I write to support the contributions by correspondents Martin and Cardwell in your edition of March 11 and to respond to the laughable letter from Jeremy Cornford concerning the relative value of coal-fired power sources and solar power.
First, according to a Question Time Reply in State Parliament from the then Minister for Utilities on April 11, there are currently 62 power stations of 1 MW capacity or more currently operating in New South Wales. This is in addition to a myriad of smaller generation facilities including solar power sources.
The 62 power stations cover many types including hydro, steam coal, natural gas, steam washery and waste, gas turbine, landfill gas, natural gas, wind, coal seam methane, biomass and green waste.
These power stations produce a remarkably efficient power supply to meet a wide range of community needs. While solar power is undeniably valuable for use by householders, schools etc, it could never replace these power stations in providing for the needs of industry, government, and the insatiable demands of the general population.
On the other hand, solar power facilities are exceptionally expensive to establish and strictly limited in the extent of power generation they can produce. They are also, by definition, dependent on the sun’s input which, as we all know, can be very limited for large periods of time.
We need to be realistic in assessing the relative values of these very different energy producers.
Norman Hoffmann,
Tweed Heads
