In the article ''Pushing nuclear option to a critical mass'' (July 25, p12), Cathy Alexander quotes Dr Mark Diesendorf as saying that solar farms are increasingly able to store energy and wind farms can be scattered geographically to maximise reliability.
These are very simplistic and misleading concepts. The cost would be exorbitant. In both cases much greater generating power than required by the load would be needed.
Wind power has between 20percent and 30percent while solar has about 13percent plant factor (the percentage of rated output that can be achieved over a long period, such as a year).
Power generation of at least ten times the load requirement would be needed to be able to supply the load and store power for times when generators are not functioning or functioning poorly.
In the case of using many geographically scattered generators to supply a particular load, each additional generator would increase the cost ( additional ones don't come for free).
Some power storage would be needed to cover periods when all the generators were not functioning at the same time.
Additional power transmission infrastructure would be needed by both wind and solar generating methods, as they tend to be in areas remote from population centres.
According to a study by Peter Lang, the capital cost of the least-cost solar option for providing base load power would be 25 times more than nuclear power (exclusive of subsidies or carbon taxes).
The least-cost solar option (hydro storage) would require 400 times more land area and emit 20 times more carbon dioxide than nuclear power.
That doesn't make solar power generation attractive in the least.
One reads that the cost of renewables is coming down and soon will be on a par with coal-fired power (wishful thinking). However, that is in Europe, where they have been on Kyoto Protocol for years and the price of electricity is two or three times ours.
Also, that is not considering the plant factor and costs associated with it or additional power transmission infrastructure costs.
Nuclear power generation is very close to coal-fired power generation in cost per per unit of electricity. If one includes all of the costs, wind and solar power are excessively expensive.
Money spent on these inefficient renewables is money wasted.
John McKerral, Batemans Bay, NSW
Design problems
Spokesman for Bungendore wind industrial site David Griffin and Epuron's Martin Poole both valiantly attempt to downplay problems associated with Suzlon wind turbines and their manufacturer, perhaps to allay any investor concerns.
However, a little digging uncovers some interesting facts about problems with Suzlon wind turbines worldwide and, importantly, Australia.
Apart from 1200 giant blades having to be recalled due to poor design and cracking, there are also complaints of vibrations emanating from generators and turbine output falling well below the maker's predictions.
The most concerning aspect must be reports of Suzlon turbines catching fire in Europe and America, and now in Australia as well.
In 2006 a wind turbine caught fire at Infigens (formerly Babcock and Brown Wind) Lake Bonney wind site in SA, showering rural firefighters with molten debris as they tried to contain spot fires.
The turbine was totally destroyed due to impossibility of extinguishing an industrial unit with up to 600 litres of hydraulic oil in the housing, 80 to 125 metres above the ground.
And of course we now have at least 26 of these rubbish turbines out of a total 67 on the hills overlooking Lake George and upwind of many rural properties and thousands of hectares of bushland.
Interestingly, the obvious potential danger appeared to be of no concern to Palerang council and NSW Land and Planning as they no doubt carefully assessed the project and all for just two full-time jobs at completion.
In fairness to Suzlon it should be mentioned that on February 3, several days before the outbreak of the Victorian bushfires, another wind turbine caught fire, this time at Port Lincoln in SA, with similar results, using a Vestas V80 wind turbine.
Any readers interested in viewing disturbing pictures of turbines on fire should google ''wind turbine fires''.
William Gray, Bungendore, NSW
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