Power grid reconfigured as the energy debate goes on

NSW Liberal Premier Dominic Perrottet said Australia’s grid was in urgent need of reconfiguration to “meet the demands of the rapidly changing electricity market it serves” (“Secret $8bn sweetheart energy deal”, 21/12). Translated, this is political speak for the use of taxpayer funds to link widely dispersed and heavily subsidised wind and solar farms to a new grid.

There is no market as such, where producers of various technologies can compete freely, responding to price signals to deliver the best outcomes for consumers.

Rather, it’s the iron-clad rule of governments imposing their favoured, most virtue-signalling technology on the public, which has no say in the matter. It’s part of a forecast minimum $80bn spend to add to the existing grid, which works perfectly well, all for the sake of virtue signalling, and which will increase power prices, reduce industrial competitiveness and gradually erode living standards.

We don’t need the hammer and sickle for our national emblem, solar panels and wind turbines will do.

Ron Hobba, Camberwell, Vic

I have a 5kW system with a 10kW battery. So on a sunny day, at this time of the year, I generate 28kW, export 10kW and import 3kW (at a significant cost). Last week there was a cloudy day – we generated only 8kW, exported nothing, the battery stayed flat and we imported 15kW – without heating, cooling or charging a car. Luckily, the coal and gas-fired stations provided the quintuple increase in demand.

When you consider that the whole of Perth was in the same boat, how could that demand boost be provided by any renewable source? Nuclear, coal, gas – yes. But renewables, no.

Brian C. Povey, Churchlands, WA

Richard Bramley (Letters, 21/12), Australia’s first “solar garden” in Grong Grong, NSW, provides a new option for anyone in any state who is unable to put solar on their roof for whatever reason. After joining the co-op for a small fee, members switch to the co-op retailer and buy a “plot” of panels in the solar farm, the cost of which is credited back over 10 years on electricity bills.

If the plot owner moves home, the arrangement can continue. However, Richard probably knows that even without solar panels, charging an EV from mains power is still cheaper than filling up on petrol or diesel – about 10c a kilometre on average.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Vic

Now that most of the final costs for the Snowy 2.0 hydro concept are revealed we can see that taxpayers are up for at least $20bn if it proceeds. Snowy 2.0 will lose at least 30 per cent energy on its round-trip renewable energy storage/release function. The Australian Energy Market Operator estimates Snowy 2.0 will be used for firming the grid for about 2 per cent of the year. For the same cash outlay we could have had 3000MW of generation from nuclear power, 24/7 for about 95 per cent of the year.

Our high school physics and home economics students could do a better job running our electricity sector options. They would probably recommend a complete reassessment with a cut-the-losses-and-run recommendation at this stage.

Barrie Hill, Lane Cove, NSW

Displaying exceptional prescience, British foreign secretary Sir Edward Grey remarked in August 1914: “The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.” “Renewables” wasn’t even a word in 1914.

Terry Birchley, Bundaberg, Qld

Thank you to Len Cox (Last Post, 19/12), who has donned the straw man outfit to catalyse a useful letters exchange on home solar. It was good that his suggestion was discussed in a free, open and fair manner. A happy Christmas and prosperous 2023 to you, Len. May the sun shine upon your panels.

Mark Scanlan, Hawthorne, Qld

When will the luvvies on the left realise that renewables, even with battery backup, simply cannot provide us with baseload power?

Peter Weste, Sebastopol, Vic

In the 1950s our home was powered by electricity, gas (for the kitchen and hot water) and candles because electricity was not 24/7. Approaching 2023 it would appear not much has changed.

Geoff Davey, St Lucia, Qld