How does Australia deal with the terrible and chaotic wind and solar power intermittency problem in its electric grid? How about with massive diesel engines used to power large ships?? Sound crazy? Not in Australia. If a country is going to ramp up power generation with insanely erratic wind and solar power, then we shouldn’t be surprised to see these enormous diesel ship engines used to try and fix the problem.
Thus, if we have stupid solutions then we must use stupid bandaids. Again, the insanity continues.
The credit for the information in this brief article goes to StopTheseThings.com, which focuses on the problems associated with wind and solar power generation. The article, Ships Ahoy! Giant Diesel-Fuelled Ship Engines ‘Solution’ For Australia’s Renewable Energy Crisis, provided me a few good laughs and the desire to share it on the SRSroccoReport.com.
Here is a picture of the Wartsila 50DF Diesel Ship Engine:
Notice the two workers next to the engine? That should give you an idea of the size of this beast. According to the article linked above, AGL Energy Limited has installed 12 of these engines at the Barker Inlet Power Station in Torres Island, Australia. The total output from these dozen ship engines is rated at 210 MW (MegaWatts).
Here’s another picture of Wartsila’s 50DF Diesel Ship Engine at the factory plant.
These Wartsila engines can run on diesel, natural gas, and bunker oil. Can you imagine how much fuel a dozen of these engines consume to balance the power lost from wind and solar generation?? If you read the article linked above, which I highly recommend, wind power generated in Southern Australia can see drops of 3,000 MWs!!
What is the purpose of these new dozen Wartsila 50DF Diesel Engines? The following article from the Financial Review, AGL flicks switch on SA gas power in time for summer, quoted below:
The addition of the 210-megawatt generator is expected to beef up security of electricity supply in the fragile South Australian market, which is largely reliant on weather-dependent renewables and imports from other states to meet demand.
The addition of the 210-megawatt generator is expected to BEEF UP security of electricity supply in the fragile South Australian market?? The South Australian energy market wasn’t fragile until wind, and solar power generation was ramped up. Now, I am not blaming the problem on the Wartsila Diesel Engine. It is an excellent engine if you want to power a large ship, but it’s not a wise long-term solution for balancing wind and solar power
Furthermore, with the ramping up the supposedly renewable wind and solar power, Southern Australia has one of the highest electricity prices in the world. More on this in detailed upcoming Gold Member article.
Lastly, it is simply amazing how intelligent people are making extremely stupid decisions regarding future energy supply. If we continue to increase wind and solar power generation globally, it will only make the coming ENERGY CLIFF impact much worse than if we remained on fossil fuels alone.
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Maybe Australia and other western countries will release some or even all the suppressed technology in a last effort to save the system because massive diesel engines won’t do it in the long term. There are many videos and articles on the suppressed technology subject.
SRSrocco
What is your take on suppressed technology? Could there be a release? Would it even help at this stage?
Silversoul247,
First… what suppresed technology are you referring?
steve
There are a lot of suppressed technologies. I would like your opinion on the suppressed energy technologies. For example free energy technology, orgone energy technology or the energy technologies invented by Nikola Tesla. Suppressed energy technology threatens the oil monopoly. With oil collapsing there will be no oil monopoly soon.
Silversoul247,
While there may be a lot of “supposed” suppressed energy technologies being promoted on the internet, they cannot stop the FALLING EROI or Thermodynamics of Oil Depletion.
Yes, I hear a lot about FREE ENERGY. But, it seems to be more SCI-FICTION than reality. Then there is the notion that the ELITE are holding back this FREE ENERGY technology. That doesn’t make sense either because the coming ENERGY CLIFF will destroy most of the ELITE along with everyone else.
Lastly, how many civilzations came and went in the past?? We keep digging up more every day. Nothing changes, except the level of the RISE & FALL.
steve
I stopped reading after I saw “free energy techn…”.
Hmmm. Let me go to…TouTube. Typing in “supressed technology”. Aha! A wealth of time to invest? You too can become enlightened!
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=supressed+technology
Cold Fusion
Cold fusion isn’t suppressed; it isn’t fully developed.
Helium3 Good Luck Mining The Moon!
I have 2 things to add here:
1) Suppressed technologies: (I will omit the link just in case) Go to yandex search engine and type in Keshe Foundation store, on the right hand side menu click on “KF SSI Products” and then click on the magravs power plasma generator – the off grid version for 1800 Euros, 3kW off grid electrical energy. Guess which fossil fuel industry wants to suppress that technology?
2) There is another form of energy FAR more important – humans! Go to a site called lawfulpath (you can figure out the extension) and the type into the search box “Silent weapons for quiet wars”. Guess which international bankers want to suppress that knowledge?
“If a country is going to ramp up power generation with insanely erratic wind and solar power, then we shouldn’t be surprised to see these enormous diesel ship engines used to try and fix the problem.”
Hey, a lot of cruise ships will never be operated again. After they sit for a long time, the maintenance to make one seaworthy could be prohibitive.
But all they have to do to maintain an engine like this is run it for a half hour once in a while,change the oil [use synthetic], and a well built engine could last decades. How much energy it gobbles is another matter.
I can see it now: one way cruises to Australia, to take it’s engine out, then scuttle the ships to create artificial reefs! A new fishing and diving tour Mecca!
I live in Oz, DC and I think that’s a bloody good suggestion 😊 I have been saying to my friends for years now; “If I can keep the lights on in my house, I can put up with most things”. Maybe I should put my order in for one of those diesel engines and convert it to “Hydrogen Energy”. Maybe I could startup a new small business and sell my excess energy to my neighbours.
You could sell stock in the idea anyway. Study how Elon Musk and others have fleeced the public. Ther’s a lot to learn!
What did you think of the Silver price yesterday DC? My chart says we could see more downside today.
RedOpal,
Yah… we could see more downside, but do I get a WHIFF of RUBBING IT IN?? LOL. Honestly, I knew the technicals were showing a correction lower, but I didn’t anticipate it taking place in just three days. But, that’s the silver market for ya.
So, the RULE OF THUMB is to understand that the markets today will only get more volatile. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bounce here even though the price could fall a bit. Silver is now at the $22.90 FIB level. Normally, we see a bounce at these levels… but who knows with this market.
By the way, RED.. what’s your chart say for TESLA?
steve
I wouldn’t RUBB it in Steve… Lol. Have you forgot that saying “Up the stairs and DOWN the elevator”, something like that. I have learned some hard lessons in the past by ignoring support and resistance in charts.
Would you believe Steve, I have never had a look at the “Tesla” chart. I will do that!
I do like to remind everyone about ExxonMobile though. In 2014 $106.00. 2020 $35.00.
Silver corecting moves are always very deep, so I thing it is only the beginning. And why is palladium more resilient? Suppesedly the car industry is on the verge of bankruptcy.
I don’t know what to think. In the U.S. the Dow and Nasdaq have had a couple of bad days; could there be profit-taking in selling silver ETF’s and options? I have no idea.
THE definition of INSANITY [RINSE REPEAT ] doing the same thing over and over AGAIN and expecting a different RESULTS .Historically there have been 775 FAILED FIAT CURRENCIES
Thanks Steve,
Some of the giant mining trucks widely used in Australia are run by not less than 3+MW diesel engines installed inside each of them – i.e a diesel black hole.
Hundreds of this class of trucks and other heavy machinery are working 24/7.
Coal production has primarily become a diesel-burning process – worldwide.
Rather than running mining processes with imported oil, it seems the Australians are doing the right thing: burning the diesel to generate grid power directly, sparing themselves the energy lost in converting diesel to coal – through highly diesel-intensive mining and transportation.
In Iraq, for example, where there is no grid electricity as we know it since 2003, communities are operating private diesel generators at street-level, powering few tens of homes a generator.
These are unreliable, very expensive to subscribe to, and often no fuel are available to run them.
National grids are down-sizing before our eyes, whether in Iraq, Australia and many other places – owing to Physics.
In the Soviet Union we were seeing street-size banners everywhere – “Communism is Electrification – Vladimir Ilyich Linen“!
Indeed, Nicola Tesla has not only blueprinted for national grids but rather for a fantasy that we understand now it cannot last for much more than 150 year!
“No Energy store holds enough Energy to extract, collect and utilise an amount of Energy equal to the total Energy it stores”.
Capitalism has been Communism-disguised – all along!
https://youtu.be/gbAFWk01i8o?t=89
Absolutely amazing from green to just about the worst for efficiency for carbon emissions. Actually both of options are green losers.
With any asset there is always the decision: Buy, sell, or hold.
When the Dow, NASDAQ, or S & P drops, the selling of stocks predominate over buying. When silver or gold drop, what is being sold? Few if any understand. Physical? ETF’s? Futures contracts? By proxy in margin calls? What is the mix?
As the G/S ratio increases, the spring compresses for volatility to the upside.
We continue to see deterioration in the economy, more Covid, (real)Unemployment flat-lining around the 30 million territory. Analysts are praying for more stimulus soon, seems Christmas shopping is not going to bring back the economy, dang it. We’ll see how long the dollar can appreciate in the months ahead. Gold and silver prices will recover.
check out lt col thomas bearden. knee deep in energy research
I’m beginning to think the plandemic was created to push the world to consume lower amounts of energy. There is a growing realization that green energy isn’t the answer. California is having brownouts and are being forced to bring online several previously decommissioned gas powered plants. I read that Germany was going to get rid of their renewable energy subsidy. The Germans have more flexibility with two gas pipelines coming in from Russia. If the dollar ever loses its reserve currency status just how will N. America import oil to bridge the energy gap? That’s when trade deficits will matter and if Treasuries aren’t in demand then we will have issues. I think people need to start considering ways to bridge the power gap locally as in their homes. Things like clean water and food are derivatives of energy. This is going to get ugly.
Once the US needs oil us Canadians will sell ours to them and this time we will make money. And we will make the demands.
Canada is also a net importer of oil. At the end of the day not all oil is created equally. We use many different grades of oil to make different finished products like gasoline, heating oil, diesel, jet fuel etc. Note that the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are all net importers of oil. That’s why I mentioned N. America and not a specific country.
https://www.canadaaction.ca/how_much_oil_does_canada_import
Steve…I am on your side but this article is wrong. This news is from 2018. South Australia has been very progressive in their march towards non carbon sourced energy. These generators can be fired up in minutes if it’s cloudy or the wind dies down to balance the grid and keep the lights on. They are a sensible addition to stabilising the grid. Ultimately we all have to go back to AD 1800 levels of energy use but if we do that we won’t be able to access your website.
Sean,
Yes, I have read the details. They got rid of two older generating turbines at the Barker Inlet Power Station and replaced them with these more efficient diesel ship engine generators. However, these generators will not last forever… correct?? This is just a bandaid for a system that is so grossly inefficient. The Energy Grid is only 12% efficient with 88% lost due to waste heat and etc.
By adding Diesel Ship Engines to continue an Electric Generation System that is only 12% efficient is complete madness, especially when oil supplies will begin to decline.
Please check out my upcoming interview with Louis Arnoux.
steve
These generators will last forever and a day in my estimation. If they are just be used in standby mode to handle peak power loads, wear and tear will be small. 20,000 hours operating time until first major overhaul. That’s about 3 years if it was running full time.
Did you notice your photos do not agree on size of engine? First photo has bedplate at man’s armpit level and 2nd photo shows bedplate below waste level. These are not very large engines. Sulzer and Burmeister Wain make larger engines in the 100,000 Horsepower range, one meter bore . The Wartsila’s were probably chosen on cost because the larger engines would be more efficient. Their other choice would be gas turbine but these are not as efficient as a diesel.
NevadaTom,
Agreed on all the specifics. However, the fact remains that the more wind and solar added to the grid, the more volatile and erratic the grid becomes.
Furthermore, no one seems to consider that these Wind and Solar Power Units have to be replaced in 20-25 years, even less.
steve
I thought this was cool. Oil production by thousands of barrels per day by top producers.
https://twitter.com/GregChamandy/status/1309175685634830336?s=20
How does this compare to a natural gas power plant that steps in to balance intermittent power? At least it can burn bunker fuel and heavy oil, maybe someday asphalt roads when diesel runs low… And is it used like natural gas for generation, if only on the hottest days to keep the grid up?
Alice,
While the Wartsila 50DF Diesel Engine Generator can burn different types of fuels, it is still a bandaid for a highly inefficient Electric grid made even more inefficient by ramping up wind and solar power.
Furthermore, the article linked in the post above stated, “The addition of the 210-megawatt generator is expected to beef up security of electricity supply in the fragile South Australian market.”
Why is the South Australian Energy Market… FRAGILE
The Global Energy System that runs the world is about 12% efficient with 88% being lost as waste heat and etc.
steve
We all agree, that the whole thing is just a question of time – however time can be of essence (and make a big difference for the next generations to come).
So Alice’s question burns down to: “What is more plentiful (and available). “Heavy oil etc. or natural gas?”
At least from where I sit.
“So Alice’s question burns down to: “What is more plentiful (and available). “Heavy oil etc. or natural gas?”
And WHERE it is in relation to where one needs to burn it for energy [logistics].
Just read an article of Yahoo Finance that said Exxon raised their dividend in Sept from 7.9 % to 10…… and that they are looking into raising debt of $15 Billion to pay for the next two years of dividends…… crazy. One will never read on those sites the analysis that Steve gives. As he says(and everyone I “hear,” everyone out there believes we are going full renewables in a few years.
Ronald,
Watching what is unfolding is like being at a Circus Clown Show. I can’t believe ExxonMobil raised their dividend… how desperate are they?? Hell, Shell lowered their dividend by 75% (I believe) this past April. The insanity of increasing debt to pay dividends goes right along with the same mentality that Renewables will save the day.
steve
It really messes with minds that were trained to think logically, rationally, considering science and the scientific method, etc.
These sort of minds want to rebel rather than quietly accept how screwed up so many things have become.
My deceased father was an aeronautical engineer [now the degree is aerospace engineer].
It would have blown his mind how many “standard deviations” beyond F—-d up the financial world, stock markets, P/E ratios [that he followed closely],politics, etc. has become.
Steve
Maybe these ship engines will appeal to California?