We are fast seeing the illusions of the renewable energy industry being exposed. Take wind for example, the latest love of the environmentalists. Indeed, the Greens love wind turbines so much, that they do not care about the ecological harm done to whales at sea, with offshore wind turbines, or on the land, birds getting chopped up, like flying into a giant mince grinder.
However, one cannot argue with natural limitations, and wind turbines only work if the wind blows. Australia is presently in what is being called a "wind drought," with wind levels at record lows. This is a potential problem if it continues, as wind energy accounts for almost 36 percent of total renewable energy generated in Australia and around 10 percent of total electricity generated. Just to see how precarious wind as energy source is, in South Australia, "which is the country's and the world's leader in wind energy generation with an average share of 75 percent wind and solar in the past year, the share of wind energy generated fell from its annual average of 43 percent to less than 10 percent in the same seven-day period." Worse still, in Victoria, wind energy generated fell from an annual average of 22.5 percent to barely three percent in three days in late May.
It is a great gamble to place a society's energy resources on a resource which this fickle. Fossil fuels are completely reliable, once one has them, and do not depend upon variations in the weather. If the wind does not blow, and the clouds block the sun, then the so-called sustainable energy society grinds to a halt. Not so with fossil fuels.
https://www.naturalnews.com/2024-05-31-wind-drought-australia-wind-energy-generation-plummets.html
"The fourth week of May has seen Australia gripped by its second "wind drought" in as many months, causing wind energy generation to plummet to record lows.
Australian autumn – which is during March, April and May – is traditionally seen as the season with the lowest wind outputs. However, the lull in power generation this year has pushed the combined output of all renewables in Australia below last year's level.
Wind energy accounts for nearly 36 percent of total renewable energy generated in Australia and nearly 10 percent of total electricity generated in the country.
But this year, the share of variable renewable energy – wind and solar energy – has fallen below last year's levels. OpenNEM, a platform providing up-to-date data on the electricity market in Australia, notes that over seven days in late May, the share of Australian energy generated from wind came in at just five percent, compared to more than 13 percent for the same period last year.
Even in the state of South Australia, which is the country's and the world's leader in wind energy generation with an average share of 75 percent wind and solar in the past year, the share of wind energy generated fell from its annual average of 43 percent to less than 10 percent in the same seven-day period.
In Victoria, the share of wind energy generated fell from a yearly average of 22.5 percent to just three percent in three days in late May. In New South Wales, the year-long average of 7.5 percent fell to just 1.8 percent during the same period in May.
The only state to see wind energy generation remain stable is Queensland, with an average of 4.6 percent in the same three days which matches with ist yearly average of 4.6 percent.
Australia renewables sector experiencing slowdown since 2023.
Australia's Clean Energy Council has warned that the country's entire renewables sector is experiencing an "alarming" slowdown in growth as investments in the renewable industry drastically drop.
This comes amid reports revealing that fossil fuel power stations in Australia expanded their generation capabilities in the first two months of 2024.
The country's renewables sector saw "particularly poor" investment into large-scale renewable plants, while smaller investments into rooftop solar and renewable battery storage were "storming ahead."
At the end of 2023, the council reported Australia had 56 renewable energy projects under construction, down from 72 at the end of 2022. These had a combined capacity of 7.5 gigawatts, more than a fifth lower than the 9.5 gigawatts under construction at the end of 2022.
The renewables sector last year was only able to secure around $1.5 billion worth of new investments, less than a quarter of the $6.5 billion secured for 2022.
Grid or large-scale solar generation in Australia rose 18 percent higher in January and February compared to the same two months in 2023. Rooftop solar increased by 10 percent. Wind generation only increased by five percent. Meanwhile, coal-fired power generation and natural gas-fired generation rose by four percent and 14 percent, respectively."