energy Council shows how little development there has been in renewables in Western Australia since the landmark Greenough River plant - in fact only a handful of projects."

If they go for more Gas they have to ensure that it is not price penalised (as done in Victoria) to artificially subsidise wind & solar.

(Finally, believe it or not, shutting down an old plant is a great move IF replacement power has been arranged).

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Could you imagine a more suitable place than WA for solar thermal, with mega molten salt heat storage batteries?
Solar PV with battery storage. Wind turbines each with their own batteries to smooth and extend supply. Those batteries could also absorb surplus energy from the grid in times of plenty as a virtual power station.
Wave energy pumping generators on land.
Home storage batteries being charged by PV panels and also storing excess power grid power to be drawn down as another virtual power station to the benefit of the households.
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