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As I sit at my laptop tapping out this text, the solar is shining in lovely Brisbane, capital of Queensland, Australia. We’re shifting into summer time and the solar is up lengthy earlier than I’m. After I awake, the home battery is filling up and charging the automobile. Quickly, the pool pump will kick in and in addition be run by the home battery. The draw back is that we at the moment are operating air con day and evening as temperatures and humidity each rise. The upside is that we don’t pay something for it. All our vitality wants are met by rooftop photo voltaic. Not bragging, simply letting my readers know what is feasible.
Like our American cousins, we have now simply had an election and Queenslanders have elected a extra right-wing authorities. Though the incoming conservative Liberal Nationwide Social gathering introduced that it might maintain the earlier authorities’s interim targets on renewable vitality heading in the direction of internet zero by 2050, it has now reneged. 2050 nonetheless stays as a vacation spot goal, however there are not any interim targets, and due to this fact no coherent plan. Simply watching what is going on round us leads me to consider we are going to obtain that concentrate on lengthy earlier than the due date it doesn’t matter what political path is pursued.
Nevertheless, bumps within the street persist. One of many first actions of the newly elected state authorities was to cancel the earlier authorities’s formidable pumped hydro mission. “The Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro mission would have been the biggest renewables mission of its type on the planet, and was chosen as a consequence of its beneficial topography and proximity to high-quality wind and photo voltaic technology sources within the Central and Northern Queensland Renewable Power Zones.”
Price blowouts had been blamed and the brand new authorities claims it’ll enact a gaggle of smaller tasks. Although, these haven’t been recognized. As battery costs fall at an ever growing fee, pumped hydro might effectively go the way in which of inexperienced hydrogen.
Again to my sunny morning discourse: at current, in line with the NEM Watch widget, photo voltaic and wind are supplying upwards of 70% of Queensland’s electrical energy. Keep in mind, this can be a reside feed. The remainder of the ability is coming from black coal and a bit of fuel. Queensland’s foremost export is coal!
Certainly, there may be a lot renewable vitality information coming throughout my desktop, it’s exhausting to decide on what to jot down about — maybe a abstract with hyperlinks could be the easiest way to take action. Those that need extra element can comply with the hyperlinks.
Let’s begin near residence. Simply three days in the past, Tesla Megapacks began to reach on the former Swanbank coal mine and energy station in Ipswich (30 km from Brisbane). My daughter lives within the space and thought it was the noise of low flying planes, however couldn’t see any, then she noticed the Megapacks on the information. By mid-next 12 months, Yurika in collaboration CleanCo may have put in 138 Tesla Megapacks. The Swanbank Clear Power Hub may have a 250 MW/500MWh BESS.
No surprise it feels like rumbling thunder or low-flying planes — 5 delivery container sized Tesla BESS megapacks are being delivered every morning and one other 5 every afternoon. Costing AUD$330 million, the BESS will assist handle the grid, as it could reply in milliseconds to vitality market calls for. The world has gone from a coal mine to an influence station to a dump and now to a clear vitality hub. What an evolution.
A little bit additional away, about 300 km west of Brisbane, the Wambo Wind Farm is taking form. The primary stage of 42 generators is anticipated to be industrial by mid 2025 and can contribute 252 MW of energy capability to Queensland’s grid. Stage 2 will present an extra 254 MW from 41 wind generators. That’s one other half a gigawatt from wind! Sufficient to energy 312,000 Queensland houses.
The Vesta wind generators are the tallest to be put in in Australia to date, with a tip peak of 247 metres. That’s fairly an erection! They’re being transported from the Port of Brisbane to website six nights every week between 10pm and 7am. The web site even offers a route map. A part of this route would be the identical because the automobiles delivering the BESS to Ipswich. Seems just like the thunder might be going day and evening for Ipswich residents.
Like the two gigawatt Macintyre Wind Farm mission, the joint homeowners of Wambo Wind Farm Stanwell and Cubico have constructed social licence by offering funding of as much as $200,000 to help area people teams.
Andrew Forrest’s Squadron Power has put in turbine quantity 50 on the Clarke Creek Wind Farm. That’s midway to completion. Clarke Creek is 150 km northwest of Rockhampton and over 800 km from Brisbane. These generators won’t be trucked by way of Ipswich — that ought to be some reduction for native residents. On completion, the 450MW wind farm ought to produce sufficient electrical energy to energy round 330,000 houses and keep away from 738,000 tonnes of CO2 per 12 months.
In line with Squadron, Clarke Creek is already producing clear vitality. Stanwell Company (owned by the Queensland authorities) has a 15-year PPA (Energy Buy Settlement) with Clarke Creek Wind Farm. “After serving to to show the sod, kicking off development two years in the past, it’s nice to be again at Clarke Creek Wind Farm to have a good time this milestone second with Squadron Power. As soon as operational and over the subsequent 15 years, Stanwell will buy greater than 75 per cent of the clear vitality generated from the primary stage of the Clarke Creek Wind Farm to offer to our prospects. This settlement ensures Stanwell continues to construct our renewable technology portfolio as we renew our vitality portfolio,” mentioned Stanwell CEO Michael O’Rourke, heralding this important step in the direction of Queensland’s clear vitality future.
The Australian Power Market Operator (AEMO) tells us that, nationally, a peak renewable report was “set on 9 September, when renewable sources equipped 72.2% of whole Nationwide Electrical energy Market (NEM) technology. On this interval rooftop photo voltaic led the way in which with 38.5% of whole technology, with grid-scale photo voltaic contributing 18.3% and wind contributing 13.4%.” Don’t anticipate this report to final lengthy.
AEMO Government Normal Supervisor Reform Supply Violette Mouchaileh mentioned: “It’s promising to see Australia’s vitality transition proceed with extra renewable technology capability both coming on-line or progressing. AEMO is getting ready the grid to run on 100% renewable technology at anybody cut-off date, and this quarter noticed whole renewable technology obtainable at over 100% of demand on two events.”
The longer term is wanting brilliant, renewable, and electrical. Simply the tasks listed above will add the potential of one other gigawatt of wind technology in Queensland, and they’re only a pattern in a single state. Watch this house!
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