Thread: Horror heatwave blackout fears for Victoria

Originally Posted by Eevo

hasn't moonba been doing fracking for the last 60 years?

More accurately Moomba, and I think only about fifty years.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Don't know. I'm only familiar with East Coast gas mining.
Fracking is only used to crack hard rock and let the gas escape, so it is rarely necessary in soft coal seams.
Fracking only uses a tiny amount of chemicals anyway, so the actual risk to water is minimal as it quickly dissolves.

Hydraulic fracturing can be used for any situation where the permeability of a reservoir is low. All it consists of is to inject a fluid under very high pressure to create new cracks. The fluid is always mainly water, with a 'propant', usually sand to keep the cracks open when pressure is reduced. Sometimes traces of other materials are added to modify the viscosity of the fluid.

Since coal usually has low permeability, hydraulic fracturing is usually used for coal seam gas production. It is also used, and gets most publicity, from its use in shale gas production in the USA, where permeability resulting from its use allows production of gas that has not migrated from where it originated due to low permeability.

Western Victoria needs massive infrastructure upgrade to avoid more blackouts.

Rural Victoria's power networks set to buckle under weight of wind energy - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Originally Posted by bob10

Western Victoria needs massive infrastructure upgrade to avoid more blackouts.

Rural Victoria's power networks set to buckle under weight of wind energy - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Yep, it’s costing a fortune to try and keep up as a lot of the wind farms are in areas with a weak grid which just doesn’t work. It used to be these areas were low power users at the ends of the lines but now it’s the other way around and these areas are supplying massive amounts of power at times.

Originally Posted by Homestar

Yep, it’s costing a fortune to try and keep up as a lot of the wind farms are in areas with a weak grid which just doesn’t work. It used to be these areas were low power users at the ends of the lines but now it’s the other way around and these areas are supplying massive amounts of power at times.

This is likely to be a wide spread problem, as large parts of Australia's network are showing their age.

I'm still waiting for this horror heatwave .

Originally Posted by loanrangie

I'm still waiting for this horror heatwave .

Yes so am I. Wonder why the media aren't carrying on about it now!

Originally Posted by bob10

Western Victoria needs massive infrastructure upgrade to avoid more blackouts.

Rural Victoria's power networks set to buckle under weight of wind energy - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Excellent. $370m sounds like a small price to pay to foster such significant renewable energy projects. Sounds like the push that’s needed and that the renewable energy equivalent to 4 coal fired stations is possible if the networks are upgraded.

"One of the interesting things that we're seeing with the national regulator is even reports that they released six months ago they're having to revise because of the fast take-up of renewable energy."

Hopefully rather than just playing catch up, this makes it clear that enabling the renewable industry to flourish is the future. It’s clearly also providing increased business to many in regional areas.