A pilot plant for Net Zero

Both solar and wind energy have fatal flaws – solar stops when the sun goes down or if a cloud blocks the sun; wind fails if the wind is too strong or too weak. But every day we hear of some fantastic and expensive plan to keep the lights on when these unreliable energy twins stop work.

The latest thought bubble from Mr Bowen (the Australian Minister for Generating Blackouts) is for him to be able to drain the energy from electric car batteries to back up a failing grid. He suggests that batteries could also power the house or sell energy into the grid. (They are already scheming on how to use smart technology to prevent homeowners from charging their own batteries when flicker power is fading.)

Bowen’s sole sensible comment was “electric cars are batteries on wheels”.

But batteries do not generate power. And when they are flat they do not even store power. Fancy trying to keep the lights on while recharging all those batteries with flicker-power; and imagine discovering your Tesla battery is flat just when you need your car some frosty morning. You have just performed a public service - the power in your batteries was drained to cook suburban breakfasts and keep the early trains running.

People who bought an electric car for quiet mobility will suddenly find they were just financing a cog in Bowen’s Blackout Insurance Plan.

Australia is an energy island – there are no handy extension cords to French nuclear power, Scandinavian hydro, Icelandic geothermal or American natural gas. (Maybe if we ever get that long extension cord from Darwin to Singapore we can organise a sub-station in Indonesia and import reliable coal-powered electricity from them?)

Australia has abundant coal, gas and uranium resources but exploiting these is now demonised and blocked by red/green tape and law-fare. Most of our petroleum products are imported and we have a tiny stockpile of refined fuels. To undertake extensive oil/gas exploration in Australia would need infinite patience, many lawyers and very deep pockets.

So, like drunken teenagers in a stolen car on the wrong side of the road, we accelerate towards the green energy mirage - net zero by 2030.

We need to see a net zero pilot plant operating before we follow Pied Piper Bowen down this risky road. And we need to know the full cost.

Mr Bowen should declare Canberra the site of a Net Zero Pilot Plant. This city-state is ideally suited to host such a demonstration plant  - it has well defined boundaries with significant rural, urban and industrial areas; its population and local politicians strongly support the green energy agenda; and every federal politician and Cabinet Minister visits regularly and can monitor progress of this important experiment.

Mr Bowen should be in charge and he should start by declaring a deadline of 2027 to stop all usage of coal/gas/diesel fired electricity or heating within the Australian Capital Territory. To demonstrate the bona fides of this pilot plant it should be legislated now that all power lines bringing coal/gas power into the ACT should be cut no later than December 2026.

Most Canberra residents are well paid so he should mandate that the roof of every residence or factory must be covered with solar panels, with battery-powered cars in the garage and backup batteries on every veranda.