The Energy fiasco

 I am not going to link any stories on this. I am guessing most people have already read to death on this subject.

The current crisis came in two parts.

1. The very large rises in coal and gas prices

2. The very large increases in breakdowns of units in coal fired power stations. This was unusual as it is expected in summer with AEMO regularly putting out alerts for blackouts because they are worried about too many units breaking down in summer. Put it another way if winter is like this what is summer going to be ?

This was exacerbated by the fact renewables only account for around 30% of output. More renewables would have meant less stress caused by the above.

It follows therefore the solution is long term ie more renewable energy. Can I add something with regard to the  proposed capacity mechanism. A coal fired power station delivers base load power. It is on 24 hours a day. It is never held in reserve as it is already on. A gas fired power station can be as it can be started and closed quickly unlike coal fired power stations. Too many people confuse base load power and dispatchable power particularly the former minister!