No! Unless you're like politicians and big business have someone else pay it for you! Pumped hydro is an essential adjunct to renewables only power, along with a service based economy. And as we export our manufacturing jobs, we also export our security!XXX As predicted, the only ones wanting to invest in our coal fired power are the debt laden expansionist Chinese! And for obvious, gotcha by the short and curlies, reasons. XXX The only renewable that has a snowflakes chance in hell of replacing coal is solar thermal, with heat banks! XXX Domestic power is easier, given every Australian family produces enough wasted waste to power their domiciles 24/7! And given an 80% energy coefficient, for four times less than the best coal fired, 20% energy coefficient, power! XXX And if the methane generated onsite by the 2 tank digestion process, is scrubbed then fed into ceramic fuel cells? There could be at least a 50% saleable surplus! XXX After that there's the energy whose name can't be mentioned and studiously avoided by our politicians! Whose vested interests would like be harmed by the roll out of affordable reliable, safe clean carbon free energy, costing as little as 2 cents, estimated, per KwH. XXX And we all know what that is! But to get it, would require scientifically literate polies able to put the nations economic interests ahead of their own and recalcitrant party political machines, with another undeclared agenda? XXX What other possible explanation could there possibly be and an energy crisis already over a decade old and guaranteed to get worse! Given we are little more than products or commodities to be used and exploited, like the horses on Animal Farm! XXX Alan B.

I can add to Geoff's article by pointing to overseas experience in this area. Where the system already has a lot of hydro (which counts as a renewable) then getting to 100 per cent renewable is much less of a problem. Take New Zealand, where more than 50 per cent of power comes from hydro and another 18 per cent from geothermal (also a renewable). There's already plenty of pumped hydro (the existing dams) and as hydro is very responsive (its typically used to meet unexpected peaks in demand) it fits well with intermittent power.

Australia simply does not have the same geography of rivers and mountains of NZ. Where is all the fresh water for these pumped hydro projects to come from? Use salt water? There has only been one salt water pumped hydro project, in Japan, and that's now decommissioned. Sure you could probably find enough places in, say, the great dividing range or the Blue Mountains to place dams if we're prepared to drown a lot of prime bush and farm land, and can find the fresh water. But as dam projects usually run into environmental objections of one sort or another these days I'm sceptical that anything like enough will be built in, say, the next twenty years, at enormous expense. I won't bother to discuss batteries.

Those are just a few of the road blocks on the way to renewables paradise.

What most politicians think of as affordable power, is consistent with a mindset, where someone else pays theirs for them and or retirement pensions around 8 times better than the old age pension. XXX Seriously, these folk live in a bubble filled to overflowing, by comparison, with unearned undeserved self appointed (I'm all right Jack) entitlement! XXX Their idea of hard work is beating the opposition in the (often entirely irrelevant meaningless, he said, she said) gotcha debate. XXX Previous LEADERS faced with a bleak post war economic picture were able to envision a better future! But even though completely unaffordable found a way to fund and build the Snowy Mountain's scheme. XXX Without any question whatsoever, our economic future, food security and national security is predicated on it being a nuclear powered future. XXX And a MSR THORIUM POWERED FUTURE! XXX Especially now we see the predicted unholy alliance of Iran, Turkey and Russia emerging as an economic and military block? XXX Alan B.

Another sleazy, overfed, greedy ex public servant wanting more.
First a limit in ex pollie and public servant welfare. Set it at one hundred thousand a year which is ten times what they are worth. Not one cent more and list everyone on it. I am disgusted with the incompetence and waste we suffer and then these idiots have the hide to say they are not paid enough? Farcical!
Still at least fatty Beasley in on his way to a third untaxed pension and of course no fringe benefits tax for him.

The last line of the article "And tell us the bill we'll cop for that." to which I'd add, "...and what is the carbon footprint?"

Modular nuclear is nigh and anything wasted one renewables is money not spent on this.

It's not a matter of “Can we afford a renewables-only power supply?” It's a matter of can we continue to exist if we rely on renewables; and the answer to that is, NO.