<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/solar-battery-deal-for-giant-smelter-is-a-stunning-game-changer-for-australian-energy/>
"For years there has been a game of shadow boxing around the nature of the
green energy transition in Australia. There is the admission that rooftop solar
is helping households and businesses cut their bills, and some industries have
made a big deal about the savings from contracts with big wind and solar farms.
But the naysayers keep insisting that nothing could, would or should replace
good ol’ reliable fossil fuels, and “always on” coal power, apart from a lot of
gas and maybe nuclear energy if someone could figure out a way to invent cost
competitive small modular reactors.
That is a view based around hope, vested interests and ideology, and old
fashioned energy system thinking. And it has been steadily undermined by the
plunging cost of solar and battery storage, and the growing scientific evidence
that Australia – and the world – needs to move quickly to cut emissions.
Now, it could be argued, the case for renewables and storage is more or less
settled, or at least it should be: Rio Tinto, the biggest consumer of
electricity in Australia, has chosen wind, solar and battery storage over coal
and gas to secure the future of its Queensland-based aluminium smelters and
refineries.
See our story: Rio Tinto signs massive solar and battery deal to help secure
future of smelters and refineries
<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/rio-tinto-signs-massive-solar-and-battery-deal-to-help-secure-future-of-smelters-and-refineries/>
It is a stunning decision, and one made for a simple reason – Rio Tinto says
wind, solar and battery storage offer the cheapest and most reliable energy
option, and, of course, the lowest emissions. And it will save the jobs of
thousands of people in and around the industrial city of Gladstone.
It means that the energy landscape in Australia will never be the same, and the
baseload and nuclear arguments can finally disappear back to where they belong
– in the last century."
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
