Thread: Big storm and no power in SA

Originally Posted by PhilipA

Anyone notice that wind energy in Australia totals about 15% of capacity as at 3.00 Pm on 13/5/2018.

Some power would be handy in the current cold weather.

Wonder where we would be without coal?

Regards Philip A

Good thing that there are competent people running the grid, so that when a supply unit craps itself there's usually enough reserve supply to replace it. Coal burning units pop their circuit breakers with monotonous regularity, leaving other sources to take up the slack. In time those large old dirt burning stinkers will be as obsolete as the coal fired locomotives that died out after the war. Flexible, cheap and clean sources of energy are what will prosper in the next decade or two.

When I was a kid on the farm we had a kerosene fridge and a windwheel to pump water for the animals. Worked just fine.
I still remember the day we got electricity for the first time. Living off the grid is certainly possible.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

When I was a kid on the farm we had a kerosene fridge and a windwheel to pump water for the animals. Worked just fine.
I still remember the day we got electricity for the first time. Living off the grid is certainly possible.

Back then the vast majority of farms/stations had an ever dependable Lister lighting plant that had to be cranked up when power was needed and many also had a 32v battery setup for lighting as well.
Just imagine if all the recent solar, battery and wind tech was available back then I doubt that many would have bothered hooking up to the grid at all.

I reckon that the posters saying coal is dead etc miss the point entirely.

The point is that with the unreliability of solar and wind, a backup will always be needed, forever.

It may be needed for long periods say several days over the whole country as in the last few days , so the backup has to be dispatchable , so must be coal, gas, nuclear, or though unlikely hydro.

The batteries will handle the first 10 minutes or so.

Regards Philip A
STOP PRESS -today 14/5/2018 looks like 5% of capacity. So that is 2 days now . Those coal, gas , and diesel fired power stations must be cranking out lots of power.

Originally Posted by PhilipA

I reckon that the posters saying coal is dead etc miss the point entirely.

The point is that with the unreliability of solar and wind, a backup will always be needed, forever.

It may be needed for long periods say several days over the whole country as in the last few days , so the backup has to be dispatchable , so must be coal, gas, nuclear, or though unlikely hydro.

The batteries will handle the first 10 minutes or so.

Regards Philip A
STOP PRESS -today 14/5/2018 looks like 5% of capacity. So that is 2 days now . Those coal, gas , and diesel fired power stations must be cranking out lots of power.

Yep. You're right.
CoalPower.jpg

Strangely enough no-one in the energy industry is proposing to run the country off just wind and a few batteries. There are hundreds of old mine pits across the country that could be adapted for pumped storage. Just one of them:

Hillgrove Resources pumped about hydro energy at Kanmantoo | The Murray Valley Standard

Then there's solar heat storage, the first of which is being planned for Port Augusta. Daytime electricity requirements are to be met from solar PV farms nearby, allowing the stored heat to generate steam and therefore electricity when it's most valuable.

Originally Posted by bee utey

Strangely enough no-one in the energy industry is proposing to run the country off just wind and a few batteries. There are hundreds of old mine pits across the country that could be adapted for pumped storage. Just one of them:

Hillgrove Resources pumped about hydro energy at Kanmantoo | The Murray Valley Standard

Then there's solar heat storage, the first of which is being planned for Port Augusta. Daytime electricity requirements are to be met from solar PV farms nearby, allowing the stored heat to generate steam and therefore electricity when it's most valuable.

We’re working on Pumped hydro in a pit here at the moment.

Originally Posted by Tombie

We’re working on Pumped hydro in a pit here at the moment.

Brilliant innit, make money mining stuff then make money from the hole you left behind. Beats spending millions on filling it in.