DEAR News Of The Area

MR Martin Smith’s letter (NOTA 5/07/24) adds little to the nuclear debate but says more about his political affiliations.

His reference to the CSIRO being “Australia’s truly independent experts” is puzzling.

As this organisation is funded by the government it cannot be truly independent.

He suggests that the Opposition’s nuclear plan will leave us billions of dollars in debt, while ignoring the billions of dollars being provided by the government, in the way of subsidies, to prop up the renewables industry.

He claims that small modular nuclear reactors have not been invented.

What does he think powers nuclear ships and submarines?

A long extension cord?

He goes on about hypotheticals.

What might or might not be is neither here nor there.

What is available now is what matters.

At the moment a suitable battery system has not been invented.

Even if it were, it would require the production of twice as much electricity, in order to meet the current daily needs as well as charge the battery.

In his letter, Mr Peter Sobey (NOTA 5/07/24) is correct when he asserts that sunshine is free.

It is the solar panels and wind turbines that are not and which have to be replaced every ten to 20 years, unlike a nuclear plant which lasts 60 plus years.

And let us not forget the cost of connecting them to the grid.

Unlike uranium, which is a high density energy source, solar and wind are low density energy sources.

Therefore hundreds of thousands of solar panels and wind turbines are required to provide the equivalent amount of energy, carpeting the countryside, taking vast tracts of farmland out of production in the process.

I don’t see either men enthusiastically advocating for the carpeting of the Bellinger Valley with solar panels or the sea off Valla being forested with wind turbines.

No, renewables are great so long as they are located somewhere else.

Mr Smith asks that we consider what Australia will be like in 2040.

Without nuclear I imagine vast stretches of farmland smothered in a sea of solar panels so much so that it is necessary to inject more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to enable us to grow more food from less land.

I see the hills surrounding Coffs Harbour denuded of trees with wind turbines in their place.

I see whale carcases strewning the beaches because their sonar was confused by the myriad of wind turbines off the coast.

I imagine there will be huge amounts of land set aside as dumps for the millions of solar panels and turbine blades as they pass their use by date.

I’ve lived in the best time ever to be a human on this planet, with a high quality of life made possible by cheap reliable energy provided by fossil fuels.

I see that quality of life stripped away from my grandchildren and those good times being referred to as “the good old days”.

All the above are easily avoidable with the use of nuclear energy.

Regards,
Wayne DUESBURY,
Boambee.