Aiden said;
And didn't I tell you before? The solution is a large overbuild of solar and wind generation, with the excess used to produce hydrogen.

No you did not mention hydrogen, but your suggestion of installing turbines a multiple of the size required but they still stop when
the wind doesn't blow. Doesn't sound very economic.
Hydrogen has its own problems. Saw a talk at U3A about the various
green, blue and black hydrogen.
Must try and get his slides, very interesting problems especially EROEI.

Fuel, food and fertilizer shortages are starting to hit consumers

Iceberg Lettuce $11.99 each
Strawberries $14.99 Punnet ($60 kilo)
Blueberries $19.49 Punnet ($156 kilo)
Red Capsicum $18.99 Kilo

"A farmer wrote that the cost of his profession had 'roughly tripled' this year, with the price of fertiliser and fuel at an all-time high.
Fertiliser has gone from $1200 a ton up to $3k being cheap. You all know what fuel has done. Glysophate has gone $6/L to $13-$14."

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/eat/bloody-outrage-customers-fury-over-iga-fresh-produce-costs/news-story/1f948a068dc99716f03ba8e7bdcb4ac4

- Things are getting worse

errr, didn't check the others but I bought blueberries punnet for
$7 at Coles a couple of days ago.

As well as the rising coal prices and failing power stations it's no wonder that prices are increasing when you have added layers of bureaucracy in its distribution.

Once upon a time the power system was a publicly owned single entity but now we have a plethora of private wholesalers, distributors, retailers and resellers - each with their own corporate structure and each seeking to make an individual profit. The Miracle of Privatisation doesn't seem to have worked yet again.

Essential utilities should be treated like the Public Health System - not for generating profit but a vital component of the economy.
Perhaps power should be re-nationalised but the reality is that it's now too late to close the gate.

All the worlds consumers need to stand up and demand an end to sanctions,
Its doing A LOT MORE harm to ourselves than it is to Russia.
- Putin is literally LAUGHING HIS HEAD OFF ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK.

Sanctions = A price increase that WE'RE ALL PAYING FOR.
- But Russia just earns more for less supply.
Gas up 150% since the start of the year
Oil up 90% since the start of the year
http://oilprice.com/oil-price-charts/

"As I warned in Russia Is A Major Supplier Of Oil To The U.S., Russia could potentially benefit from the sanctions on its oil exports. Although Russia hadn’t yet invaded Ukraine when I wrote that article, I warned that if it did:

“Russian sanctions would be put in place, potentially reducing the available oil supply in a tight market. If Russia could still sell all the oil it could produce to countries that refuse to abide by the sanctions, it might do well financially with an oil price spike.”

We now have data in hand to confirm that the subsequent sanctions on Russia’s oil are in fact boosting Russia’s oil revenues.

Although the U.S. has stopped buying Russian oil, the challenge remains that Russia is one of the largest global producers and exporters of oil. There is no way to completely remove Russian oil from the market without sending oil prices much higher — perhaps to $200 a barrel.

Further, as oil prices go higher it increases the appeal of Russia’s oil. Right now, China and India, for example, have tremendous incentive to buy discounted Russian oil.

In other words, it is a classic catch-22. In attempting to punish Russia by keeping its oil off the market, Russia is enjoying a net benefit of higher oil revenues."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2022/05/08/russias-oil-revenues-are-soaring/?sh=20087e894e34

[Cont.]
Russia’s Export Windfall Catapults Key Trade Barometer to Record

Current-account surplus is biggest in decades thanks to export
Imports plunge as sanctions and ruble weakness cripple demand

Russia recorded the largest current-account surplus since at least 1994, as revenues from oil and gas exports surged and imports plunged after the U.S. and its allies imposed sanctions over President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The proceeds have become a critical source of hard currency during the war, enabling authorities to pay for imports, support the economy and restore confidence in the ruble.

The surplus in the current account, the broadest measure of trade and investment flows, reached $58.2 billion last quarter, more than double the $22.5 billion reported a year earlier, the Bank of Russia said Monday.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-11/russian-current-account-surplus-surges-to-record-on-energy-sales

"Australia is on the 'precipice' of a UK-style energy crisis that could send many of its power retailers broke and fuel a surge of households unable to pay their bills, a leading expert has warned."

"We're saying to our customers 'the best way we can save you money is actually ask you to switch away'."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-01/australia-on-brink-of-energy-crisis/101115924