Australia's Progress Towards Renewables and Energy Security
Peter Charnock
Managing Director leading innovation in Biotechnology, Enterprise Software and SaaS
There can be little doubt remaining that Australia needs to progress to a “zero-carbon emission” status as soon as possible; the damages we are incurring through cyclones, bush fires, droughts become hard to argue against.
While vast tombs of data have been published regarding our energy generation, questions remain;
A) Are we progressing renewables generation as quickly as possible?
B) Are we enabling renewables generation at a adequate rate, to ensure adequate power is available, as coal fired generators are decommissioned, to optimise economic outputs?
C) What role may Nuclear generation play, in assisting our transition to decarbonisation, while supporting economic development and migration to new industries?
Our pathway towards a zero-carbon footprint, and how we maintain reliable electricity supply, minimise electricity costs to consumers and meet our nation’s future energy requirements remain shrouded in reports, data and politics.
The chart above summarises the status of Coal, Wind, Solar, Hydro and Gas energy generation, across the different stages of development, utilising AEMO/CSIRO estimates on actual energy production, for each energy source. That is, 30% for Wind and Solar, 60% for Coal, Gas and Hydro.
?Key Points
?Progress towards decommissioning Coal Fired generators has proceeded with success (47.4 million MWh per year) at 60% productivity.
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?Australia’s energy generation capacity remains reliant upon Coal Fired generators (117.3 million MWh per year) at 60% productivity.
Power generation through Gas (XX, YY and ZZ) remains critical, as it is despatchable and represents 93.5 million MWh per year, at 60% productivity.
Significant progress has been made in expanding Hydro, Wind and Solar generation capabilities, with 52.3 million, 32.7 million and 11.3 million MWh per year, at 30% productivity.
Greater progress in developing Hydro, Wind and Solar is clearly necessary; with further decommissioning of Coal Fired generators, acceleration in investment in these renewable technologies appears essential.
Reliance upon Gas-fired power generation appears essential, for despatch ability purposes, but his will not provide a “zero carbon” solution.
Conclusions
Supplementing Coal-Fired and Gas-Fired, despatchable generation, may rely upon Nuclear generation. With a 10-15 year investment cycle in Nuclear technology, decommissioning of Coal-Fired generators in play, inadequate capabilities in Wind, Solar and Hydro, suggests urgent consideration of Nuclear is necessary.
This analysis does not consider the energy generation capabilities required for Green Hydrogen, nor potential growth in Australia’s energy footprint due to changing global economic opportunities.
Arguments towards Nuclear are not "clear cut", but deficiencies in our planning for future decarbonisation while meeting energy requirements suggest a "gap"?
Director, Working Lawyer, Mediator, Speaker, Advisor
1 年How odd is it that around 80% of Australians want renewables and yet there is so much dithering. Our population is better than our political class.
Impressive insights on Australia's energy transition—balancing renewables with energy security is crucial for sustainable development.