Resisting Climate Hysteria

[Knobby22]

He has a good way with words.

Meanwhile in Brazil, the government is clearing a swathe of the Amazon rainforest for a road to get 50,000 delegates to the next UN climate change conference – COP30 – to held, weirdly, in the remote city of Belem in November.

Bulldozing the Amazon rainforest is a fitting way to mark 30 years of failure, of annual gabfests that have released colossal amounts of carbon dioxide from the mouths of the well-meaning, and burned tonnes of aviation fuel to get them there, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions not one bit.

In those three decades, human use of fossil fuels has increased 54 per cent.

The withdrawal of America, and the influence that will have on other countries and companies, means the COP30 delegates might as well stay home this year.

The global effort to prevent climate change which began with COP1 in Berlin in 1995 and peaked two years later with a burst of optimism in Kyoto, is pretty much over; it’s dead.

 

[Smurf1976]

I think if I had a few billion bucks and I was putting a big whack of it into massive renewable energy projects then the planetary pay off seems reasonable.

Same rationale for Twiggy swanning around the world and looking to develop multiple green energy projects.

Pitting up with this sort of selective reporting is just part of the price.

The problem is the moment someone chooses to fly in a private jet, they lose all credibility in calling for anyone else to curb their own consumption.

So if the individual is, as is the case with Twiggy, trying to actually develop things and make them work then there's no real conflict there. He's not calling for an end to anything, he's just saying let's see if we can find a better way and he's putting his money where his mouth is.

In contrast Cannon-Brookes has called for things to be ended, quite rapidly so, whilst doing not much to replace them. He's called for an end to specific coal-fired power stations but I sure don't recall him backing any deep storage projects as part of what's required to replace them. That's the opposite of Twiggy's approach that starts with solutions.

So one's doing the equivalent of inventing computers and reasoning that once you've got one of those, you won't actually want a whole range of things anymore so they can be done away with. The other's threatening to take away your typewriter, cassette tapes, CD's, books and the postal service without a replacement.

Unsurprisingly the former's faced no real criticism at all, whilst the latter's faced plenty.

 

[basilio]

In contrast Cannon-Brookes has called for things to be ended, quite rapidly so, whilst doing not much to replace them. He's called for an end to specific coal-fired power stations but I sure don't recall him backing any deep storage projects as part of what's required to replace them. That's the opposite of Twiggy's approach that starts with solutions.

I don't think that is on the money Smurf.

Cannon-Brookes is developing a massive solar farm project in the Northern territory. He is also backing multiple battery banks across Australia to replace coal fired power stations.
And on a smaller level he is supporting a multitude of businesses that are focused on energy transforamtion.

‘Renewable energy superpower’: Major new solar project unveiled​

A major new solar project backed by one of Australia’s tech billionaires will set Australia on a path to becoming a “renewable energy superpower”.
Joseph Olbrycht-Palmer

2 min read
August 21, 2024 - 3:23PM
NewsWire

24 Comments

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Related content


Anthony Albanese has lauded the approval of Australia’s largest solar project, backed by tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes.
SunCable’s Australia-Asia Power Link, a 12,000-hectare solar farm slated for development near the Northern Territory town of Tennant Creek, is estimated to generate 4GW – enough energy to power some three million homes.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek on Wednesday announced the approval, hailing it as “a massive step towards making Australia a renewable energy superpower”.

“This massive project is a generation-defining piece of infrastructure,” she said.
“It will be the largest solar precinct in the world and heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy.”

https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/sustainability/renewable-energy-superpower-major-new-solar-project-unveiled/news-story/e2b9072ad04e4f8044607c3eee7548ee

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Cannon-Brookes backed fund to deliver “coal plant-worth” of big batteries​

A private investment fund whose aim is to underwrite a “coal plant’s-worth” of dispatchable battery storage on the Australian grid has announced its first financial close, backed by deep-pocketed investors including the Cannon-Brookes family’s Grok Ventures and the Jana Diversified Infrastructure Trust.

Specialist infrastructure project financier Infradebt said on Monday that it had reached its undisclosed target for the first capital raise for its Energy Transition Fund (ETF), which will provide senior debt finance to six to eight big battery projects with a total capacity of 1.5-2GW over the coming few years.

The first two investments, as have been reported, are loans to the Neoen Capital Battery in the ACT and Genex Power’s Bouldercombe BESS in Queensland.

Cannon-Brookes backed fund to deliver “coal plant-worth” of big batteries

Fund backed by billionaire green energy supporter closes first tranche of new raising to bankroll long duration battery storage and help kick coal out of Australia’s grid.

reneweconomy.com.au

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Australia's biggest coal generator teams up with ... - RenewEconomy​

Mar 28, 2024AGL signs MoU with Cannon-Brookes ... which pledges $1 billion in funding to support ... that brings together industries that can make a positive contribution to the energy transition," said AGL ...

 

[IFocus]

4 degrees Gezzus then there will be overshoot oh well game over pointless discussion from here on.

 

[JohnDe]

I don't think that is on the money Smurf.

Cannon-Brookes is developing a massive solar farm project in the Northern territory. He is also backing multiple battery banks across Australia to replace coal fired power stations.

That's a worry. The power generated has been alocated to Singapore. And look at its foot-print.

The SunCable project, backed by Mike Cannon-Brookes, envisions a massive solar farm in the Northern Territory, aiming to export renewable energy to Singapore via a 4,200-kilometer undersea cable, potentially becoming the world's largest solar farm.

Here's a more detailed look at the project:

• Scale and Location:
  The proposed solar farm, officially known as the SunCable Australia-Asia PowerLink (AAPowerLink), would be built on a pastoral station between Elliot and Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, covering 12,000 hectares.
  
  
• Power Generation and Storage:
  The solar farm is planned to have a capacity of 17-20 gigawatts (GW), with 42GWh of battery storage, capable of generating enough power for 3 million homes.
  
  
• Transmission and Export:
  The generated power would be transmitted via an 800km transmission line to Darwin and then exported to Singapore via a 4,200km underwater cable.
  
  
• Economic Impact:
  The project is expected to deliver more than $20 billion in economic value to the Northern Territory and support an average of 6,800 direct and indirect jobs during construction.
  
  
• Environmental Approval:
  The project received environmental approval from the federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek in August 2024.
  
  
• Vision and Goals:
  The project aims to establish Australia as a leader in renewable energy exports and address Singapore's growing demand for clean energy.
  
  
• Controversy:
  While the project has garnered support, it has also faced scrutiny, with some questioning its long-term profitability and potential environmental impacts.
  
  
• Other Players:
  Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest, another prominent investor, initially backed the project but later expressed doubts about its commercial viability.

 

[mullokintyre]

In the meantime, while there is much hand wringing over Australian not doing enough for Climate Chnge Action, China is just surging ahead with its CO2 emitting.
It is nothing but a religion, and like all religions, its adherents insist that only they have the knowledge to intercede with the climate Gods.
Too blind to even recognise their own hypocrisy.
Mick

 

[macca]

The problem is the moment someone chooses to fly in a private jet, they lose all credibility in calling for anyone else to curb their own consumption.

So if the individual is, as is the case with Twiggy, trying to actually develop things and make them work then there's no real conflict there. He's not calling for an end to anything, he's just saying let's see if we can find a better way and he's putting his money where his mouth is.

In contrast Cannon-Brookes has called for things to be ended, quite rapidly so, whilst doing not much to replace them. He's called for an end to specific coal-fired power stations but I sure don't recall him backing any deep storage projects as part of what's required to replace them. That's the opposite of Twiggy's approach that starts with solutions.

So one's doing the equivalent of inventing computers and reasoning that once you've got one of those, you won't actually want a whole range of things anymore so they can be done away with. The other's threatening to take away your typewriter, cassette tapes, CD's, books and the postal service without a replacement.

Unsurprisingly the former's faced no real criticism at all, whilst the latter's faced plenty.

Photo in the paper over the weekend of CB boarding his private plane to fly to the F1 so he could watch the team he sponsors add more pollution to the air

<<The Atlassian co-founder and CEO has picked up a Bombardier 7500 and will use it to travel across his vast business operations, which includes a minority stake in US basketball team Utah Jazz and a sponsorship deal with Formula 1.

In a statement posted to Linkedin, Mr Cannon-Brookes confirmed the purchase of the jet and acknowledged it would be a “carbon-intensive” way to travel.

“I’m not denying I have a deep internal conflict on this,” he said.>>

MSN

 

[Smurf1976]

Cannon-Brookes is developing a massive solar farm project in the Northern territory. He is also backing multiple battery banks across Australia to replace coal fired power stations.

To be fair to Mike Cannon-Brookes I should substantiate my position with facts and will do so.

I am referring specifically to his 2022 somewhat forceful (to put it mildly) demand that AGL shut down the company's coal-fired generation by 2030. Noting that he is of course fully entitled to do so, I'm not suggesting any wrongdoing in a legal sense, although I and many others interpreted it at the time as a clear threat rather than being helpful, since it was a demand to shut the power stations rather than a proposal to simply make them redundant.

To put some figures around that using recent data, for the week of 17 - 23 June 2024, generation was as follows.

Victoria:

Loy Yang A (AGL, coal) = 369.5 GWh

Other coal plant owned by others, older than Loy Yang A and already planned to close prior to 2030 = 182 GWh

Other coal plant newer than Loy Yang A, not owned by AGL and expected to close later than Loy Yang A's present 2035 closure plan = 196 GWh

All gas-fired generation collectively, noting Victoria's fast running out of gas = 129 GWh

Hydro = 77 GWh

Solar = 81 GWh which was 45% below the annual average

Wind = 66 GWh which was 68% below the annual average

Interstate = Victoria exported a net 10 GWh to other states, mostly NSW and SA.

So looking at that in total, Loy Yang A supplied 34% of Victoria's electricity during this week whilst other plant which either has a short remaining lifespan or which is running out of fuel (gas) supplied 28.6%. Wind and solar collectively supplied 13.5% with poor performance due to weather.

Now looing at NSW:

Bayswater (AGL, coal) = 390.7 GWh

Older coal, owned by others already planned to close prior to 2030 = 527 GWh

Other coal, not owned by AGL and planned to close later than Bayswater's present 2033 closure plan = 128 GWh

Gas = 115 GWh

Hydro = 88 GWh

Solar = 198 GWh (37% below average)

Wind = 59 GWh (54% below average)

Diesel = 1.5 GWh

Biomass = 4.8 GWh

Net import from other states, mostly Queensland = 170 GWh

So AGL's Bayswater plant supplied 23.7% of NSW electricity during this week. Older coal plant already closing prior to 2030 plus gas (the supply of which is problematic) supplied 39%. Wind and solar supplied 15.6% with poor performance due to weather.

Now if he was proposing a clear solution to all that so as to make Bayswater and Loy Yang A redundant then I'd take no issue with it whatsoever. You won't find me objecting to phasing out plant that's at the end of its design life anyway, indeed I'd much rather it wasn't being relied upon for that very reason.

In practice however we're hard enough pressed to keep the lights on as it is. We don't need anyone calling for coal to close - what we need is actual replacement for it before it closes. Suffice to say at present we're really struggling to meet the existing schedule let alone an accelerated one.

Demanding that coal closes is a bit like telling a poor person they need to get out more. Yep, great idea, but it's missing the point as to why they're not doing that in the first place.

To the issue of the plane though, well if he hadn't been so aggressive in demanding coal be shut on an unrealistic timeframe then I wouldn't take issue with the plane. But if the argument is that shareholders, government or the general public needs to wear the cost, and potential major disruption, of closing a facility because of climate well then I don't think it's unreasonable to expect anyone calling for that to practice what they preach. It's different if they're just calmly suggesting we ought build x, y and z to replace it or taking Twiggy's approach of just turning over every stone and seeing if there's anything worthwhile under it.

If you make high profile demands that others must do things then it's to be expected you'll be criticised if you act contrary to that yourself.