Industry - Which industry?
When you contemplate the topic industry do you find yourself considering manufacturing of goods for sale like white goods or cars etc? Really their are two sections in industry, one that makes or extracts the fuel source for the turbines, generators or furnaces to release energy and those who use the energy produced in manufacturing the washing machines, refrigerators, cars etc.
As an association our interest lies with both. How we use energy wisely with the highest efficiency and also how we source it for our manufacturing needs. Fossil fuel has been Australia's base supplier in most states for many years. Tasmania with its plentiful supply of water has utilised its hydroelectric scheme for many years. The Snowy Mountain Scheme has done likewise where electricity has been gained by the simple task of using the potential energy of stored water to fall and turn turbines allowing a transfer of energy from potential to kinetic to electrical. But all this depends on having a plentiful supply of water in the right location. Humans can not control where rain falls most of the time granted cloud seeding has produced rain in various parts of our nation at times.
So where do we go from here? No power, no manufacturing? It is as simple as that! The manufacturing industry depends on the power industry. With global warming or climate change phrases being major topics around the globe not just in Australia, where the majority of land mass is not capable of supporting human life, we must look to what sources of power the continent is offering us. Let us look at Australia's situation:
- Base fuels are those that will give us energy 24 hours a day 7 days a week every day of the year. To most of us we would say that would be fossil fuels like coal, petrol, natural gas etc. Unfortunately all these mentioned give off greenhouse gases in varying amounts that are the main cause of our current global warming.
- Some might say we should look to solar, wind, nuclear, geothermal or derivations of these. It is a possibility that we could survive using only a combination of these energy sources but they, except for the last two, are dependent on factors that humans cannot control. The sun is needed to shine for solar to work and if there is no wind, the rotors will not turn.
- Nuclear needs heaps of water in its process and in the desalination process used you gain very salty concentrated water as a bi product. If we can utilise this salty water to produce varies forms of usable salt like table salt it is a possibility where fresh distilled water can also be used for household use supplementing the various water supplies that are often so dry.
- Geothermal is being used in South Australia's far north but while it depends on water being forced many kilometres down below the earth's surface to come in contact with very hot granite rocks before it returns to the surface as steam that can turn a turbine it can also be dangerous if not monitored closely by giving rise to earth tremors etc.
So where do we go from here? Do we encourage all factories to place solar panels on their roofs to make them self sufficient and sell back to the electricity grid the power they do not use or do we advocate governments to build nuclear power stations and use the uranium Australia already has? What ever the answer, the problem is ours, every child, teenager and adult as it is our livelihoods that are at stake. As a nation we have to work together, some of the decisions made will not suit you, others will but the best solution for all is we become knowledgeable in all facets of energy and can then make educated comments and decisions about our future, our destination as a nation. Good luck!
Below are several links to various government and corporation web sites covering a variety of energy guidelines and what is currently being achieved. It is your Australia, it is up to each one of us to make a decision as to our future.
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