Brave New World
20th century British philosopher Aldous Huxley, author of the dystopian novel “Brave New World” said: “facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored”.
John Kehoe’s recent Australian Financial Review article, “Rushing the green energy transition will be painful”, plainly lays out the unpleasant facts, and the huge challenges, facing Australia progressing to a carbon-free energy future. He says the writing is on the wall:
“As energy-rich Australia confronts an energy crisis, Germany could be the canary in the coal mine providing a reality check on the great energy transition… The German experience shows that even after huge investments in renewable energy, Europe’s largest economy has nowhere near enough renewable capacity to keep the lights on and businesses alive.”
The unspoken reality is that Germany’s energy decarbonisation process has been facilitated by a lower carbon transition fuel – natural gas from Russia. Once gas was no longer available, they were forced to return to coal and nuclear.
Kehoe clearly lays out the massive, multiple challenges lying before us in Australia, if we are to achieve energy decarbonisation at all, let alone on the time scale set out by our governments. Importantly he urges Australia’s leaders to explain the reality:
“Our political leaders and energy experts must be very frank with the public about the enormity of the task and the financial pain along the way. Without honesty, public support for the energy shift will be lost.”
Kehoe’s article finishes with a caution:
“The events in Germany are a reality check for politicians and activists breezily promoting cleaner, cheaper and more reliable renewable energy”
I urge you to read the full article which can be found online here