Thread: Future of the Australian Electricity Market

Originally Posted by jack620

It appears to have flatlined. In fact, the price increased in 2022.

Really?

The decline was back on trend in 2023.

Also, unsure of the credibility of the figures that you quoted - for 2016 $345 vs $244 per kWh - a variance of 41%.

Originally Posted by Mr Brush

A friend is building on another 20 acre block just down the street from us, and just got quoted $150k to run 3-phase power from the street to his proposed house site. Result? He could spend far less on 30kW of solar panels plus 26kWh of battery storage, so he'll be going off-grid.

Or buy a couple of cars and have 120 kWh?

We were given an estimate of $50,000 to connect 3-phase to our fascia about 5m from the street. Apparently, there was no spare capacity in the street and they wanted muggins to pay for increasing the street wiring.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Really?

Yes. Are you seeing something else?

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Also, unsure of the credibility of the figures that you quoted - for 2016 $345 vs $244 per kWh - a variance of 41%.

Sorry, you’ve lost me. $345 to $244 is a 29% decrease. That graph is all over the internet.

A little bit more information on the Eraring negotiations. I believe it was originally purchased for $50Million, so a buy back offer of more than ten times that amount would have been galling tending towards insulting.

Origin Energy offered to sell Eraring power station to NSW government for $544m (msn.com)

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

... I believe it was originally purchased for $50Million, so a buy back offer of more than ten times that amount would have been galling tending towards insulting.

Are you buying or selling, Paul? It's all about perspective, and monopoly powers.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Are you buying or selling, Paul? It's all about perspective, and monopoly powers.

Or even supply and demand.

Regards
Paul

I've followed this thread since it started, many of the conversations have been above my pay grade, some of the conversations ventured into territory I normally wouldn't encounter. It has been very interesting, enlightening and most of all, informative.

Recently I visited my local library and I chanced upon a new book that one of the librarians was placing on the shelf for the first time. After a brief look, I borrowed it and have been quietly reading through the chapters.

So far, there has not been anything except facts and figures in the various chapters, no editorial slant, just facts and figures, and some charts

Printed in Australia and apparently self published by the author, according to the innards of the book.

Anyone who is interested in many (perhaps most) of the conversations that have happened in this thread, may find this book very useful and interesting; as I am as I wend my way through it.

Time to pester your local library, perhaps?

Mick.



Can we keep the lights on?

Australia's Looming Energy Crisis.

By Alan G Lawrenson.

ISBN 978-0-9943197-3-9

Australia's Looming Energy Crisis | Energy Transition

World’s largest solar plant goes online in China – pv magazine USA

This colossus generates 3.5 GW and cost USD$2.1B

Here is a picture of it in the desert.

CGDG-Largest-PV-Farm-in-Xinjiang-01.jpg

I could be wrong, but I seem to remember we have a fair bit of this "desert".....

Imagine what we could do with this beast!

Originally Posted by woodPixel

I could be wrong, but I seem to remember we have a fair bit of this "desert".....

We do. And they are magnificent places. I reckon the solar farm in that picture is an absolute blight on the landscape. Not that they really care in China.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Or buy a couple of cars and have 120 kWh? We were given an estimate of $50,000 to connect 3-phase to our fascia about 5m from the street.

Or buy three of these (read the caption),

Capture.JPG

convert them to electric and voila, there is your 3 phase power. In fact, it would be 3 Phase III power. AND it would be a valuable investment! (alright, stop groaning)

Originally Posted by Mr Brush

It's only a small step from there to V2H (vehicle to home), where the 60kWh car battery could be used to run the house at night and still leave plenty of juice for driving.

This was supposed to have been ready for introduction (on the house side of things) "during 2023". Agreed, V2H is the future.

Originally Posted by BobL

A big break through would be a low cost integrated solar roof.

Solar paint is being boiled up on a backburner somewhere too. Haven't heard anything about it in a couple of years or so, and it would be relatively low output compared to panels, but it sounds like a game-changer (roof, non-southern facing walls, cars).



I think the biggest game-changer on the current horizon is solid state batteries. However, the CEO of CATL says they are unsafe and impractical, but then again, as the world's largest producer of Li-ion batteries, he may have a vested interest in being contrarian.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Or buy three of these (read the caption),

Capture.JPG

convert them to electric and voila, there is your 3 phase power. In fact, it would be 3 Phase III power. AND it would be a valuable investment! (alright, stop groaning)

But would not the GTHO Phase 3 minus the big, heavily worked V8 engine be just another Ford Falcon?

Seems as likely as an electric Hog. No noise, no Harley!

Originally Posted by woodPixel

World’s largest solar plant goes online in China – pv magazine USA

This colossus generates 3.5 GW and cost USD$2.1B

Here is a picture of it in the desert.

CGDG-Largest-PV-Farm-in-Xinjiang-01.jpg

I could be wrong, but I seem to remember we have a fair bit of this "desert".....

Imagine what we could do with this beast!

looks like one big wind gust and the place would be burried?


the biggest problem with building something like that in the Aus dessert is the big extension lead you need to connect it up to something. that and you actually have to get all the stuff OUT to the desert to build it as well.

one of the ways I guess that helps china smash these is the fact they do the manufacturing of the panels there.

Is there a shake-up coming?

Australian energy rule maker signals shake-up of complex power prices amid user concerns (msn.com)

And what will have to happen for a shake-up to be possible?

Regards
Paul

As opposed to the current pricing schemes which seem to have been devised with the sole purpose of making it as difficult as possible for customers to make price comparisons between providers......