Global Cooling! Adelaide records coldest minimum temperature in 100 years
If hot weather indicates global warming, why cannot very cold weather indicate global warming!
Adelaide has shivered through its coldest September morning in a century with several South Australian towns dipping below zero degrees Celsius.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Simon Timcke told ABC Radio Adelaide the city experienced 1.3C at 5:39am on Tuesday.
"In fact, that's the West Terrace site's lowest September minimum temperature on record," he said.
"Pretty significant because it's a very long record there, we've been measuring temperatures there for 100 years or so."
Adelaide's northern suburbs hit a low of -0.2C at Parafield on Tuesday morning, while Mount Lofty in the Adelaide Hills recorded 1.6C.
The southern suburbs was slightly warmer with 3.5C at Noarlunga.
Mr Timcke said a front late last week brought a cold air mass over parts of South Australia and along with it a string of chilly days.
"With the high pressure system coming in, we haven't really seen a movement of that air mass," he said.
"We have the very cold air over the top of us, we've had clear skies, light winds overnight — all the ingredients for a very cold morning."
The freezing temperatures in recent days have affected wine grape growers who say they have suffered crop losses due to unseasonable frost.
He said other parts of South Australia including the Murray Mallee, Mid North, Yorke and Eyre peninsulas recorded temperatures in the negatives.
"Renmark, Lameroo, Snowtown, Cummins, Loxton, Kadina, Wudinna, Roseworthy, Keith, Port Pirie, Yunta, Clare all below zero," he said.
"Renmark's been down to -1.9C, -1.8C at Lameroo, Snowtown, Cummins, Loxton.
"Pretty chilly morning so if people are finding it hard to get out of bed this morning, there's a very good reason for it."
But the chill is not here to stay as the high pressure system moves eastward, with Adelaide expected to warm up to 19C and most of the state staying dry.
Mr Timcke said the only exception is a slight chance of showers in the lower South East districts and Kangaroo Island.
"Unusually with that cloud there, not so cold, some of those locations in the South East are some of the warmest places in the state," he said.
"Cape Jaffa, Robe, Mount Gambier all had minimum temperatures around 8 to 9C.
"The clouds persisting overnight stopped the temperatures dropping quite so low down there."
Despite the icy temperatures, swimmers still braved the cold to take a dip at Adelaide's surrounding beaches.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-17/adelaide-coldest-minimum-temperature-100-years/104359014
*************************************************Has the Electricity Reality Check Arrived?
At meetings of energy regulators, policymakers, consumer advocates, and industry this summer, the content and tone of the conversations around electric system reliability have changed dramatically. Executives from across the industry all agree that dispatchable generation is needed now and will be needed for many years to come.
Most prominently, the realization and willingness to say publicly that dispatchable resources like natural gas-fired generation will be needed as the energy expansion continues and load growth accelerates for the first time in decades is a welcome admission.
For several years the discussion around the future of the electrical grid was about how inexpensive it will be and how “out of political favor” resources would be moved off the grid in favor of politically favored ones without creating any disruptions or reliability challenges. And just like that, the story has changed – dramatically. Why?
First, load growth – and a substantial amount of it is expected in the short term. The second is the pace of dispatchable generation retirements, without replacement generation with similar performance characteristics. The third is consistent and increasing warnings coming from reliability organizations and grid operators that a crisis is coming and coming quickly if system planning does not improve.
What does this mean? In short, it is a long-awaited recognition of the reality of grid operations combined with the acknowledgment (albeit grudgingly in some circles) that dispatchable resources, like natural gas, will need to be retained and operated for a longer time horizon than many were willing to admit. This recognition matches the significant number of credible studies, including work done by McKinsey and EFI, that all said dispatchable natural gas generation would be needed even in a high renewable resource penetration scenario.
As the reality of load growth, supply chain issues, permitting, siting, and construction challenges impacting all types of resources settled in and the sharp warnings of imminent reliability issues combined, it became clear that the rhetoric was far ahead of reality. Recognizing the problem is the first step in solving it.
Because all resources are now accountable for reliability, including dispatchable, intermittent, and storage resources, the requirement to acknowledge and adapt to grid realities is no longer optional – it’s mission critical. The retirement of significant amounts of dispatchable resources without adequate replacements has pushed us ever closer to a system with zero margin of error.
To correct this situation, policymakers and regulators should take steps to minimize the risk to customers. First, the timing gap between retirements and additions to the system must be addressed; we can’t let existing resources off the grid before the replacements are ready. The process for connecting new generation to the grid must be reformed to ensure projects match system needs, not just policy pronouncements. Permitting and siting reforms are needed so we can deliver development of all types of energy projects.
Second, policymakers must temper enthusiasm and set goals that align with the reality of system needs and operational constraints. This could mean pausing policies that hinder the deployment of needed resources or including offramps in legislation to ensure grid reliability.
Third, grid operators must move more quickly to adjust markets to send the appropriate signals that will drive investment of the required resources. States must recognize the broader benefits of market participation and positive outcomes for their constituents and stop merely demanding grid operators do what one state wants to the detriment of another. States must again appreciate that the benefits of their utilities joining markets far outweigh their ability to dictate resources and timelines and then disclaim responsibility for the issues those decisions create.
To close, lest anyone accuse market participants of not wanting to reduce emissions or only wanting to profit from their current resources, this reality check in no way means walking away from striving to meet policy goals. Bottom line – we can set goals, but they must be tethered to operational reality to ensure success and reliability are both achieved.
https://realclearwire.com/articles/2024/09/05/has_the_electricity_reality_check_arrived_1056455.html
**********************************************Italy Calls on EU to Pause Petrol Car Ban or Risk Industry’s ‘Collapse’
Italy has called for a review of the European Union’s 2035 petrol car ban amid fears it risked triggering the industry’s “collapse”
The Telegraph has more:
Ministers from Giorgia Meloni’s Government claimed the “absurd” policy was ideologically driven and required change to reflect the realities of the market.
There has been growing unease across the continent about a slowdown in demand for electric vehicles (EVs).
There are also concerns that Europe’s car industry is falling increasingly behind manufacturers in China and the U.S., which have benefitted from a flood of Government subsidies.
Last week, car giant Volkswagen warned it might close factories in Germany for the first time owing to issues such as high energy prices.
This has prompted calls in some quarters for a rethink of tough EU climate goals which build up to a ban on internal combustion engine cars by 2035.
Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, the Italian Energy Minister, told Bloomberg: “The ban must be changed.”
Adolfo Urso, the Industry Minister, added: “In an uncertain landscape, which is affecting the German automotive industry, clarity is needed to not let the European industry collapse. Europe needs a pragmatic vision, the ideological vision has failed. We need to acknowledge that.”
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Tri Cities wind/solar project moving foward after Friday vote
Gov. Jay Inslee is largely getting what he asked for in a vote approving a large new wind and solar project in southeastern Washington.
In a meeting and final vote Friday afternoon that lasted just over 16 minutes, members of the WA Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council voted 4-3 in favor of approving a revised project recommendation to allow construction of the Horse Heaven Clean Energy Center just outside the Tri Cities.
The project run by Scout Clean Energy, a company that was recently purchased by a Canadian investment firm, may ultimately include 222 turbines about 500 feet tall or 141 turbines about 670 feet tall. There will also be solar arrays and battery storage, stretching from Horse Heaven Hills just south of Kennewick for about 24 miles from Finley to Benton City.
As previously reported by The Center Square, EFSEC spent three years studying the project before recommending to Gov. Jay Inslee in April that the project move ahead but with fewer wind turbines as it had proposed. EFSEC reduced the size of the project to protect endangered ferruginous hawks, Native American traditional lands and skyline views from much of the Tri-Cities.
Inslee pushed back on the recommendations, arguing the mitigation measures should be more specifically tailored and he requested a revised approval of the project “that appropriately prioritizes the state’s pressing clean energy needs.”
After EFSEC discussion following Inslee’s request, the council’s staff came up with a proposal that would impact about three dozen proposed turbines, and that revised project was approved Friday afternoon in a 4-3 vote with EFSEC members from the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and Benton County voting against the revised proposal.
“I was not able to support the original SCA (Site Certification Agreement) to the governor because I felt that the SCA did not sufficiently reduce impacts to Yakama Nation’s traditional cultural properties and my initial concern in this area is only heightened by the revision that the council just voted on,” said Lenny Young, EFSEC’s representative from the Washington Department of Natural Resources, who voted no.
Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, told The Center Square just after the vote late Friday it was a sad day for citizen led government.
“Communities like the Tri Cities put forward in the legal process their concerns and they won in court and then it had no value,” said Dye who has been fighting the project for years. “They had no consideration for the people in the community who have been totally marginalized.”
Water rights for the project area could be an issue going forward.
That came up early in the Friday meeting with a staff member for EFSEC suggesting use of water rights in the area of the project is something that had been brought to the attention of the council, but ultimately determined “staff does not anticipate” any issues with water rights.
Dye said the water rights matter is huge.
“This is a desert in an irrigation district and there are constraints on the use of water permits,” said Dye. “It’s first in time and first in rights.”
Dye said water is the agricultural engine of the economy in the Tri Cities.
“It’s a priceless resource for economic development and they’re using this resource for construction of an industrial energy facility in an area that is prime irrigated agricultural land,” said Dye.
An email from EFSEC staff to The Center Square following the vote read in part: "The council shall resubmit the draft certification to the governor incorporating any amendments deemed necessary upon reconsideration. Within 60 days of receipt of such draft certification agreement, the governor shall either approve the application and execute the certification agreement or reject the application. The certification agreement shall be binding upon execution by the governor and the applicant."
Dye said she is already working on draft legislation to amend policies and procedures for EFSEC in hopes of avoiding an opportunity for the governor to have undue influence once the council makes its recommendations on projects in the future.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_c8f3a098-722e-11ef-89e4-9b275f539f08.html
***************************************All my main blogs below:
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https://australian-politics.blogspot.com (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
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Jim Hansen and his twin
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