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The Forum > Article Comments > Will the lights go out in Victoria or just industry? > Comments

Will the lights go out in Victoria or just industry? : Comments

By Tom Quirk and Paul Miskelly, published 14/2/2017

The real distortion to the system is the treatment of wind generated power.

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no... that's USCWAP.
Posted by Luciferase, Tuesday, 14 February 2017 9:25:34 PM
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All are invited to join the long queue.

"SOLAR + HOME BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE
The second residential solar revolution has begun – home battery energy storage. Affordable solar + storage has arrived on our doorstep and Energy Matters Australia is ready to welcome it!"

http://www.energymatters.com.au/residential-solar/battery-storage/
Posted by plantagenet, Tuesday, 14 February 2017 10:04:14 PM
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No thanks plantagenet. I lived on my yachts for 12 years, & tried it all. Wind, solar, a dragged propeller & you can have them all. A diesel generator is the only sensible alternative.

You should hear my brother in law, an engineer, give his opinion on batteries & solar panels, after 7 years living with them on his remote property. He is not alone. I don't know anyone who has lived long term with solar panels as their main source of power, who does not curse the things loud & long.

We lost power just before our roads went under in the last flood. Five days trying to keep food cold with my little 1.6 KVA gen set convinced me.

I bought a 10 KVA 3 phase remote start genset that can do the job. Not only that, storing a few hundred litres of diesel is much easier, & more practical than trying to store enough electrons to run a property in any sort of battery bank.

I ran the place for 6 days on it as a test. It was only slightly more expensive than the grid. Converting to 12V for lighting, & a few other things could improve that further.

I could live with it, but would much prefer the convenience of grid connection, it is so clean & simple. However with the proven stupidity of politicians, in mind, I am now prepared.
Posted by Hasbeen, Wednesday, 15 February 2017 12:32:15 AM
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Thanks Hasbeen

For some enlightening comments on home solar.

Seems most reviews from the relatively rich buying solar+batteries do not include much reporting of their multi-year performance.
- a bit like buyers of luxury German cars rarely reporting the fact they are far less reliable than Japanese or South Korean cars.

Still, maturing solar+battery technology may become a cheaper, more reliable, proposition (especially in northern and inland-country Australia) as the cost and blackouts of grid electricity escalate!

Also oil/diesel prices for generators may become prohibitive in a couple of years as petrol prices return above the $1.50 level.
Posted by plantagenet, Wednesday, 15 February 2017 10:49:55 AM
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Here's Finkel on storage.

http://reneweconomy.com.au/energy-storage-one-of-australias-big-opportunities-finkel-78857/

"There are challenges in bringing them online, but over time, the solutions will come – just as we have learned to harness new technologies before.........."

Yep, affordable, dispatchable 24/7/365, grid-sized solutions will surely come, if we just believe and put our minds to it. Simples!

Lalalalalalala... What chance have we with ideologues like Finkel at the helm?

Maybe I've got it wrong and the role of the Chief Scientist is not to think clearly through the options before us, but to imbue Australians with wow and wonder. All part of "smarter" Australia while our results in science and maths crash against world standards.

Meanwhile countries who know what they're doing are going nuclear for main-grid supply. Nuclear has massive scope for further technical development, and Australia could be just as much in the forefront of that as it could be in off-grid renewables.
Posted by Luciferase, Wednesday, 15 February 2017 11:07:18 AM
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Dear Luciferase,

You wrote;

“No, "selling" our gas to ourselves at less than world parity pricing is a cost of gas fired electricity production. We pay for it one way or the other.”

Depends on who 'we' are. Certainly there is the cost of reduced returns to shareholders, many overseas, but if for businesses and homes being supplied in Australia it would be a saving. They would not be paying for it 'one way or another'.

I am more than happy for you to have an ideology against renewables but perhaps sticking to facts would be helpful.
Posted by SteeleRedux, Wednesday, 15 February 2017 2:17:14 PM
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