Nuclear + Solar In Australia = A Huge Waste Of Energy

The operation of just one nuclear power station in Queensland would require cutting off renewable energy output equivalent to tens of thousands of home solar power systems every day says Queensland Conservation Council (QCC).

The Coalition wants to see nuclear plants at what are or will eventually be shuttered coal power sites around the country, including two in Queensland – one at Callide and the other at Tarong. The Coalition’s plan would mean increased burning of fossil fuels for many years while these power stations are being constructed. Australia’s existing ban aside, nuclear power plants are incredibly expensive and slow to build, and nuclear power doesn’t play well with renewable energy.

Nuclear power stations can’t be switched on and off as demand dictates. While output can be dialled down to a degree, there may still often be electricity surplus to demand during the “solar window” each day; and this could pose a threat to grid stability.

Nuclear-Powered Home Solar Shutdowns?

Something has to give during these times – either the expensive nuclear electricity or the cheap power from renewable energy. This could include home solar systems.

The tools needed for remote solar power system shutdowns are already in place in Queensland. Ergon Energy and Energex have the capability to remotely switch off some systems via a “dumb” device called a GSD, which is meant to be a tool of last-resort.

But “last resort” may become more common in a grid with nuclear power. And it’s simply not needed, as by the time the first nuclear plant could be built – around 2040 at the earliest – technologies such as batteries and pumped hydro should be providing the flexible storage needed to support renewables.

According to Queensland Conservation Council:

“Baseload generation is what our power system was built on, but it’s not what we need in the future. Saying that we need baseload generation is like saying that we need floppy disks to transfer files between computers.”

In its report titled Delayed Reaction: Why Queensland Will Never Need Nuclear Energy, the QCC estimates 3,700 GWh of cheap renewable energy would need to be wasted every year just to allow a single 1GW nuclear power station to run.

“This means the equivalent of an average of 45,000 Queensland household solar systems would need to be shut off every day.”

The organisation bases its estimates on the Australian Energy Market Operator’s “Step Change” scenario in the AEMO’s 2024 Integrated System Plan.

Queensland is not an island. Interconnectors between the state and New South Wales allow it to export power south. But if the Coalition’s plans reach fruition, there may not be anywhere to export it to. Whether it’s shutting down home solar or more curtailment of large-scale wind and PV, the “solution” is an awful waste of cheap-as-chips power.

Nuclear Spectre Scaring Investors

Even if the Coalition’s nuclear dream isn’t achieved, that it exists is starting to make some renewable energy investors nervous. Policy uncertainty has held back Australia’s renewable energy transition in years gone by. This rehashed nuclear debate has the potential do the same.

Raising this rotten old chestnut (yet again) seems to be an Opposition specialty. Whichever way it turns out, the distraction of nuclear power in Australia will be a huge waste of time, money – and energy.

Queensland has nearly doubled its renewable energy capacity in five years says QCC. While there are plenty of large-scale facilities operating or currently under construction, a significant part of the growth is associated with home solar power in QLD. This has fundamentally changed when the state needs energy to support the grid and QCC believes it’s where the Opposition should be directing its attention.

“We would like to see the Federal Opposition focus on a real plan for bringing down emissions and power prices and that would mean backing renewable energy and storage.”