{"id":341032,"date":"2024-08-29T17:12:51","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T15:12:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=341032"},"modified":"2024-08-29T17:12:55","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T15:12:55","slug":"signs-of-sun-setting-on-renewables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=341032","title":{"rendered":"Signs of Sun Setting on\u00a0Renewables"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Science Matters <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0Ron Clutz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

News come from renewables trailblazing Australia including signs there and around the world that wind and solar power are losing their momentum. From the Australian by way of John Ray is the article The sun is setting the renewables \u2018superpower\u2019 fantasy of the Australian Left.<\/strong><\/a> Excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renewable energy superpower status is supposedly in Australia\u2019s grasp<\/strong> now the government has given Mike Cannon-Brookes the green light to export solar power to Singapore.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood says Australia\u2019s largest solar farm<\/strong> to date has been given the \u201cgreen light\u201d<\/strong> by the Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.  Plibersek announced environmental approval<\/strong> for the tech billionaire\u2019s eccentric proposal last week, taking a swipe at Peter Dutton\u2019s \u201cexpensive nuclear fantasy that may never happen\u201d.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, the Environment Minister would have us believe Cannon-Brookes\u2019s plan to siliconise the NT Outback<\/strong> is a done deal. All that\u2019s left to do is:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2666  raise $35bn in capital,<\/em>
\u2666  install 120 square kilometres of solar panels,<\/em>
\u2666  build a modest 788km transmission line to Darwin, and<\/em>
\u2666  lay a 4200km high-voltage cable on the seabed, and we\u2019re good to go.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sun Cable AAPowerLink project<\/strong> feels like it was stolen from a Heath Robinson cartoon: a convoluted, unnecessarily elaborate, and impractical contraption designed to accomplish a mundane task.<\/strong> It may mark the beginning of the end of the renewable romance,<\/strong> the point at which the transition to wind, solar and hydropower collapses under the weight of its own absurdity.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There is increasing evidence the US has reached the point of peak renewables<\/strong>, as the pool of private investors shrinks and winning community approval becomes harder.<\/strong> Research by the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory showed roughly one-third of utility-scale wind and solar applications<\/strong> submitted over the past five years were cancelled<\/strong>, while about half of wind and solar projects<\/strong> experienced significant delays<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US Department of Energy<\/strong> says the national electricity network<\/strong> needs to grow by 57 per cent<\/strong> by 2035, the equivalent of approximately 21,000 km a year. Last year\u2019s total was around 200 km,<\/strong> downfrom just over 1000 in 2022.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the challenges of grid synchronisation and storage remain unresolved,<\/strong> and the technical problems for offshore wind turbines,<\/strong> in particular, are mounting. Last week, turbine manufacturer GE Vernova announced an investigation into a blade failure in the 3.6GW Dogger Bank project<\/strong> in the North Sea off the coast of the UK. It is the third blade failure this year.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In July, a newly installed blade crumbled at the Vineyard Wind offshore plant, creating debris that washed up on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts<\/strong>. At 107 metres long and weighing 55 tonnes, they are the most enormous blades deployed commercially.<\/strong> The failure of three in quick succession<\/strong> suggests the quest to increase output by installing ever-larger blades has reached its natural limits.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet the imperative of expanding generating capacity is hardening.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The principal driving force<\/strong> is not electric vehicles but the rapid growth of artificial intelligence.<\/strong> AI requires at least 10 times the power of conventional computing programs.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the US, data centres<\/strong> account for about 2.5 per cent of power<\/strong> and demand could rise to 7.5 per cent<\/strong> by 2030, according to Boston Consulting Group. In Ireland<\/strong>, data processing and storage use 12 per cent of electricity produced<\/strong>, forcing the authorities to limit the number of connections to the grid.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silicon Valley has long abandoned <\/strong>the notion it can be powered by silicon photovoltaic panels<\/strong> while burying stray emissions in the Amazon forests.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April, the tech giant Amazon<\/strong> paid the best part of $1bn ($US650m) for a sizeable block of land next to Pennsylvania\u2019s Susquehanna nuclear power station.<\/strong> It will be the site for a data centre powered by up to 480MW of carbon-free electricity<\/strong> delivered reliably around the clocky.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shares in US nuclear power companies<\/strong> such as Consolidated Energy, Talem and Vistra have soared<\/strong> by between 80 per cent and 180 per cent in the past year. So-called green energy stocks<\/strong>, on the other hand, are static or falling<\/strong>, while coal is making an unexpected comeback.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May, the Financial Times reported that the retirement dates for coal-fired power stations are being pushed back<\/strong> as operators become concerned about grid security. Allianz Energy has delayed the conversion of its Wisconsin<\/strong> plant from coal to gas for three years to 2028. Ohio<\/strong>-based FirstEnergy announced in February that it was scrapping its 2030 target to phase out coal, citing \u201cresource adequacy concerns\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effect of AI on electricity demand was largely unanticipated at the beginning of the decade. AI chips will undoubtedly become more efficient, but there is no telling how much further the demand for AI will grow<\/strong> since the technology is in its infancy. Nor can we begin to guess what other power-hungry forms of technology might be developed by 2050.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What we do know,<\/strong> however, is that if Australia\u2019s demand for electricity exceeds 313 TWH a year<\/strong> in a 2050, we\u2019re in trouble.<\/strong> That\u2019s the target the Australian Energy Market Operator has set in its updated blueprint for the great electricity transition.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Chris Bowen points out, that\u2019s going to take a lot solar panels and wind turbines. The Energy Minister says we need 22,000 new solar panels a day and a new 7MW wind turbine every 18 hours just to meet our 2030 target of a mere 202 TWH.<\/strong> For the record, the speed of the rollout<\/strong> in the first two years of Labor government is less than a tenth of that.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the hallmarks of the anointed is an unwavering conviction
in the integrity of their analysis and
the effectiveness of their proposed solutions.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They feel no need to hedge their bets<\/strong> by factoring in contingency arrangements should their predictions turn out to be wrong. Nothing in AEMO\u2019s Integrated System Plan indicates its experts have given any thought to scaling up electricity production in line with actual demand,<\/strong> which may well be considerably higher than they\u2019ve anticipated.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they had, they would have to acknowledge that there are limits to the renewable energy frontier<\/strong> determined by energy density, the demand for land and the requirement for firming. The silicification of northern Australia cannot continue forever,<\/strong> nor can we expect to rely on China for most of the hardware<\/strong> and pretend there are no geopolitical consequences.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As for our nuclear-phobic Prime Minister\u2019s dream of turning Australia into the Saudi Arabia of green hydrogen<\/strong>, while simultaneously sitting at the cutting edge of quantum computing, forget it. In 2006, as the shadow minister for the environment, Anthony Albanese<\/strong> gave a speech at the Swansea RSL on avoiding dangerous climate change.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy<\/strong> on Earth would we want to take<\/strong> the big health and economic risk of nuclear energy when<\/strong> we have a ready-made power source hovering peacefully in the sky every day?<\/strong>\u201d he asked.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Albanese doesn\u2019t know the answer to that question 18 years later, he probably never will.<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the hallmarks of the anointed is an unwavering conviction
\nin the integrity of their analysis and
\nthe effectiveness of their proposed solutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":341034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691823376,691819094,691830387,691830388],"class_list":{"0":"post-341032","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-australia-2","9":"tag-renewable-green-energy","10":"tag-superpower-fantasy","11":"tag-us-department-of-energy","13":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0green-hydrogen-hype-1.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1qIw","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":378054,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=378054","url_meta":{"origin":341032,"position":0},"title":"Claim: \u201cThrow Away\u201d Conventional Economics to Become a Renewable Superpower","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"13\/05\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201c\u2026 productivity \u2026 has deluded far too many of the economics profession\u2019s conventional thinkers.\u201d","rel":"","context":"In \"Australia\"","block_context":{"text":"Australia","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=australia"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-161.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-161.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-161.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-161.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":282027,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=282027","url_meta":{"origin":341032,"position":1},"title":"Lunacy Unplugged: Renewable Energy Debacle Proves Clowns Are Clearly In\u00a0Charge","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/10\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Adelaide blackout from the plane - Sept 2016 From STOP THESE THINGS When disaster threatens the rational retreat, but the clown soldiers on and even doubles down, accelerating the race to oblivion. 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It was going to be a glorious Australian green-techno future, the largest hydrogen plant in the world,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Australian Government\"","block_context":{"text":"Australian Government","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=australian-government"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0green_hydrogen.jpg?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0green_hydrogen.jpg?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0green_hydrogen.jpg?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0green_hydrogen.jpg?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0green_hydrogen.jpg?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=341032"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":341046,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341032\/revisions\/341046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/341034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=341032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=341032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=341032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}