The Climate, Environment and Energy Thread

[Baggers]

https://theconversation.com/texas-was-a-...ket-155856

Thank you, Pauly, for introducing me to The Conversation some time ago. I get their daily news and along with a couple of others, they are my 'must reads' of the day. Such a pleasure to read objective, informed journalism.

[PaulP]

Thank you, Pauly, for introducing me to The Conversation some time ago. I get their daily news and along with a couple of others, they are my 'must reads' of the day. Such a pleasure to ready objective, informed journalism.

Thanks. Yes, I agree. I'm sure many on the right will think it's full of leftist academics who are "out of touch with reality" lol.

[LP]

Thank you, Pauly, for introducing me to The Conversation some time ago. I get their daily news and along with a couple of others, they are my 'must reads' of the day. Such a pleasure to ready objective, informed journalism.

You can get the new Podcast to listen to as well, if you are so inclined.

The Conversation has gone off a bit in recent years, it was more balanced when it first started but is now slowly becoming swamped by socialist political opinion. It hardly ever use to post political commentary when it started, but back then it had very little humanities content!

[ElwoodBlues1]

https://theconversation.com/texas-was-a-...ket-155856

USA is a lot different to Australia, the American electrical grid overall was built in the 60's and has been poorly maintained because suppliers are investor based companies looking to save money and pay shareholders. Its a hybrid mixture in technology which will always fall over with even slight extremes in weather.
Wind Turbines give practically nothing to the grid in Australia so this source failing/freezing isnt relevant to us, a lot of the States in the USA run as independent nations unlike Australia where Victoria and NSW for example are happy to help each other and also help South Australia that has trouble supplying especially in outer areas and also struggles during extreme heat.
The Texas grid is isolated and connected to nothing else, in tropical(joking) Canada its different....Every Canadian province along the U.S. border is electrically interconnected with a neighbouring U.S. state or states, with many provinces boasting multiple international connections. The result is a reliable grid on both sides of the border.
Its not a retail problem its a political problem causing a technical problem.

[PaulP]

Texas is simply today's bad example. The culture that gives rise to their predicament is rampant, and manifests itself at all levels of American society.

[Baggers]

Texas is simply today's bad example. The culture that gives rise to their predicament is rampant, and manifests itself at all levels of American society.

The 'values (prejudices/arrogance)' of 1963 still live in many Texans - they really believe they are a nation unto themselves. And you are right, Pauly, those same 'values' live in tens of millions of US citizens outside Texas as well - mostly southern and through the middle!!

[DJC]

The Yallourn power station is closing 4 years ahead of schedule.  Economics is proving to be a major factor in turning away from fossil fuel.

Yallourn currently produces 5% of our power.

Apparently, our largest storage battery will be constructed on the site.

This sends a very strong market signal to renewable power companies.

[LP]

The Yallourn power station is closing 4 years ahead of schedule.  Economics is proving to be a major factor in turning away from fossil fuel.

Yallourn currently produces 5% of our power.

Apparently, our largest storage battery will be constructed on the site.

This sends a very strong market signal to renewable power companies.

I hope those batteries have better longevity, support and warranty than those '25 year' solar cells, many of which are forked after just 3 to 5 years and the companies that installed them long long gone. They are basically China's rubbish that we are importing!

[capcom]

They won't

[LP]

They won't

The media report about these batteries like the spend is once off, based on my experience with industrial UPS I'll be surprised if that sort of facility isn't fully refreshed with new batteries and cooling fans every 5 to 7 years. The ongoing cost must be horrendous, but I bet that won't appear in the report!

Knowing our politicians, they'll leave it switched off like the Desalination plant and when we go to use it the lot will have corroded and sprung leaks everywhere! ;D