Update;
At this very time on a week day Sth Aus is producing from wind
wait for it--- I Megawatt !
Yes ONE MILLION WATTS !
It is getting 427 MWatt from Victoria.

NSW is limping along with 325 Mw from Qld and 150 Mwatt form Victoria.

And they want to do away with coal fired stations, duh !

You're forgetting the diesel and batteries. It's not as dire as you make out, Bazz!

Luciferase. You are also forgetting that diesel generators are much, repeat, much more expensive than coal.

David

Cost is irrelevant, isn't it? Just subsidize and cost just floats away. Someone else will pay. Hmmmm....who would that be?

Hi Luciferase,

Do you mean subsidies to renewable energy companies like AGL? i.e. that that's why they're getting out of coal ?

Cheers,

Joe

Moderate breeze today Sth Aus wind delivering 313 Mwatt, just about
20% of nameplate output.

I am attracted to what Alan B tells us about thorium reactors but
what is surprising is that there is not a large number of countries
building at least thorium test systems.
Is there a catch 22.

Regarding Chernobyl, if the Russians had not been too proud to accept
the advice from those gathered in Vienna in 1956, re carbon graphite
moderators, the disaster would not have happened.

I am surprised, or should I be not surprised, that the government
will refuse, for ideological reasons, to just take over Liddel without
payment and run it.
They and many others just do not realise the implications of repeated
blackouts occurring most days depending on weather.
Thousands of people stuck in lifts, people sitting in the dark in
underground trains, banking coming to halt, workers being sent home
without pay, shopping centres being closed, it goes on and on.
Hospitals I believe have their own generators, true ?
Cars qued up at service station waiting for the power to start the pumps.

This is what MUST happen if you take 850 Mwatt of line.
I have been told, so not proven, that the station because of a lack
of maintenance, cannot reach its maximium capacity of 1,200 Mwatt.
Someone else may be able to affirm that.

Despite what we hear, there is no such thing as a clapped out power station.
They comprise hundreds of individual items, pumps, fans, blowers
conveyor belts, motors, alternators, switch gear, boilers etc etc.
All this can have the three Rs applied;
Repair, Refurbish or Replace.
The plant obviously will need a major maintenance campaign applied.
If the government just takes it over it will repay the cost quickly.

That ideology can get in the way is ridiculous !