What keeps lights on when green power fails?
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR  Solar power fails every day from sunset to sunrise as well as during rain, hail, snow or dust storms. No matter how much land we smother in subsidised solar panels, they will still fail. Wind power fails often and unpredictably, sometimes for days, especially in quiet cold winter weather. It also shuts down during cyclones, heavy winds or icy conditions. No matter how many hills we uglify with their subsidised roads, transmission lines and bird-slicers, they will still fail. No one notices when green energy fails (as it often does) because coal, gas and hydro keep the lights and heaters on, trains running, petrol pumping, batteries charging and dairies, abattoirs and hospitals operating. But everyone noticed when hydrogen coolant exploded in one unit of the Callide coal-fired power station in Queensland recently. This caused a major state blackout for 1.5 hours. Power restoration started within 15 minutes mainly from quick-start gas plus a bit of hydro. Hyped energy "solutions" to intermittent green energy include big batteries, Snowy 2 pumped hydro and hydrogen. These all CONSUME MORE ENERGY than they can produce; and more green fashion accessories like electric cars will quickly suck the whole electricity network dry. This foolish western fad for green energy is supposed to prevent global warming. There is ZERO threat of global warming - the real threat to life on Earth is the bitter cold of the next ice age (which is due soon). To cope with that real climate crisis, humanity will need hydrocarbons and nuclear power, as well as real heated greenhouses fertilised with carbon dioxide, and herds of hardy cattle (or reindeer). All of these essentials are being attacked by foolish green children having climate nightmares because of global warming scare stories spread by power-hungry schemers of yesterday's generation (who seek to depopulate and rule the world). In the long history of Earth, there have been dozens of icy extinctions, but no global warming crises. Those preparing for an imaginary global warming emergency are destined to follow the mammoths and the Neanderthals to an icy extinction. Viv Forbes  Washpool