Iberian disaster highlights danger of our net-zero folly

It took just five seconds for an electricity grid, supplying nearly 60 million people, to collapse in Spain and Portugal (“Blackout that should keep all of us awake”, 1/5). That’s what is in store for us if the Albanese Labor government is re-elected. It is determined to have 82 per cent of electricity coming from renewable sources by 2030. In Spain, aeroplane flights were cancelled, roads were clogged, internet services lost, ATMs stopped functioning, and shops, bars and restaurants were closed. That’s what happens when renewables dominate an electricity system. As Chris Uhlmann explains, we need to “keep one iron-clad law in mind: in an electricity system, supply must match demand every second of every day. The moment that balance slips, the system begins to fail.” For generations, our coal-fired power stations have been meeting that challenge. But they are being shut down to accommodate the relentless surge of renewables. Once wind and solar overrun the system, its collapse will be inevitable. Labor’s obsession with renewables is leading the country into deeply dangerous territory.

Dale Ellis, Innisfail, Qld

Chris Uhlmann’s technically sound explanation of how and why Spain’s blackout occurred earlier this week should be compulsory reading for Energy Minister Chris Bowen, as well as all the other promoters of a grid reliant on wind and solar. It’s a clear warning that Australia is heading for similar failures if we persist with the current plans to eliminate coal, gas and, in the long term, nuclear power generation. Interestingly, former British prime minister Tony Blair has told UK Labour that its net-zero plans are nonsense. It’s not often that Blair and Nigel Farage agree on something, but this is one.

Mike Cuming, Carlingford, NSW

Chris Uhlmann need not worry unnecessarily about keeping “spin” in the electricity system. We have in the Labor Party some of the greatest spinners ever, including Anthony Albanese, Jim Chalmers, Chris Bowen and Tony Burke, with Tanya Plibersek currently offline. Spin is not the problem, connecting them to the grid and getting them to work is the issue.

Alexander Haege, Tamarama, NSW

We can’t say we weren’t warned. Spain sits next to France, which is Europe’s electricity powerhouse. It has the French Alps supplying hydro and nuclear power for its grid. France couldn’t save Spain’s grid from a blackout, so what hope will Chris Bowen’s grid have when we go 80 per cent renewable?

Murray Horne, Cressy, Vic

Tony Blair is in a good position to judge the renewables rollout in Britain, including the country’s ambitious targets (“ ‘Doomed’: Blair says net-zero ‘irrational’ ”, 1/5). He may be correct that Britain is “rushing ahead without having the right infrastructure”, but that does not change the climate science, that more gas and coal contribute to carbon emissions and worse storms, floods and droughts. The kneejerk reaction to problems of power supply in Spain and Portugal is to blame renewables. First reports implicate the power network there, including inadequate network updates matching the pace of renewables growth.

Similar problems exist in Australia. Here 40 per cent of a typical household’s electricity bill is for the poles, wires and substations. The solution is not to slow down the move to renewables. We should improve the network infrastructure, as part of our long-term response.

John Hughes, Mentone, Vic

Thank you, Chris Uhlmann, for a clear explanation of the issues concerning renewables. Not only do we face an energy future that is less reliable than our parents enjoyed, but the use of large numbers of tradies constructing imported wind turbines and installing imported solar panels in a futile attempt to change the Earth’s temperature is one of the reasons there is a shortage of tradies to build houses.

Chris Taylor, Dernancourt, SA

Chris Uhlmann’s article about the blackout in Spain was scary but instructive. It clearly points out what we are facing if we proceed on our present renewables path. Do we have to wait until all the six-year-old kids are old enough to vote before we can change what we are doing? Then again, that’s about the same length of time before we can have our first nuclear-powered generator.

Paul Murray, Mollymook, NSW