Renewable energy - can it power up ?

Wind turbines have proven successful

The central question facing the wider application of renewable energy sources has been the capacity of the new technologies to provide reliable energy particularly base-load power generation which the old coal-fired stations currently do. Renewable energy includes wind turbines, solar photovoltaic, biofuelled gas turbines, and concentrated solar thermal (with thermal storage). The National Electricity Market which represents most of Australia's electricity needs, has a capacity of 40GW of generation to meet a peak load of 33 GW (over 90% of Australian electrical demand). Detractors of renewable energy (who are often climate change sceptics) have questioned how this method of intermittant supply could ever be relied upon to provide reliable, baseload power. However studies of Australian current and potential future renewable energy by the University of NSW can demonstrate that this objective can be achieved through a combination of wind (23.2GW), photovoltaic (14.3GW), concentrated solar thermal (15.6 GW), biofuelled gas turbines (24 GW) with varying amounts from hydro (around 7 GW). South Australia already produces well over 10% of electrical energy from wind alone. The option exists for a renewable energy future - it only requires the political will to do it.