This is a repost from one of our sister publications, Windermere Sun, below:
(Please click on red links & note magenta)
On Monday, September 20, 2021, the share of renewable energy (solar, wind, and hydro) on Australia’s main electricity grid shot above 60% (at 60.1%) for the first time at 12:10 pm, exactly one day and 15 minutes after its previous peak and record of 59.8% on Sunday, September 19, 2021, according to Dylan McConnell of the Climate Energy College in Melbourne, Australia, using data from OpenNEM. This new peak highlights the increased pace of transition into the clean or renewable energy and the shrinking output of coal as more solar and wind are rolled out across Australia. According to another data watcher, Geoff Eldridge from NEWLog, Sunday, September 19, 2021, did not just break the record for the share of renewable energy, but also the record for instantaneous wind and solar at 57%. The Australian Energy Market Operator also noticed: NSW record maximum rooftop solar PV (2,694.4 MW) and corresponding lowest minimums for network demand (4,867.4 MW) and Operation Demand (5,065.0 MW) and tweeted on Friday, September 24, 2021, “Spring is the season for records to bloom! Forecast mild temperatures and sunny weather in NSW and QLD on Sunday may see rooftop solar drive down energy demand from the grid to a new record low!” With such occurrence, NSW, the Australian state grid with the highest dependency on coal generation, would find it easier to align with the state government’s push to replace the aging coal fleet of more than 10GW with wind, solar, and storage under its renewable infrastructure plan. According to Eldridge of NEMLog, coal output on the main grid was at a record minimum of 9,161.6 MW at noon on Sunday, September 19, 2021 (or, at leas the lowest since Nov. 1, 2020), and was down 153.57 MW on the previous minimum on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. It was also a record low share of coal generation (38.97%) on the main grid and for combined coal and gas (40.05%). The share of solar and wind could have been significantly higher were it not for the level of curtailment, either economic (switching off to avoid negative prices) or network (being forced to switch off due to grid issues or capacity constraints). On Sunday, September 19, 2021, the level of curtailment was more than 3.5 GW when that short-lived record was set. As the rollout of solar, wind, and storage (both battery and pumped hydro) continues to enter the grid, more records will change. AEMO forecasts that the rooftop solar, alone, will be able to reach 100% of demand in the state of South Australia some time this Spring (of Australia), around October, a FIRST for any gigawatt scale grid in the world! AEMO is also predicting that rooftop solar could meet up to 75% of demand on the entire main grid within next five years and is preparing the national grid to accommodate times of up to 100% solar and wind by 2025. ABC News: South Australia’s renewable energy boom has achieved a global milestone, in the video published on Oct. 25, 2020, “ABC News: South Australia runs purely on solar power in world first“, below:
Australia is preparing to build the world’s most powerful solar power plant. Engineers and builders will have to solve complex problems to cover an area equal to 17 thousand football fields that accommodate photovoltaic panels with a total capacity of 10 Gigawatts. The second challenge will be to transfer this energy to Singapore, the main consumer of electricity. There is also talk of exporting energy to Indonesia and various parts of Asia. But how exactly will the power plant be able to power a country more than three thousand kilometers away? In the video published on Sep. 21, 2021, “How Australia’s Most Powerful $16 Billion Solar Power plant Will Power Singapore“, below:
To begin with, it is worth understanding why energy problems have arisen in one of the most developed countries in the world. Australia faces regular power outages, and, unfortunately, South Australia suffers the most. There may be a lot of reasons: for instance, in September 2016, due to a storm, almost the entire state was left without electricity. One reason for the outages is that there are not enough storage facilities on the territory to supply more electricity during peak loads. The local authorities could not ensure the commensurate development of their own energy or storage capacities capable of providing electricity supplies during calm or cloudy weather. And it is quite difficult to restore the network because of the climatic conditions and long distances – Australia is not a tiny country. At the same time, electricity prices in the country are considered one of the highest in the world, in the video published on Jan. 13, 2021, “HOW ELON MUSK MANAGED TO SOLVE THE ENERGY CRISIS IN AUSTRALIA“, below:
In the video published on Oct. 29, 2017, “Elon Musk gets emotional over Australia’s energy emergency (Part Two) | 60 Minutes Australia“, below:
Australian Renewable Energy Agency CEO Darren Miller told Sky News Australia has made “incredible progress” in the transition to renewable energy sources, in the video published on May 18, 2021, “Australia making ‘incredible progress’ in the transition to renewable energy”, below:
Internationally recognized leader on global climate change, Christiana Figueres tells Liz Hayes we have just three years to get our renewable energy house in order, in the video published on Oct. 31, 2017, “Australians have just three years to get our renewable energy house in order | 60 Minutes Australia“, below:
This is a repost from one of our sister publications, Windermere Sun, below:
Elon Musk, 2018 (Attribution: The Royal Society, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en, Presented at: WindermereSun.com & sunisthefuture.net)
Elon Musk talks about his plan for the sun. It’s already very normal day when Elon Musk talks about some revolutionary idea and this speech is no exception, in the video published on Sep. 12, 2021, “Elon Musk – Sun is The Future“, below:
In order to be sustainable, we have to have sustainable means of production and consumption of energy, to drive electric cars in order to reduce CO2 emission, and to generate sustainable energy. Sustainable energy may be in the form of solar, nuclear, hydro-thermal, hydro, and wind energy. The primary form of energy to be generated will be solar. Sustainable or solar energy production combined with stationary storage, the world can be powered many times over by solar energy. About a third of our energy use is electricity, about a third of energy use is for for heating, and a third of energy use is in transport. There is enough energy from the sun to support all three areas of energy use/need. There is 1 gw per square km amount of energy coming from the sun. The earth is already almost entirely solar powered. The amount of energy needed to power our civilization is tiny compared to energy from the sun (1 gigabit per square kilometer). At 20% efficient solar panels, that’s 200 Mw per square kilometer. There would be plenty of energy for all three areas of energy use from solar, with some contribution from wind, geothermal, and tidal. And we need to stop subsidizing burning fossil fuels. For more about the use of solar energy, please visit: Sun Is The Future and Sun Is The Future youtube channel. Gathered, written, and posted by Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker More about the community at www.WindermereSun.com
KIUC (Kaua'i Island Utility Cooperative)'s 12 MW solar panels on the day of the dedication, Sep. 25, 2014
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It is with tremendous awe and admiration that Sun Is The Future team took the trip and video recorded the Koloa Solar Dedication ceremony at Kauai, HI, on September 25, 2014. We found out that by Jan. of 2015, 80% of the peak daytime power demand at Kaua’i will be met by solar energy and 22% of the daily average will be met by renewable energy. KIUC (Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative) is definitely leading the way on planet earth in our transition toward Renewable Energy Age! This is especially impressive given the fact that Hawaii is the most fossil fuel dependent state in USA. Realizing that 50% of its total economy comes from tourism and military and the finite nature of fossil fuel, Hawaii actively tries to relieve its dependence from oil so to be less vulnerable to the fluctuation in oil prices and availability. This is mainly accomplished through various goals and roadmaps set by Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative.
KIUC Team, beaming with pride, of their 12 MW installations
KIUC Communication Manager Jim Kelly (L) & Kumu Sabra Kauka (R) for dedication & blessing
Founder/Editor of Sun Is The Future, Susan Sun Nunamaker, signing solar panel at the KIUC dedication
KIUC Power Supply Manager Brad Rockwell (R) & Sun Is The Future Technical Analyst Michael Nunamaker (L) at the dedication ceremony
During the dedication ceremony, Allan A. Smith (Chairman of the Board of KIUC) welcomed every one. Then remarks were made by:David Bissell (President and CEO of KIUC), Tulsi Gabbard (U.S. House of Representatives), Bernard Carvalho Jr. (Mayor of County of Kaua’i), Hermina Morita (Chair of Hawai’i Public Utility Commission), Sheldon Petersen (CEO of National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation), Peter Rive (Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of SolarCity), Mike Gabbard (Hawai’i State Senate), Wanda Kau-Shibata (Kaua’i Representative), and Gov. Neil Abercrombie. Dedication and blessing was made by Kuma Sabra Kauka. It is easy to see the love, respect, care, and reverence the people of Kaua’l have for their land, resources, and energy.
This 12 MW, $40 million solar array project is the largest solar array in HI. Contractor is Solar City and Landowner is Grove Farm. It contains 45,360 panels and started in Nov., 2013. The project will displace 1.7 million gallons of oil annually, eliminate 35,000 tons of emissions annually, and will generate enough energy to power 4,000 homes. It is a key part of KIUC’s strategy to use renewable resources to generate at least 50% of the island’s energy by 2023. KIUC is also making sure that there is a diverse portfolio of renewable energy, utilizing not just the solar power, but also wind- , biomass, and hydro- power.
It is wonderful to see Senator Mike Gabbard’s of Hawaii (Chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy & Environment Committee for the past six years)’s excitement for this solar installation. It is understandable how Kaua’i and state of HI are able to arrive at the Solar Heaven ahead of all other states, surpassing its Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative of 2008 (goal of achieving 70% clean energy by 2030 with 30% from efficiency measures and 40% coming from locally generated renewable sources). But currently HI is at 18% renewable energy state-wide (the first bench mark for 2015 had a goal of 15% renewable energy). Of the 18% renewable energy: on the Big Island, 48.1% from renewables; on Maui, 29.1%; Kaua’i, 18.8%; Ouaha, 11.7%.
Yes, HI is going strong with solar and other renewable energies not only because Hawaiians or residents of Kaua’i are blessed with sunshine but because of their utility such as KIUC is continually looking for ways to collaborate and encourage their state legislators to move toward Renewable Energy. Most importantly, Kaua’i is blessed with island residents who aim to live in harmony and spirit of conservation with Mother Nature. Thumb up for KIUC! Hip! Hip! Hurray for Kaua’i and KIUC! We hope all other states in USA will look toward KIUC for their shining example during our earthly transition toward a Renewable and Clean Energy Future.
~have a bright and sunny day~
gathered, posted, and uploaded by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker and filmed by Michael Nunamaker
If you are in favor of renewable/CLEAN energy, please sign the petition page showing support for FIT/CLEAN Program at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065 Thank you.
Of all of the clean and/or renewable energy sources, my favorite is that of SOLAR . Here are the reasons:
It is clean! Solar energy is the cleanest renewable/alternative energy to fossil fuels (which currently pollute our air and water, harm our health, and contribute to global warming).
It is much safer! It is less likely to lead to negative environmental impacts such as that of hydro, nuclear, natural gas, or coal.
It is healthier! Sun is the source of life. As long as one doesn’t look directly at the sun or be exposed to it for significant duration when UV index is above the range of 0-1, statistics had indicated that sufficient and right amount of exposure to sun is actually beneficial for our health. Insufficient exposure to sunshine would contribute to higher incidence of breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, tooth decay, and psoriasis, as indicated in the book The Healing Sun (Sunlight and Health in the 21st Century) (Hobday, 2004).
It is readily available! Sun has been around for a long time and no one particular group or nation has ownership to it. Therefore, the use of solar energy will be less likely to be subjected to fluctuating raw material cost or be at risk of any war among nations due to rival for this source of energy. Last but not least, Sun will be around for a long long long time….
Its sense of timing! The peak demand time for energy use usually coincides with the peak performance efficiency of sun’s energy. Perfect!
There are fewer moving parts involved in solar powered systems and therefore would operate at a lower maintenance cost.
