The clean energy transition is hard. But if we convert 90 per cent of our electricity generation to renewables and the remaining 10 per cent comes from peaking gas generators we can focus on success rather than explain our failure.
Since the publication of my book, Powering Up, about the policies and financing of the clean-energy transition, I have often been asked why Australia is not planning to use nuclear power. There are two answers.
From a purely engineering perspective, there is no better source of zero emissions electricity than nuclear power. Its synchronous generators possess useful characteristics called inertia and strength, can dispatch electricity when requested, and inherently understand the 50 cycles per second heartbeat of our electricity system.
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Alan Finkel is Former Chief Scientist and led the National Electricity Market Review, the National Hydrogen Strategy, the Low Emissions Technology Roadmap and the Sydney Energy Forum.
