I am not surprised at the silly idea by politicians who only have the left side of their brain working, that think that more solar panels leads to more electricity stability. To have Cathy McGowan talk of stability is nonsensical as more solar or wind leads to the instability, with coal-fired or hydro the only method of controlling the electricity network.
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The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) said in 2017 the electrical network system had been weakened by the rapid take-up of wind and solar generation and the (forced) retirement of thermal generators.
The worst-case scenario must always be considered, as there is no electricity being generated at night, which means we must always have the same amount of base load generators. Otherwise the system will collapse.
Home users without solar panels subsidise part-time solar and wind generation, when it cannot do the job full time by increased bills. South Australia with its high proportion of wind farms and rooftop solar, its coal generators closed and some gas generators mothballed, is reliant on the coal-fired interconnector across the Victorian border to stabilise its grid. I believe that we should shut down the interconnector to South Australia to show the weaknesses of their system.
Batteries are a crazily expensive solution as there will never be enough to cover all situations.
Solar farms and wind turbines produce varying amounts of power based on the vagaries of the weather. So we build electrical grids to handle only the power levels we expect in a given location. But when there is more sun or wind than expected, these renewable energy sources pump in more power than the grid can handle. The producers of that power then have to pay customers to use the excess electricity; otherwise, the grid would be overloaded and fail.
I say stop the subsidies and let these systems stand on their own merits. You have played into the coal corporates hands. They can now charge what they like for limited resources.
John Vance, Wangaratta
Speed limits for a reason
The subject of road rules seems to be a reasonable subject these days.
I went for a quiet drive to Chiltern without any dramas or speed limitations.
I left Chiltern on a return trip to Wodonga with limited speed (40/60km/h) for approximately six kilometres. It would seem that if you are driving at the speed limit you are holding up traffic.
To the gent driving the black Audi who thought that driving at this speed and trying to overtake in the blocked off lane was an inconvenience, I do apologise.
I can still remember part of your registration number. Should I pass it on to the authorities?
Speed limits are set for safety reasons, not for your irresponsible actions.
Peter Hancock, Wodonga
Stringent rules needed
I was disappointed and angry to find there is no requirement to give a microchip number or ID when one advertises cats and kittens free in some states.
Irresponsible breeding is a major problem and ferals and strays are adding to the situation. Perhaps the RSPCA or animal rescue organisations could follow this up. And please, desex your cats.
