<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/south-australias-renewable-triumph-is-stunning-proof-that-duttons-nuclear-plans-are-a-folly/>
"When the federal and state governments were deciding on a location to announce
a funding deal that will underwrite South Australia’s final leap to its
remarkable goal of 100 per cent net renewables within the next three years,
Port Augusta was the obvious choice.
The city at the top of the Spencer Gulf, like the neighbouring Whyalla, is
everything that the climate deniers, the renewable naysayers, the conservative
media and the federal Coalition say is not possible.
Port Augusta once played host to the state’s ageing and incredibly dirty coal
generators. Whyalla was the subject of taunts from former prime minister Tony
Abbott that it would be rendered a ghost town by a carbon price.
Now the two cities are host to thriving renewable energy hubs, new green
industries and technologies that will help propel the state into a clean energy
future.
And it is remarkable how little is actually known about the achievements of
South Australia beyond its borders. Already it is at an annual average of 70
per cent renewables, and by 2027 it intends to be the first in the world to
reach 100 per cent net renewables primarily through wind, solar and storage.
Just to be clear, that does not mean that it will consume only renewables.
“Net” means that the amount of power it produces from wind and solar during the
year will be equivalent to the amount it consumes. But it will still export and
import as needs must.
It’s a stunning achievement, and still one that the naysayers insist is not
possible. The state has become a globally significant testing ground in
technologies – it hosted the first Tesla big battery that helped change the
thinking on future grids around the world – and it is addressing and solving
complex engineering issues that many experts thought were too difficult and
some still say are insurmountable.
More importantly, it is doing this as a result of bipartisan policy. Labor
kicked it off more than a decade ago by making itself the most welcoming state
for wind and solar.
The Liberal state government set the target of reaching 100 per cent renewables
by 2030. Labor is now back in power and has accelerated that target to 2027. It
is marvellous what can be achieved when the coal lobby is removed and not
pulling the strings of the politicians and public mood."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
