[the diagram on electricy generation prices]

This diagram represents disinformation as it compares apples with oranges. Nuclear and fossil generation (...hydropower, ... others) is reliable and plannable. It's the fundamental requirement for contracts traded at power exchanges (futures on baseload and peak hours for a time span of a year, month, week). Solar and wind can reliably be predicted only for a day in advance, that means trading restricted to spot markets ('day ahead' and 'intraday'). In Germany Solar and wind are still only profitable due to guaranteed feed in tariffs and subsidies independent on current load (see reasons for negative prices). Spot market revenues alone are not profitable. A future 'green' power grid where the spot markets far outweights the futures market means 'ENRON' to the power of 10. Blackouts or frequent regional brownouts (comparable to ESKOM's power supply schemes in South Africa) would be unavoidable.

Anyway, reliable generation share is ZERO % (Solar: dark at night) and ~0.7% for Wind (calm hours, rarely calm days or even weeks occur each year; offshore and onshore, even continent-wide in Europe). So, Solar and Wind require an almost 100% backup capacity from fossil gas turbines (with only a few hundred operating hours each year which prevent them from being profitable). Thus, no one will want to build backup capacities without massive investment AND operation subsidies. A vague vision of the future tells us: batteries or Hydrogen solves all problems. Many doubt its economic feasibility, even decades in the future. As well as its impact on environment (land/ressource consumption for batteries, thousands more of Wind/Solar) if the tranformation of power --> hydrogen --> power means 80% losses.

Solar and wind inhere a low energy density (high resource (minerals) and land consumption, ...), low number of yearly operating hours, and short lifespan compared to nuclear, fossils or hydro. Compare with evolution of fossils: from James Watt's steam engine to a 1,000 MW gas turbine. The inversion of technological evolution is the future? Solar&Wind are generated where conditions are optimal, not where power is consumed (industrial or population agglomerations). Long transport distances require extensive grid expansion and expensive (controllable) HVDC long distance links. Decentralized wind and solar also require many times the number of High/Medium voltage power connections (#transformers... increasing grid fees extremely) also with, on a yearly average, poor utilization.

An honest cost comparison for solar, wind, nuclear and fossils would have to look at:

1. generation,
   
2. backup power plants (investment and operating costs)
   
3. grid expansion investment and...
   
4. its permanently higher operation costs
   
5. start capabilities from blackout (=quantifiable costs)
   

Such an analysis delivers many unwanted truths. Electrical engineers and economists write them down for political decision makers... who ignore them, dissenting their ideologic beliefs.

Those countries that base their (free of ideology!) energy policy on physical and economic principles decided to build new nuclear PPs (a future mix of Nuclear and Renewables). For another one or two decades the other, 'pure-green' countries will lecture them about evil nuclear which is irresponsible and way too expensive. Then the 'green' countries will ultimately import gigantic amounts of nuclear power each year... or alternatively regress into developing countries loosing their industry and wealth.

All of the above can be studied NOW in a realtime laboratory named 'Germany'. Historic and realtime data on generation, prices, import, export, CO2 efficiency, wholesale prices, balancing costs... for most countries in Europe are easily accessible for everyone (researchers, politicians, administrations, governments). See e.g. here (data, diagrams), or here (map im/exports, CO2 efficiency).

I admit, the calculation for Australia is completely different than for Europe. (proximity to Equator, no prolonged winter darkness, more suitable weather? Eventually large regions with stable winds throughout the year).

Sorry for the too long post. I'll stop now.

Being the son of Lord Voldemort would likely drive you to it.

Peter Dutton’s 18-year-old son Tom pictured holding bag with ‘white powder’.

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has responded after his son has found himself in a media storm when a photograph surfaced of him holding a clear bag containing a small amount of ‘white powder’.

News.com.au is not suggesting that the substance is drugs.

The image of 18-year-old Tom Dutton, reportedly taken at a Surfer’s Paradise apartment on the Gold Coast, was posted to Snapchat with the caption “birthday day treat”.

In the photo, Tom Dutton, dressed in a plain white T-shirt, faces the camera while holding the bag in his right hand.

Mr Dutton’s office issued a brief statement after the Daily Telegraph broke the story.

“This is a private matter for the Dutton family,” the statement read.

The photograph initially appeared on a friend of Tom Dutton’s Snapchat account and was deleted shortly after being posted.

However, it had already been screenshot by one of the recipients, who then circulated the image further.........

Albo makes a big mistake, but Lord Voldemort makes a gigantic blunder.

A star Australian sportsman has accused Peter Dutton of making a “disgraceful” comment regarding the Muslim community.

.......Mr Dutton’s warning about “Muslim candidates” has sparked accusations of Islamophobia, including from Australian cricket star Usman Khawaja.

“As a Muslim who grew up in Western Sydney, I find this comment from someone who is running for prime minister to be an absolute disgrace,” Mr Khawaja wrote on social media.

“Bigotry at its finest. Fuelling Islamophobia from the very top.”......

Our bumbling ex premier resigns his seat for a move to the U.S..

Former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet resigns from parliament.

Former NSW Liberal premier Dominic Perrottet has announced he is quitting politics to take up a new role in the United States.

The ABC has confirmed that Mr Perrottet and his family will move to Washington DC where he will head up BHP's office there.

Mr Perrottet will work as the mining company's US head of corporate and external affairs.

His decision to quit politics has been widely anticipated for months, with the former leader-turned-backbencher known to be actively seeking opportunities in the private sector.

The announcement comes just a month after the resignation of another high-profile Liberal, former treasurer Matt Kean, meaning the party will now face two by-elections.......

I hope that BHP knows what it's doing as Dom certainly doesn't.

He sucked the $'s right out of his company to buy himself a seat in parliament, which he didn't hold on to for long, but after many years the dust is finally settling on the failed company.

Liquidator for Clive Palmer's former company Queensland Nickel says creditors paid in full.

After eight years of financial heartbreak and court battles, the liquidator of Clive Palmer's former Queensland Nickel refinery says it has paid the company's creditors in full.

The Yabulu Nickel Refinery, owned by Queensland Nickel Industries, was the Townsville region's largest private employer when it collapsed in 2016, owing hundreds of millions of dollars.

More than 700 workers lost their jobs.

Liquidator FTI announced yesterday that outstanding creditors had been paid $300 million — a full settlement of claims, it said.
End of saga in sight?

FTI senior managing director Kelly Trenfield said when FTI was first appointed, it estimated QNI owed about $800 million.

Many of those claims had been settled, removed or reduced over the past eight years.

She said recovering the final $300 million owed to creditors had been a long process......

Our ex state premier, Gladys, has to wear it.

A recorded call between former premier Gladys Berejiklian and disgraced MP Daryl Maguire has revealed shocking new details about their dynamic.

Intercepted conversations between the former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian and ousted ex-MP Daryl Maguire revealed insight into the dynamic of their relationship.

In a report handed down last year, ICAC found their exchanges showed the “intensity” and “deep feelings of love” between the pair, and one recorded phone call captured the moment Mr Maguire pushed Ms Berejiklian to concede “even when you are the premier, I am the boss”.

Ms Berejiklian’s failure to disclose her relationship was at the centre of Independent Commission Against Corruption’s damning findings against her.

She has maintained she always acted in the best interests of the state and on Friday the NSW Court of Appeal, in a 2-1 decision, rejected her bid to overturn ICAC’s findings.

Ms Berejiklian disclosed her secret relationship with Mr Maguire while giving evidence to the ICAC in 2020.

When the corruption watchdog delivered its findings in June last year, it that said both Mr Maguire and Ms Berejiklian were guilty of “serious corrupt conduct”.........

It's time to chuck a "Joe" Phil.

Hornsby Shire Mayor and former federal minister Philip Ruddock loses Liberal preselection vote.

High-profile veteran Liberal figure Philip Ruddock has failed to win party preselection to continue as Hornsby mayor after next month's election, accusing some senior party members of "backing property developer interests" over him.

The 81-year-old, who has served as mayor for the past seven years, last night lost the online pre-election ballot to fellow Liberal councillor Warren Waddell — 164 votes to 104.

He will stay on as mayor until council elections on September 14......

Lord Voldemort has gotten himself into even more trouble.

Anti-Islamophobia group say Peter Dutton contributed to a 'hostile environment' for Muslim Australians in complaint.

A religious vilification complaint has been lodged with the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board against federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

Last month, Mr Dutton was asked about comments made by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese regarding then-Labor senator Fatima Payman's imminent departure from the party.

In the course of his answer, Mr Dutton said: "The prime minister, if he's in a minority government in the next term of parliament, it will include the Greens, it'll include Green-Teals, it'll include Muslim candidates from Western Sydney. It will be a disaster."

In a complaint to the anti-discrimination board, the Alliance Against Islamophobia said Mr Dutton's comment contributed to a "hostile environment for Muslim Australians" and "reinforcing harmful stereotypes about the Muslim community".

"[The statement] dehumanises and vilifies Muslim candidates based on their religious beliefs, suggesting their inclusion in government would be detrimental to Australian society," the advocacy group said in its complaint.......

Yet another state gives Lord Voldemort's nuclear plans a kick in the guts.

WA rules out uranium mining policy change amid nuclear energy push from Peter Dutton.

Western Australia's mines minister has rejected calls from federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton to overturn the state's long-standing ban on uranium mining and insisted that future energy needs will be met by renewable sources.

The state has had an effective ban on mining the nuclear fuel since Labor was swept to power in 2017, while Mr Dutton has made nuclear power development the centrepiece of the Coalition's energy policy.

Speaking on the sidelines of this week's Diggers and Dealers Mining Forum in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Mr Dutton said the WA policy should be scrapped.

But WA Mines Minister David Michael, who attended the final day of the forum, poured cold water on the idea and said the state government's stance on uranium would not be changing anytime soon.........

That's every mainland state going against Lord Voldemort now and even if he got into power the federal government can't overturn state government decisions.

A win for you here.
https://mynewsla.com/crime/2024/08/09/el-monte-man-accused-of-attempted-exportation-of-ton-of-methamphetamine/

A San Gabriel Valley man has been arrested on federal charges alleging his connection to the attempted exportation of more than one ton of methamphetamine concealed inside shipment containers and destined for Australia, federal officials announced Friday.

1 miner wants to leave more behind than just a grassy hill with a lake, but outdated right wing state rules only want a grassy hill with a lake and nothing more.

BHP plans for diverse future at Mt Arthur coal mine after 2030 closure.

Coal continues to be mined at 39 sites across New South Wales, most of it bound for ports to be sent around the world.

At Muswellbrook's Mt Arthur mine in the coal-rich Hunter Valley, the 24/7 operation extracted more than 15 million tonnes of coal last financial year.

It is the state's largest coal mine with more than 2,000 employees, but approvals are running out.

Owner BHP announced in 2022 that it would seek a four-year mining extension to slowly close the mine by 2030, after failing to find a buyer for it.

With a 7,000-hectare footprint, the closure and repurposing of the expansive site will be no small feat.

BHP's NSW Energy Coal vice president, Liz Watts, said it was a "massive task".

"It is a significant parcel of land and with that comes significant opportunities," she said.

"It's not just about delivering environmental outcomes, it's not just about delivering economic outcomes, it's not just about delivering social outcomes.

"It's trying to bring to bear the true intent of sustainability, which is those three things coming together."

Ms Watts said the mine had "real potential" as a site for pumped-hydro and solar technology.

Nearby Muswellbrook Coal, owned by Idemitsu, has lodged similar renewables plans after 115 years of mining ended in 2022........

BHP's green plan is much better than Lord Voldemort's nuclear 1.

Lord Voldemort is giving Delusional Donny a run for the king of hypocrisy.

There's no grey in Dutton's views on the war in Gaza. Not even Australia's spy chief can shift his position.

Peter Dutton has never liked the idea of Australia accepting Palestinians fleeing the conflict in Gaza and has never been shy of saying so.

For him, this is straightforward, both in a national security sense and politically. The opposition leader is an unabashed supporter of Israel in this war. He recently made a special visit there and was granted an hour with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.........

This idiot needs to go as he's almost as bad as Delusional Donny and as divisive, but that's far right morons for you.

Our state's right wing party falls short.

NSW Liberal Party apologises after failing to enter candidates in council elections.

Dozens of would-be local councillors across New South Wales will not be able to run for office in September after the state Liberal Party failed to meet a critical deadline to nominate candidates.

Liberal Party state director Richard Shields apologised and blamed limited resources for the failure, which will impact nominees in a number of Local Government Areas (LGAs)........

And now they want to sue others (as well as themselves) for their own failure.

Former NSW premier Mike Baird 'heartbroken' by nominations error as Liberals say they have found escape clause.

Former New South Wales premier Mike Baird says the Liberal Party's failure to nominate close to 140 candidates for next month's local government elections is a "tragedy."

It comes as the party threatens legal action against the NSW Electoral Commission, alleging the commission made an error in its official election notification.

Mr Baird, who led the state from 2014 to 2017, said the bungle was "hard to believe."......

Actually it isn't "hard to believe" when you consider all their actions over the last decade, even young Mikey was a screw up during his time.

It sounds like those morons have worked out that you can't sue others over your own shortcomings.

NSW Liberals will not pursue legal action over council nominations paperwork blunder.

The NSW branch of the Liberal party has abandoned threats of legal action over last week's council nominations blunder.

The Liberals missed Wednesday's deadline to nominate close to 140 candidates in next month's local government elections.

The party had threatened legal action after the NSW Electoral Commission refused its requests for an extension.

However, party officials have decided not to proceed.....

But that doesn't mean that there'll be no internal legal actions taken over their stuff up.

Meanwhile as a result of their federal branch actions while in government a new watchdog appears.

Federal government to unveil legislation for long-awaited Parliamentary Standards Commission.

Federal MPs could be fined up to five per cent of their salary, kicked off powerful parliamentary committees, and even suspended from parliament under new laws to be introduced by the federal government today.

The government will unveil legislation for the long-awaited Parliamentary Standards Commission, which will significantly ratchet up the consequences for politicians and members of staff who engage in bad behaviour.

The Set The Standard report, published in 2021 following Brittany Higgins's allegation she was raped in a ministers' office, recommended an Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission (IPSC) be established to investigate complaints about misconduct, as well as to recommend and hand out sanctions.....

.....Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said improving the culture at Parliament House was a cross-party effort.

"The 2021 Set the Standard report laid bare the serious issues of bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault at parliamentary workplaces," she said.....

Well I can see that Labor, the Greens and the Teals fully supporting the move, but I bet that Lord Voldemort and his mob were totally against it.

Well it's 6yrs late and is now going to cost at least 6 times more than those right wing pollies at the time planned for.

Snowy Hydro buys another boring machine, hoping to make up for lost time.

After a succession of delays and dramas, Snowy Hydro has been forced to acquire an additional tunnel boring machine to make sure the $12 billion Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro project is completed on time.

Repeated problems with an existing machine named Florence, combined with "initial design immaturity" to deal with geologically complex terrain, prompted the re-calculation of what it would take to complete the tunnelling works.

Snowy 2.0's costs have already blown out by $10 billion and its start date pushed back six years.

Acquiring the extra tunnel boring machine will cost around $75 million, but Snowy Hydro is confident it will not need additional funding and can still meet its amended time frame of completing the project by December 2028.

The complexity of the geology has been long known, but Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes said recent additional surveying of a fault zone confirmed the need for another machine.........

And we'll likely be paying more yet for their complete incompetence.

Meanwhile it's no different in the last right wing governed state.

Freight company SeaRoad fears 'huge' risk of collision with new Spirit of Tasmania ferries amid temporary Devonport berth.

Tasmania's largest shipping company says it expects its Devonport operations will be "substantially" impacted by a stop-gap measure to accommodate the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries and fears there is a "huge" risk of collision.

SeaRoad executive chair Chas Kelly told ABC Mornings that "when ships are getting very close together — everything's good, until it's not".

"That could, in our view, put us both out of business for a substantial amount of time," he said.

Port infrastructure at Devonport's berth 3 — set to be the permanent home of the new larger Spirit of Tasmania vessels — has been struck by delays.

When the first of the new ships arrive in the coming months, they will dock closer to the mouth of the Mersey River at berth 1, where the current spirits do.

However, that berth is smaller — impacting access to berth 2, where SeaRoad's two freight vessels operate.......

You'd think that the proper birth would've been finished well before those delayed ships arrived, but you just can't beat right wing incompetency these days.

It's no wonder that the Apple Isle is in so much trouble with this bungler.

Fresh from paying price on ferry fiasco, Michael Ferguson now facing up to budget nightmare for Tasmanian Liberals.

Michael Ferguson has paid a price for the debacle over the roll-out of new Spirit of Tasmania vessels.

He relinquished the infrastructure portfolio to Premier Jeremy Rockliff, while retaining his role as Tasmania's Deputy Premier and Treasurer, and while continuing to blame Spirit operator TT-Line for the problem.

Well short of accepting any kind of blame, he instead wanted to remove the "unnecessary distraction" from the project which still has major obstacles to overcome.

At the time of cost blowouts and delays to both the Spirit vessels and Devonport port infrastructure, he was the shareholder minister for TT-Line and TasPorts.

But it's far from the end for Mr Ferguson.

He remains Treasurer and will deliver the budget in a few weeks, at a time when the Tasmanian economy is facing pressure from all sides, highlighted by Saul Eslake's review which warned of a dire economic outlook for Tasmania in the coming years......

He seems to stumble from 1 disaster to the next, how will his numbers add up?

Our state's right wing party could lose more seats to the Teals after a possible pedophile is exposed in their ranks.

NSW Liberal Rory Amon's resignation following child-sex charges triggers party's third by-election.

The New South Wales Liberal Party could face three by-elections on the same day following the resignation of an MP charged with child-sex offences.

Rory Amon, who was the MP for Pittwater on Sydney's Northern Beaches, was arrested at Manly Police Station and charged with 10 child-sex offences on Friday.

The 35-year-old quit parliament hours after police announced the charges.

Mr Amon has denied all the charges and said he "will make my case in the courts, not in the media"........

Lord Voldemort and his silly mob will try anything to stay relevant and in the news these days.

King Charles III caught up in Senate squabble over replacing mentions of Queen Elizabeth, two years after her death.

A legislative logjam has claimed its latest victim: King Charles III.

Two years after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Australia has yet to formally replace references to her in 29 pieces of legislation.

References to "Her Majesty" and "the Queen", as well as some outdated references to the "King" to the sovereign are on the chopping block should a bill to replace them with the gender-neutral "the Sovereign", which has been sitting dormant in the Senate for 10 months, be passed.

The government argues the move is pretty uncontroversial and is designed to save a fresh crop of MPs from having the same argument when Prince William ascends to the throne, questioning why the Coalition couldn't get on board.

But the opposition claims the whole thing is a bit "ridiculous".

"[It] is simply a solution to a problem that does not exist," Liberal senator James McGrath told the ABC.

When the bill was first introduced last October, the Coalition insisted it could not support it unless it received assurance the change had the support of the king, or his representative in Canberra, the governor-general.

Since then, Sam Mostyn has taken over the mantle as governor-general, and the government insists she has been briefed about the "routine" adjustment.

But Senator McGrath says the Coalition is standing firm.

"To replace references to 'Her Majesty' or 'the King' with 'the Sovereign' without any intention of consulting the GG until the bill reaches its Royal Assent is disrespectful," he said......

Well of cause our far right wingnuts otherwise they'd have nowhere to post their fake garbage and outright B.S..

Murky future for misinformation bill as Coalition invoke free speech concerns and Musk fires up on X.

Tech barron Elon Musk has found a surprise ally in the Coalition after he called the Albanese government “fascists” over its re-vamped misinformation laws targeting social media companies.

Opposition communications spokesman David Coleman weighed in on the stoush on Sunday, appearing to throw his support behind the billionaire instead of backing the Australian government on the global stage.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday hit back at Mr Musk’s inital post, saying social media “has a social responsibility.”

“If Mr Musk doesn’t understand that, that says more about him than it does about my government,” he told reporters.

Mr Musk doubled down on Saturday night, posting: “Far left fascists love censorship.”........