 | We're Off To See The Wizard - Storing Energy Using Ammonia | TOD: Australia/New Zealand | The Bullroarer - Thursday 1st May 2008 |  |
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If you had to describe a renewable energy source that is technically achievable and financially viable right now, it would be solar thermal.
(Granted the financial viability depends on carbon credits).
If you had to describe a country that was ideally suited to solar thermal, you could save yourself a lot of trouble by just pointing to Australia.
Incredibly, the Liberals seem to have realised this. Another five or ten reversals like this would be almost enough to make me vote liberal again.
Solar is obviously the way to go for a continent like Australia.
However, at the risk of being accused of meddling in politics of another country, I would respectfully suggest that A$0.44/kwh is far too high a price to pay for it. By co-deploying the Atmospheric Vortex Engine as a "bottoming cycle" for either CSE (70% waste heat) or central PV (80% waste heat) the net cost of electricity could be cut virtually in half.
This is not even counting the "free" energy (actually stored solar) from the Convective Avialable Potential Energy, highly abundant and harvestable during the summer (extending well into the evening hours).
May the AVE-Force be with you.