Fester,

I'm happy to acknowledge valid points made by others, and do what I can to explain what they mean for what I have previously said or explain why they don't change anything. I find it to be far more productive and intellectually honest than pretending nothing was said and then repeating the same claims later.

To answer your question, yes, I have given considerable thought to what it would take to make wind and solar power dispatchable beyond simply overbuilding capacity. I have even discussed most of them with you a couple of times now. For the sake of brevity, I will therefore list them in point form this time:

1. Advanced energy storage technologies like grid-scale batteries, pumped hydro storage, and the emerging thermal storage.

2. A diversified energy mix beyond wind and solar; each of which have different peak production times.

3. Smart grid technology to enhance the efficiency and reliability of the power supply.

4. Demand response programs to adjust the demand for power instead of the supply.

5. Strategic geographical distribution to mitigate the risk of local weather conditions affecting energy production.

6. Enhanced interconnection and regional cooperation between regional grids to allow for the sharing of surplus energy.

7. Hybrid systems combining renewable energy systems with traditional power plants (like natural gas) or newer technologies (like hydrogen fuel cells) can provide a backup during periods of low renewable generation. This approach ensures a continuous power supply while gradually reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

I've got no problems with the wind and solar, though wind it can be pretty ugly and I hear the fireys are going on strike and not prepared to risk their lives for fires caused by stupid turbines that cause fires.

I want the cheapest and most efficient power we can get.
I want massive oversupply, run bitcoin miners when demand is low.
Stop making us have our hot water systems turned off 18 hours a day.
It's not smart, it sucks.
I'd be happy to burn tyres used sanitary napkins and disposable nappies if that's what it takes for this country to become competitive again, but I'd prefer we not to have to go to such putrid extremes.

We need to power out of the problem if that means rethinking the whole energy thing.
Not dig the hole we've already dug for ourselves with looming blackouts any deeper.

We need to light this country up with so much cheap power it's like Christmas every day of the year.
Maybe then someone might manufacture something in this country again.
The greenies need be be smacked down, they've done enough damage.
Burn garbage out the front of their houses, and tell them this is all their fault.

We need to fix the problem.
Everyones being screwed.
Figure it out, make it happen,
These incompetant imbeciles who lead us really need to start earning their money.
I want to see electricity bills under $100.
And foreign companies beating on our door to build factories.

And someone should put all the second hand solar panels in this country somewhere out woop woop connected to some power lines somewhere.
85% - 90% effieciency solar panels should not be going into landfill.
Put them out to retirement, let them keep powering this country until they are at 20%
They're no good in landfill, they don't get any sun down there!
Put them on the dams and pump the water back in from a lower holding pond or something.
It's like recharging your battery!

I must apologise I said the winter windspeeds average is around 2 Knots.
I went back to the BOM and found the situation is different to what i indicated.
The scale on the BOM maps is Km/hr.
So the average wind speed over most of Australia is 2 km/hr.
However at greater heights the wind speed is greater.
This explains their excessive heights.
It would be interesting to know at what speed do the turbines start
producing usable output. Something more to research.

Whatever happened to that wind tunnel/tower of which there was a lot of hype some years ago ?
It seemed like a plausible concept. It only needed to have the experts kept away !

Labor’s ideological anti-nuclear ratbaggery is slowly but surely being smothered by a growing nuclear support from Australians, whose main interests are in methods of electricity generation COSTS.

All Labor has managed to do is ruin the Australian economy (and the environment) with windmills and solar panels; and people are sick of it.

Nuclear has been working safely and efficiently for decades in other countries.

Dutton, however, needs to reveal the costs of nuclear power. Unlike ideologues and activists, normal Australians want to know how much it's going to cost. Bugger Net Zero and myths about carbon dioxide, they want to know how much they are up for. They have had cheap, reliable power ripped off them by both Labor and Liberals. They don't give a sh.t about politics. Cost of living is their interest.