Energy again

Too much to repeat on this topic.

What do we know.

First of all forget about coal fired power stations for the future. They take too long to build ( 8 years) nd when they are going have far too man units that break down when it is hot. Lastly it is impossible to have dispatchable power with hem. It takes 30 minutes to start or close them down. Must be a reasson why the private sector won't touch them!

Forget about nuclear power. The large power statins take 15 years to build and are some 3-4 times as expensive as renewables. modular stations have similar cost problems and are much smaller. you would need 3-4 of them in a disused coal fired power station. Like coal they cannot deliver dispatchable power. Again must be a reason why the private sector won't touch them. John Quiggin recently wrote about THIS   ( update) and then there is THIS.

Gas is potentially a viable alternative if renewables can't deliver all they have promised as they can deliver dispatchable power however their cost means they really cannot be used a lot.

This leaves renewables whose costs continue to fall. They need transmission  lines because they are in different places to the old coal fired p[ower stations but it appears these costs will not be as great as previously thought given we have a better idea of where the lines should be plus a better use of large batteries.

Rooftop solar is also having a dramatic effect. The  peak in demand has changed from around noon to around 6 pm. The peak in demand is not as high as it previously was. This together with more people getting rooftop solar and the use of batteries to offset demand should have a significant effect of overall demand.

There is no alternative to renewables so we should be trying to get to 82% as soon as possible. the previous government dithered. Caught up in the culture wars the demonised renewables but they knew coal and nuclear were white elephants. they have a lot to answer for.