Thread: Future of the Australian Electricity Market

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

As for Lord Voldemort, if he continues down the nuclear path, he will look foolish.

"...he will continue look foolish"

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

11% of Norway's power comes from wind.

On a couple of ocassions we saw the wind turbines on the top of mountains. This group were at the Western end of Kvaløya at Sommarøy.

They are a little difficult to see in a small pic and even more difficult to imagine how they get them up on the mountain and dig significant footings down into the rock. I can only guess they lift drilling machines and turbine components into place using helicopters. A little more research gave up this:

Kvitfjell Raudfjell - Zephyr
l

I was mildly amused by this sentence of advice in the link for people who want to go and look at the wind power generators.

Pay special attention during the winter as there may be a risk of snow or ice being thrown from the turbine blades or falling from other parts of the turbine. K

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Neil

Won't be back as soon as planned as the aircraft was diverted from Oslo to Trondheim because bad weather had closed the airport. Currently marking time at Trondheim waiting for Oslo to open!

ETA Brisbane some time this year.

I can think of much worse places to be diverted to than Trondheim.

Just two of the fun things that we came across in Trondheim are its Trampe bicycle lift - Wikipedia and its heated seating in public places. Dare to sit down on a stone or metal tubing bench in a public place in winter and you are pleasantly surprised to find your rear end warmed...

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

11% of Norway's power comes from wind.

On a couple of ocassions we saw the wind turbines on the top of mountains. This group were at the Western end of Kvaløya at Sommarøy.

Yes, a smart move as those wind turbines keep turning long after the hydro turbines are frozen solid! Only under exceptional circumstances do the wind turbines get turned off when the internal blade heating fails to prevent the build up of ice layers that cause them to become unbalanced.

We also saw them on top of remote mountain ridges in various places in northern Norway. The following were somewhere between Tromsø and Honningsvåg. Not that easy to see in the photos, but for scale keep in mind that the impeller diameter is almost the size of a cricket or football oval...

IMG_7983.jpg

IMG_7949 - to and at Honningsvåg.jpg

Originally Posted by BobL

I was mildly amused by this sentence of advice in the link for people who want to go and look at the wind power generators.

Pay special attention during the winter as there may be a risk of snow or ice being thrown from the turbine blades or falling from other parts of the turbine. K

Bob

As Neil mentioned in the post above, ice can form on the blades under certain conditions and there is a possibility you can be unlucky. As you can imagine, snow forms on house roof tops, and eventually it turns to ice. Then, at some point when thawing occurs it falls off the roof in chunks. Think 20kgs of rock at a time and contemplate the injury likely to occur if the fragile human head is immediately below.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by NeilS

I can think of much worse places to be diverted to than Trondheim.

Just two of the fun things that we came across in Trondheim are its Trampe bicycle lift - Wikipedia and its heated seating in public places. Dare to sit down on a stone or metal tubing bench in a public place in winter and you are pleasantly surprised to find your rear end warmed...

Neil

Unfortunately, those delights were not available to us during the four hours spent in the airport lounge. Overall, because of the closure of Oslo airport and the missing of a connection flight in Dubai, our trip took 36 hours from getting up at 0415hrs in Mjelde to arriving at Brisbane. I thought I was back on nights for three consecutive night shifts without the days in between!

Regards
Paul

This a very interesting article on the place for nuclear power in Australia.

The opposition wants 'mature debate' about nuclear. This is what experts say (msn.com)

Two things: I think the debate should go ahead so mis-information is de-bunked once and for all, to prevent unhelpful distraction and we can seek viable solutions. Secondly, we should lift the ban on nuclear power so that the viability can be on a level playing field.

Regards
Paul

Summary: "I Wouldn't Do That If I Were You", which also happens to be our family motto from our coat of arms (a pair of crossed thumbs on a white background, rampant and bleeding, with a nail through the middle of them)

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Overall, because of the closure of Oslo airport and the missing of a connection flight in Dubai, our trip took 36 hours from getting up at 0415hrs in Mjelde to arriving at Brisbane. I thought I was back on nights for three consecutive night shifts without the days in between!

Ouch!

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

As you can imagine, snow forms on house roof tops, and eventually it turns to ice. Then, at some point when thawing occurs it falls off the roof in chunks. Think 20kgs of rock at a time and contemplate the injury likely to occur if the fragile human head is immediately below.

Paul

Funny you should use that illustration, Paul. I expect you also saw the same following warning sign about this on footpaths. The image is self explanatory, the translation goes something like 'ROOF AVALANCHE Proceed at own risk'...

IMG_8257 - Sortland.JPG

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Secondly, we should lift the ban on nuclear power so that the viability can be on a level playing field.

If that happens, and Voldemort defies history* and wins the next election, he will press on with nuking us. Have the debate by all means, but keep us safe from idiots with dumb ideas.



*When a party goes from Govt to opposition after losing an election, no first-time opposition leader has ever won the next election.

Originally Posted by NeilS

IMG_8257 - Sortland.JPG

I believe they used a similar sign in 16th-18th Century England, but the lumps were a different substance.




More dangerous too, mainly because of the after-effects.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

If that happens, and Voldemort defies history* and wins the next election, he will press on with nuking us. Have the debate by all means, but keep us safe from idiots with dumb ideas.



*When a party goes from Govt to opposition after losing an election, no first-time opposition leader has ever won the next election.

FF

The safeguard is that in a world of private enterprise the nukes have to be economically viable. However, that would fall apart if the government decided to subsidise. I am not sure how that would help them win another election. Willever there is a ban on nuclear, any opposition party will keep throwing that up as a reason why it can't be done despite the uneconomical reasoning. The irony here is that the ban was a liberal policy.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Willever there is a ban on nuclear, any opposition party will keep throwing that up as a reason why it can't be done despite the uneconomical reasoning. The irony here is that the ban was a liberal policy.

Yairs....or we could revert to having a sensible opposition (of either flavour) with some original ideas.

I just think the whole nuclear idea will become moot within a fairly short period of time (and certainly before nuclear would be up and running), e.g. once battery storage has been sorted out, Snowy 2.0 is up and running.....no, wait...that could be 20-30 years....

An interesting take from both opposition and government viewpoints

Coalition’s nuclear power crusade is a futile distraction (thenewdaily.com.au)

Here is an excerpt to put the cat among the pidgeons:

"But the real benefit for Labor is not that he is right and Dutton is wrong. Rather, it is the distraction provided by a ‘debate’ about nuclear energy.
Since taking office in 2022, Tanya Plibersek has approved four new coal mines, at least 116 new gas wells and there are another 100-plus fossil fuel projects seeking approval."

Perhaps we will see Clive move to NSW where he may stand a better chance of success.

And another daunting report lending weight to why we should not wait on the fossil fuel issue.

'Red alert' to world as every major climate record busted (thenewdaily.com.au)

Regards
Paul