💧simon holmes à court Profile picture
Aug 18, 2020 8 tweets 4 min read Read on X
🤓 @AEMO_Media's latest planning document plots a number of possible futures for the national electricity market.

the most progressive, the "step change" scenario, has us at 96% renewable in 2042.

but is that a stretch goal?

tl;dr: nope

🧵…

reneweconomy.com.au/is-aemos-step-… Image
over the decade to FY2020 renewable generation additions (incremental energy) grew by 12% p.a. average — not smoothly, because… politics.

AEMO expects huge growth next 2 years.

if additions then revert to 2018-2021 average and grow by measly 1.2% p.a. over next 2 decades… Image
…we'll be on the purple line, which is basically the step change scenario.

we're effective already on the step change scenario. the RE sector is totally capable of building the required generation.

…but that doesn't mean it's assured… Image
to realise this future, AEMO has developed "living plans" (ISP & RIS) for:
• transmission
• storage
• grid integration

…we need to implement these
…and electricity retailers / big customers need to keep signing power purchase agreements

…or we plan coal retirements.
btw, under the step change scenario, #victoria would be coal free in 2037, and 99.6% renewables in 2042.

…contrary to what nuclear fan @BNW_Ben says:
Image
…and ironically, under the scenario, our grid's emissions intensity would fall by 95% to 30 kgCO₂e/MWh, which is cleaner than france's. 🇫🇷☢️

for more, read @GilesParkinson's piece:
reneweconomy.com.au/is-aemos-step-…

[remember: scenarios aren't predictions — just possible futures.]
cont.

1. rough patch ahead...
reneweconomy.com.au/investment-in-…
cont.

2. @GlenneDrover asked me what it'd look like including storage as a generation source — he must have known that most people would be surprised at how little we need: Image

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More from @simonahac

Mar 21
⚛️ @abcnews's recent #FactCheck made a classic rookie error in calculating that the latest US nukes had "build times of 10.1 and 10.4 years".

depending how you count it, it took somewhere between 13.9 years and ~19 years to build them.

easy mistake to make.

let me explain… 🧵
ABC's analysis assumes the build time is the elapsed period between "construction start" and "grid connection" dates.

in the real world, a nuclear power building project begins years before "construction start" and often finishes months after "grid connection".
"construction start" is defined by the IAEA as the "the date when first major placing of concrete for the base mat of the reactor building is made."

"grid connection" is when "the plant is first connected to the electrical grid for the supply of power."

pris.iaea.org/PRIS/Glossary.…
Read 18 tweets
Mar 13
☢️beware #nuclear porkies #2 🤥

australians🇦🇺: you're going to hear lots about ontario🇨🇦, which does have a very clean grid and cheap retail power.

but you should know 🧵

1. average age of ontario's nuclear fleet is 40 years. all government owned, but ~half privately operated. Image
2. the current nuclear price (as determined by the ontario energy board) from this old fleet is CAD 10.1¢/kWh which is the same as A$113/MWh.



ontario's proposed new nuclear power stations will cost much more…oeb.ca/sites/default/…
3a. a 2018 canadian gov't + industry report estimated cost of power from SMRs would have a mid-point of CAD$163/MWh, or CAD$215/MWh with a 3% cost overrun.

in 2024A$, this range is A$220 – A$290/MWh.



generally, SMR estimates have increased since.smrroadmap.ca/wp-content/upl…
Read 7 tweets
Mar 9
⚛️ why #nuclear power is a distraction for australia

if implemented, the #coalition's plan would see:
• increased gas & coal usage
• increased cost
• increased emissions
• higher chance of blackouts

read on to find out why… 🧵 Image
firstly, let me say i have a deep interest in nuclear.

i've visited multiple nuclear plants, met with companies planning to build SMRs and nuclear VCs, taken a nuclear course at @MIT and closely watched the sector for years.

i encourage the use of nuclear where it makes sense. Image
some context: nuclear has had a long history of nothing in australia, including the start of construction in jervis bay (promptly cancelled by a liberal PM) and a federal ban (under a liberal PM).

important to note there are also state bans, including in NSW, VIC & QLD. Image
Read 30 tweets
Feb 4
🤓 an interesting thing about the govt's proposed 'new vehicle efficiency standard' (NVES) is how they're consulting.

they've put 3 options on the table, and are wanting to hear the public's views.

but first, a little 🧵 about the NVES:
we've been talking about 🚗⛽️ efficiency standards since at least 2008!

over 85% of cars sold worldwide are covered by a new vehicle efficiency standard, but not here!

russia & australia: the only developed countries without 🚗⛽️ efficiency standards.


Image
…as a result, passenger cars in australia are, on average, 20% less efficient than passenger cars in the US.

lower efficiency cars mean we buy more petrol…

which means we waste a lot of money 💸 on fuel, with higher pollution per km travelled.

🚗◾️◾️▪️▪️
Read 15 tweets
Jan 3
i asked #chatgpt4 to show me what other australians think people from #Victoria look like: Image
…then i asked #chatgpt4 to show me what other australians think people from #NSW look like: Image
…then i asked #chatgpt4 to show me what other australians think people from #Queensland look like: Image
Read 8 tweets
Dec 24, 2023
my wish for you all today is that you’re not seated at xmas dinner next to your uncle who wants to convince you that australia needs to go #nuclear. ☢️

bit if you do get cornered, you might want to remind him that… 🧵
1. about 90% of our coal power will shut down by 2035, the rest well before 2040 — due to age and economics

2. nuclear won’t be able to contribute meaningfully to our grid before 2040 — SMRs won’t be commercially available for years, and large-scale nukes take that long to build
3. AEMO, the grid operator, is very confident we can keep the lights on and keep industry humming with wind, solar and hydro, supported by storage and backed up by a small amount of gas.

…we’ll burn less fossil gas in most years than we do now
Read 5 tweets

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