Quote:
Originally Posted by Omaroo
I'd say that the level of soon-to-be collected funds will determine what we can afford to replace coal-fired base load power generation - irrespective of what technology is better than any other. I'm reasonably sure that they will depend entirely on whether the population supports a carbon or any other emissions-related tax or scheme in the first place. Ultimately I see no solution in the near future that can compete with NP of some flavour. We haven't deviated from the the original post too much I don't think.
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Your reasoning is correct Chris but I do fear that the collected funds will go no where. As you know I work in the generation industry and find the companies overall are really not interested in being inovative if it is going to cost them money or public outcry. They are only interested in the final dollar return to share holder. Most if not all will play it very safe, build wind farms, build the odd gas fired turbines and continue to do it at our expence. New forms of generation will require legislative direction before any one of them will step up and take the plunge. All the forms of generation we see in Australia are world proven before we step up and buy it.
$23 per ton is not a realistic price to force companies to make a break from the traditional generation. These costs will just be passed on to us all with no real incentive for companies to improve.
There has been a lot of talk of shutting down Hazelwood Power Station in the Latrobe Valley. This is privately owned and for government to pay a private company to shut down such a large generator will probably absorb the entire first few years worth of carbon tax in compensation let alone the need to replace it with something...... What will that be.....God only knows....... Gas is of course a possibility but it produces CO2 as well and is still eating up a natural resource but at least it is near the source of some gas in Victoria.
I fear a lot of this is just lip service to appease the greens and little be done in the end.