Australia Stepping Back From The Coal-Fired Edge
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 11. 1.07
Climate change is powerfully symbolized by severe drought. Extended, widespread drought can make potable water scarce. Desalination plants are energy intensive and expensive to build and run: the several recently build or planned for Australia may be taken as a sign of climate change desperation.
Coal rules Australian exports and politics. So, each time Australia plans more de-sal plants we might expect extra coal fired electricity capacity add-ons to complete the vicious cycle. Perhaps not for Sydney.
SYDNEY'S controversial desalination plant will be supplied with power from 75 wind turbines from as many as six wind farms to be built across the state.The $1.7 billion project will demand almost one-fifth of the country's wind-generated energy, providing the biggest ever boost to the state's green energy industry.
Water Utilities Minister Nathan Rees will today issue a request for proposals from energy suppliers to power the 400,000MwH plant.
It follows a briefing by Sydney Water to 22 renewable energy providers earlier this month about supplying green energy to power Sydney's desalination plant...
The plant's green energy demand comes on top of Sydney Water's recent announcement that the rest of its operations would become carbon neutral by 2020.
Via::The Daily Telegraph, "Wind fires desal water plant" Image credit::The ABB Group, Perth Australia Desal Plant
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That is the first smart thing I've heard in a long time.
The major desaliniation plant in Perth, Western Australia, is partly powered by a wind farm too. Even thought people have reservations about the "greeness" of desalination, its great to see that investment is being made in wind power farms here in Australia. This can only help the wind power industry, increasing acceptance and bringing down costs.
Another desalination plant is in the planning stages for a large satellite country town further south down the coast. This will be powered by renewable energy also, but they havent confirmed what method yet, wind or geothermal or a combination.
they are building one at the gold coast in QLD which they refuse to supply with renewable power.
we are gripped in a long running drought, which they are desperately running a pipeline to our main coal power station as the outback dams disappear
my home town in kingaroy may only be weeks to months away from no water as they are at the maximum of level 7 water restrictions now.
its going to get close
Electricty cannot be stored very efficiently, but the produced sweet water can be. At times of high wind velocity a buffer of sweet water can be built, that can be used when there is now wind.