The real cost of renewables
The drive to decarbonise has multiple consequences. If nuclear is excluded, as technically it is not a 'renewable' , intermittency inevitably lead to increaseds electricity costs. Increased electricity costs lead to de-industrialisation, and a downward spiral of living standards. Many an industrial nation drunk the Climate Change dogma and started the process to economic ruin. Electoral defeat of its advocates will inevitably cause a re-evaluation and a change in policy but not before severe economic harm. It is happening in many democratic countries. Most recently an article in The Gatestone Institute tells the story of Germany's self inflicted industrial strife. Titled "Europe: The Fall of the Holy Renewable Empire" it is a sobering read, concluding; -
"In short, the Dunkelflaute(see note below) is the symptom of a profound energy crisis, caused by an ideological, authoritarian, irrational and failed energy transition. Dependence on unreliable energy sources (wind, solar), combined with the hasty phase-out of nuclear power, has made Germany's electricity the most expensive in Europe and compromises the country's -- and ultimately the continent's -- energy autonomy. The consequences are manifold: environmental, with high CO2 emissions; economic, with industry in steep decline, and geopolitical, with Germany's neighbors fed up with its failing energy diktat."
Literally "flat, dark calm," Dunkelflaute is characterized by a simultaneous lack of wind and sun in winter, when demand for electricity in Germany is at its highest... On December 12 of this year, for example, German electricity production from wind and solar power was thirty times lower than the demand for it.
England, Australia, take heed. Do NOT repeat the mistakes of Germany.
A picture tells a thousand words…so here are 2000 words
Thank You, Israel!
With a provocative title The Gatestone Institute's recent article tells some home truths. The article titled
"Thank You, Israel, for Saving the World, Defending Freedom and Reshaping the Middle East" provides the background to Israel's heretofore unimaginable successes over their many enemies near and far; Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Syria and Iran. Read the article, but spoiler alert, here is their conclusion'
"It is time for Western nations to align with Israel, offer their full support, and take the necessary steps to ensure a safer, more secure future for all. Bravo, Israel! Thank you for your remarkable efforts in making the world a safer, freer, better place."
Hear! Hear!
Do Nuclear power workers suffer increased health risks?
Australia's Labor government is starting to panic. Once the LNP threw down the gauntlet by announcing a pro-nuclear stance, Labor had a fight on its hands. First they tried some scare tactics regarding the safety of nuclear for the general public, especially those who would live close to a reactor. Cartoons of fish with three eyes or two-headed Koalas were meant to convince the public that this was risky. But it didn't work. Everyone saw through the rather childish approach.
They then reverted to the economic argument "Renewables is the lowest cost form of electricity generation, significantly lower than coal and nuclear energy. " They referred to the CSIRO's Gencost Report and the AEMO's calculations. This too is not working. Primarily because both the CSIRO and AEMO have been fudging their figures; using incorrect lifespans, incorrect capacity ratings, incorrect parameters for backup storage and indeed omitting large swags of distribution costs not incurred with Coal or Nuclear. Moreover, they cannot hide the increasing use of nuclear worldwide.
Mmm, what to do? Why not try the scare tactics again but focus on the poor nuclear power workers this time. Think of the health effects on them! An ex-Greens candidate, Dr Baevis was chosen to deliver this message. Unfortunately her comments were quickly debunked. See Doctor slammed for ‘gold medal fear mongering’ on nuclear energy
The risks of exposure to radiation are best represented in the following graphics taken from Vox.com article on the radiation risks of air travel This chart puts the radiation from air travel in perspective. (Spoiler: It’s minuscule.)
The last two entries in the above table summarise the issue. The lowest annual dosage which creates an increased lifetime risk for cancer is 100,000 microSieverts, whereas the nuclear worker limit per annum is set at 50,000 microSieverts. The nuclear worker's annual limit is set in order to provide a margin of safety to ensure the lifetime risk of cancer is not elevated.
Just say Merry Xmas
Forget all the 'Woke' organisations that seem to think that to respect minorities, majorities can be disrespected. Organisations that believe that acknowledging Dawali, and Ramadan are mandatory but acknowledging Xmas is not.
I am pretty sure we are all over it. After the Voice referendum, after the Woolies Australia Day fiasco, we have shown that we will not patronize organisations that by their decisions show they do not want our business.
We are all awake to the insidious attempt at the minority trying to dictate to the majority. Yes, we should all treat minorities with respect. But respect is a two-way street. It means that minorities should not try to impose their preferences on the majority. I have no problem wishing people a Merry Xmas or a Happy Hannukah or Happy Dawali. I do not have to be a member of a religion to be respectful of others' beliefs.
So for today, Merry Xmas and Happy Hannukah to all!
Are EVs green?
Driven by the climate zealot's dream of a Fossil-Fuel-Free world, the sale of EVs has taken off with gusto. Yes, there are battery issues, and the recharging stations' shortage and recharging time make EV ownership somewhat less comfortable than the old Kingswood. Still those are surmountable options, over time, perhaps. Yes, the question remains are they good for the environment. Given the current battery technology, there are severe issues that any real environmentalis,t not completely looney with climate change zealotry, would advocate an EV.
Here is a short video covering the very real environmental issues with EVs.
Statins again
I vaguely recall a short piece on statins from an old episode of Beyond 2000 on the ABC. It raised controversial questions regarding the risk-benefit of using statins to reduce the risk of heart attacks. The episode had a number of consequences, an episode 'correcting the information' and then the resignation(?) of the presenter. Still, the cat was out of the bag and over the years I have kept a watchful eye for articles on statins and have personally concluded that its use was very questionable. I have raised it with friends who have been prescribed statins and they have in turn questioned their doctors. In almost all these cases the doctors insisted that 'your friend' was wrong. In one case the doctor agreed to stop the statins but only if the person had a zero calcium score. Indeed she did, and she is now off the pills. Chalk one up for 'your friend'.
This week I came across another statin sceptic, this one a respected heart specialist, Dr Aseem Malhotra. If you are taking statins you may be interested.
CSIRO updates Gencost report
I guess we should not be surprised that the CSIRO has once again updated its Gencost report. After all, it has been done several times already. I remember a time when a report from the venerable CSIRO would become the bible, accepted and quoted by all. That seems to be of another time.
I guess I should kind, it is hard for an organisation that is funded by the government to report objectively on an issue where the government has taken such an extreme stand. After all, claims that "nuclear is the most expensive form of electricity generation", as so often repeated by Chris Bowen, is not easy to justify given its worldwide use and real-world experience.
The CSIRO has made a commendable attempt at pleasing the government but those pesky engineers and opposition politicians keep reading the documents, identifying problems and poking fun at the reports. I guess that brings us to the most recent incarnation of the Gencost report. I won't quote the report but instead let you watch one of those pesky analysts poking fun at it.
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