China says cheap energy is more important than climate wish list

by Jo Nova

China, dragon flag.The scariest thing is that a communist dictator seems more sensible than any democratic one.

He’s a tyrant, true, but one that can add up numbers. So it has come to pass that the largest coal fired nation in the world will burn even more coal because energy security today is more important than theoretically slowing storms in 2100 AD. China makes no secret of it, but hardly anyone is even talking about it.

In other news from the CCP convention, unlike the West, China won’t blow up their coal plans until the new replacement energy is ready to use. Which is handy if the replacement turns out to be a trillion dollar lemon.

Rather soberingly, for transition-fans, China makes 80% of all the solar panels on Earth but that’s not enough to dent the growth of Chinese coal demands. If these solar panels were so cheap and effective China would ban the sale of them.

China boosts coal output as energy security trumps climate

Michael Smith, Australian Financial Review

China’s state planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, said while China would continue to invest heavily in wind and solar, annual coal production would rise to 4.6 billion tonnes in 2025 compared to 4.1 billon tonnes last year.

Determined to avoid a repeat of last year’s crippling power shortages, China has abandoned previously stated targets to cap coal production at 4.1 billion tonnes by 2025 following the country’s economic slowdown and fears of a growing global energy crisis.

NDRC deputy director Ren Jingdong …  described coal as the “ballast stone” of China’s energy needs and said the country would also boost oil and gas exploration and development.

To put that 4.6 billion ton target in perspective:

The world will burn more coal this year than possibly any year ever in human existence, and if it doesn’t, well, it will next year.

China Won’t Stop Using Fossil Fuels Until Clean Sources Can Provide Enough Energy Security

Time Magazine / Bloomberg

Xi’s speech made China’s path to decarbonization clear: It won’t stop burning fossil fuels until it’s confident that clean energy can reliably replace them. The speech shows more emphasis on energy security and the significant role of coal in China’s energy supply given the resources endowment, said Qin Yan, lead analyst with Refinitiv.“We will work actively and prudently toward the goals of reaching peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality,” Xi said in his address. “Based on China’s energy and resource endowments, we will advance initiatives to reach peak carbon emissions in a well-planned and phased way, in line with the principle of getting the new before discarding the old.”

China invests and builds more solar than anyone else, but that’s not fast enough to stop coal power growing:

China invests more than any other country in clean energy, and is on pace to shatter its record for new solar installations this year. But it hasn’t been able to outrun the growth in energy demand, forcing it to burn more coal and setting a record for consumption last year that is likely to be eclipsed in 2022.

Xi made clear that fossil fuels and renewables will have to work in tandem. “Coal will be used in a cleaner and more efficient way and we will speed up the planning and development of new energy systems,” he said.

China added 31GW of solar power in the first half of 2022. So much for that.

9.4 out of 10 based on 78 ratings

96 comments to China says cheap energy is more important than climate wish list

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      David Maddison

      To empty diesel reserves and therefore stop much of the transport industry and interstate commerce as well as reduce military capability (diesel military vehicles) and weakening the US is all part of the plan of Biden’s handlers (which includes Obama who decided to more rapidly weaken America).

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    Graham Richards

    I’m beginning to think that President Xi is not such a bad guy after all.

    Let’s face it he’s far smarter than any leader that Australia, USA, UK, EU or New Zealand can collectively produce.

    All I takes really, is to face up to reality & have a good grip on COMMON SENSE which we all know is seriously lacking in the West!

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    • #

      China is of course dead right and the West including Australia/NZ is dead wrong.

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        Rupert Ashford

        On energy policy at least. Interesting, what Xi says is eeeeerily similar to what that unelectable, majorly disliked dude, Morrison’s point was on energy policy.

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      wokebuster

      “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake” Xi probably has Napoleon’s quote framed and hanging in his office.

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    erasmus

    China, the forbidden city, the forbidden to mention major emitter who ain’t going to change any time soon. Australia can shoot itself in both feet, the sacrifice will be shambolic.
    Such is our broken politics, our broken dishonest media, our crazed eco-loons, our virtue signalling airhead celebs.
    We and they will all be punished.

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    TIP

    must mean The Greens, ALP, woke companies AND universities are about to platform on boycotting all things business and products from China, including finance and investment

    C R I C K E T S……….

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    Penguinite

    That means, reading between the lines, China won’t stop using fossil fuels EVER. Well, not in the next 50 years!

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    Sean

    Remaking the worlds infrastructure, particularly if you are trying to make renewable energy, requires a lot of steel, aluminum and polysilicon. All three of these materials are energy intensive to manufacture. One ray of hope for reduction in Chinese emissions is that they can likely reduce their reliance of coal if it can get its hands on lots of low cost natural gas. Once the pipelines are built, they will be Russia’s best customer. China’s ray of hope for emissions reductions will likely be the nail in the coffin for European base materials industries.

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      Graeme#4

      They already have one large pipeline, “Power of Siberia”, supplying gas from Russia. And the second one is being accelerated. When both are in operation, China will have lots of gas.

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      DOC

      Your premise is China wants to decrease emissions and dump coal. I suggest China is not the least bit interested in the basic, unproven theory. It is logically disinterested when seeing the destruction supposedly more advanced nations than it bring on themselves for that ‘just in case’ scenario.
      What would a normal, lucid, reasonably educated person do with the choice between:
      1. destroy one’s society through energy and food deprivation now, ‘just in case’ human activity controls the global temperature and, based on some theory that might cause much damage in a hundred to a thousand years time (when we’re all dead anyway) we destroy our way of life now.
      OR
      2. Simply adapt ones lifestyle to change as it comes. Lomborg’s analysis says this the sane way to go, prevents economic destruction from huge costs involved in attempting to control CO2 and methane concentrations in the atmosphere. Realism increases when one realises the BRICs are refusing to follow the first choice anyway and neutralise any attempt the West tries to ‘control the world’s temperature’, a belief ground in nothing but hubris.

      Just how dumb – or malignant – are Western politicians, now mainly extremist leftist in power ( I use this terminology always now. It balances the accusation that anybody disagreeing with the left is a ‘rightwing extremist’ or fascist), that slavishly follow the demands of their left extremist dogmaticians and destroy our societies?

      For our governments to be shown up for what useless destructive organisms they are, by China which has strong logical grounds to ignore the arguments of its crazy western travel companions, should be totally humiliating for western ideology driven governments, financial systems and industrial elites. China, the country that has thrived on all that transfer of information and major industries from the West, actually comes out against the same arguments our governments use to destroy our basic food and energy requirements, with huge cost increases that simply feed more of everything into China. China itself is telling us we are mad for all those decisions that are making China great. Who could disagree?

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    MichaelinBrisbane

    Why can’t we claim “Developing Nation” status here in Australia?
    We have only just dragged ourselves out of “Hunter-Gatherer” status in the last 234 years*, while China has had sophisticated regimes, some superior to European, for thousands of years.

    *unless you follow Bruce Pascoe’s ideas.

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    • #
      Terry

      ‘Why can’t we claim “Developing Nation” status here in Australia?’

      On what grounds should we be promoted above our current 3rd world status?

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    David Maddison

    China Won’t Stop Using Fossil Fuels Until Clean Sources Can Provide Enough Energy Security

    That’s just code for never because all thinking people know that wind, solar and Big Batteries are incapable of running an industrial civilisation, no matter how many bird killers, solar panels and Big Batteries you have.

    The impossible storage requirements for just the the United States are discussed at:

    https://dothemath.ucsd.edu/2011/11/pump-up-the-storage/

    and China will need far more.

    And China has a lot more people; and is advancing far more rapidly than the US under the Biden Maladministration.

    Also, if the Left think China can just build more dams, how much more environmental destruction such as the Three Gorges dam is acceptable?

    Or how many more human rights violations such as in Tibet, one of the few places left with significant hydro potential?

    That leaves nuclear, which has the lowest land footprint of all, which is acceptable but the Left hate that too.

    Of course, the Left WANT communist China to advance while tue West is destroyed by the Left.

    And anyone who thinks China is a “developing country” and thus entitled to be the world’s largest CO2 producer with 2.2 tines the emissions of the next biggest emitter, the US, has never been there, and/or simply doesn’t care about the truth.

    Many Chinese cities are more advanced than you would expect to see in Europe, North America or Australia.

    It is not, and never was, about the harmless trace gas CO2.

    [Note to Leftists, in case you are unfamiliar with the term CO2, it is what you incorrectly call “carbon” (sic).]

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    • #
      el+gordo

      They are hoping Fusion Power will save the day and it’ll be a game changer.

      Over the past 50 years we have witnessed the greatest economic revolution in history and gradually the Yuan will become the Reserve currency.

      Socialism with Chinese characteristics gets things done, while the democracies quibble and stall. Years ago they talked about constructing a very fast train from Beijing to Melbourne and this is how they can do it.

      https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202210/20/WS6350bf2ea310fd2b29e7d940.html

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        Mike Jonas

        Command economies like communism and fascism get things done, but not for long. The chaos of democracy is in the end its strength. What right now, in the west, may look to many people like the chaos of democracy isn’t in fact that, it’s the chaos of authoritarians trying to replace democracy. Democracy in the west has a real fight on its hands against enemies both inside and outside. The Gilets Jaunes are reportedly re-mobilising, and the rest of the west needs to do the same.

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          David Maddison

          Well said, Mike.

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          el+gordo

          I beg to differ, China stopped being a command economy in 1978, it gradually became a mixed economy like ours.

          Its generally perceived as a socialist market economy, but I see it more as a fascist market economy without recourse to war.

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            Mike Jonas

            Hmmm. I would say that China’s is a fascist economy with recourse to war, and it is heading towards the latter as fast as it can.

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              el+gordo

              China has no reason to expand militarily to invade Taiwan or any other country, Beijing’s political culture is different to Moscow and Washington.

              President Xi has said that war is a waste of resources and he can see the mess that Putin has got himself immersed in. So you can relax, nothing happening here.

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                RickWill

                I agree. I think China is playing the long game with Taiwan. They will more likely merge economies. There is already a lot of interchange between the two economies. Taiwan exported USD188bn to the mainland in 2021. Both USA and Japan are a fraction of this.

                If China was going to take Taiwan I think it would have happened already. The developed world is concentrating on Putin. Now would be a good time but why upset a budding relationship.

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                el+gordo

                Along the belt and road China is getting the support of many countries in the UN. Beijing seeks legitimate power, Taiwan may surrender without a shot being fired.

                Xi is on a crusade, armed with ancient texts, and his intention is to make the world a safer place by trashing the Western style of Capitalism.

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          el+gordo

          ‘In 2016, the World Bank recognized China as an upper-middle income country. Given all this, Xi’s underlying vision behind China’s continued pursuit of modernization portends critical system-shaping possibilities. And, at its core, Xi’s vision aims to present an alternative to war, violence and market competition-driven conventional Western models of national development.’ (China Daily)

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    David Maddison

    Rational thinkers should not fall for the propaganda and should not use the propaganda terms “renewable” and “clean”, both of which are essentially meaningless in practice.

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      Terry

      ‘Rational thinkers should not fall for the propaganda and should not use the propaganda terms “renewable” and “clean”, both of which are essentially meaningless in practice.’

      Indeed, when resource acquisition (mining), short lifespan, disposal, and inherent inefficiencies are considered, “clean” energy is some of the dirtiest currently available. Toxic, environmental and economic disasters.

      Additionally, once modern scrubbing techniques are applied to Coal, “dirty” becomes mostly a euphemism for CO2 and suddenly the lie becomes even more obnoxious.

      Worse, “renewables” are only that for as long as you can harvest the resources to maintain and replace them – The inputs to “renewables” are not inexhaustible, nor are they an efficient use of those finite resources.

      They are more aptly named: “Wastefuls”

      If this were about supporting human flourishing using our finite resources as effectively and efficiently as possible, then we would be striving to use Coal as efficiently as possible (with reserves maybe stretching out for a few hundred years), while we work in parallel at miniaturising and modularising safe nuclear fission (everyone should have a nano[pico?]-reactor in their backyard), which can power humanity on earth for eons.

      If fusion becomes viable along the way then great, but there is no need to sit around and wait for a technology that is always just decades away.

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      • #
        jelly34

        We gave up on electric cars(along with the Stanley Steamer)and windmills about 120 odd years ago.So, why are we using this FAILED technology in this day and age????????

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    John Hultquist

    The next President of the USA should plagiarize:
    in line with the principle of getting the new before discarding the old.

    . . . as should the leaders of several other nations.

    [Winter is arriving today in British Columbia and Washington State. 🙂 ]

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    • #
      Graeme No.3

      I was just reading about the problems in New England where years of Environment action have left them facing blackouts this coming winter.
      https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2022/10/20/new-england-facing-blackouts-this-winter-as-mad-green-policies-bite/
      They set out to shut down conventional power stations (8?) and built wind & solar ‘farms.
      Stopped building gas pipelines for increasing demand.
      Stopped frakking a nearby supply.
      Imported natural gas from overseas for heating and electricity generation.
      So now they will have ‘the choice’ of using what gas they can afford (and get) to heat homes or generate electricity.
      Aren’t the Democrats lucky in having the midterm elections before winter really bites?

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    Peter Fitzroy

    What a great story, much more factual than normal

    [And a comment from PF much more truthful than normal – ED]

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    robert rosicka

    On this issue we can accuse them of commonsense.

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    Neville

    Who’d ever think that the western countries would’ve lost the ability to add up very simple sums and then abandon BASE-LOAD energy for the lunacy of S & W energy + batteries?
    AGAIN here’s all countries’ co2 emissions since 1970 and of course SOARING Chinese emissions,( since 2000) and steady developing countries co2 emissions since 1970.
    Add together the USA and EU and we see no increase in co2 emissions since 1970.
    AGAIN why can’t the so called leaders of the so called democratic FREE world understand very simple sums and very simple graphs?
    Even an average 5 year old child should be able to understand the data, so why can’t our so called leaders?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions#/media/File:World_fossil_carbon_dioxide_emissions_six_top_countries_and_confederations.png

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      william x

      Neville, I believe we are being humbugged.

      I am a simple person and even I can understand simple graphs.

      Any simple person can see that this is not about climate change.
      This is a concerted effort by our authorities, (both elected and unelected) at re-education and submission. A replacing of free thought and investigation with blind ideology.

      If you want proof, try to ask our leaders any simple question. They always segway. Note that the short sentence, “The science is settled” is one of their go-tos. It explains everything to the misinformed.
      Yet it explains nothing to an inquisitive mind. Ask again and you will be shut down.

      What I am seeing today is a psychological manipulation of the masses on an industrial scale.

      Our leaders know what they are doing.
      I can give you hundreds of examples why.

      Here is one, a simple link to the WEF – Forum Members (Current webpage)

      https://www.weforum.org/communities/forum-members

      Quote from the webpage:

      The global Chairs and Chief Executives of Institutional Member Companies are invited to participate in:

      The Annual Meeting of the New Champions held in the People’s Republic of China, a unique gathering of the next generation of global leaders, emerging regions, competitive cities, Social Entrepreneurs, Young Scientists and Technology Pioneers from around the world.

      End Quote.

      I call myself a simple person, yet I am no simple fool.
      It is plain to me what the agenda is.

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      OldOzzie

      ‘Shocked’: Andrews nationalises electricity

      Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ plan to “bring back” the government-owned State Electricity Commission to reverse the decades-long privatisation of Australia’s energy market will chill private investment and hurt ordinary investors and workers, the CEOs of Woodside Energy, Alinta Energy and Australian Energy Council warn.

      The state Labor government said it would spend $1 billion to develop its own renewable energy assets, as it announced tough new emissions targets that are likely to end coal power generation in the state by 2035 – earlier than expected. The state would invest directly to control renewable energy projects, including wind and solar, with a focus expected to be on its ambitious offshore wind targets.

      Mr Andrews said that if his government was returned at next month’s state election, it would legislate an emission reduction target of between 75 and 80 per cent by 2035, and bring forward its net-zero target by five years to 2045.

      In announcing the government’s new emission reduction targets for 2035 and 2045, Mr Andrews released PwC analysis that claimed the plan would generate 60,000 jobs by 2035.

      Victoria previously had a target of reducing emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.

      Mr Andrews said Labor would also legislate renewable energy targets of 65 per cent by 2030, and 95 per cent by 2035.

      Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last month unveiled her state’s new energy plan, which lifted its renewable energy target from 50 per cent in 2030 to 70 per cent in 2032 and then 80 per cent by 2035.

      “Unreliable, privatised coal will be replaced by clean, government-owned, renewable energy,” he said.

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        Mike Jonas

        If that can’t bring down the Andrews state government, then surely nothing can.

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          b.nice

          “Once-were-Liberals” will probably try to match it !..

          Will certainly not fight it.

          So who else is there for Victorians to vote for !?

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          David Maddison

          nothing can.

          That’s the likely correct answer.

          He has the full support of a massively expanded public service, unions who receive special treatment and outrageous pay on government projects, the billionaire solar, wind and Big Battery subsidy harvesters, numerous special interest groups including the alphabet brigades and his own private army in the form of Victoria Police, to brutally enforce his wishes as shown in the covid lockups and their horrifying willingness to “just follow orders”.

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            Mike Jonas

            When two wolves and a lamb have a democratic vote, guess what’s for dinner.

            If a government can get enough people on the public payroll, then no democratic vote is likely to remove them. It looks like Daniel Andrews has reached that objective.

            I was in Tasmania recently, and there was sickening sycophancy as Anthony Albanese talked up the horrendously expensive Marinus Link as a win for Tasmania. The reality of course is that it’s a win for Daniel Andrews, as he can now tap into Tasmania’s reliable hydro energy to prop up Victoria’s totally useless wind and solar. I had hoped that Tasmania’s Liberal state government would be more sensible, but I am rapidly giving up all hope that any western government can ever have any sense at all.

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              Ross

              Actually, Tassie hydro is not really reliable at all. During the millennial drought they ran out of water and had to install diesel generators near Hobart to power the state. They’ve barely got enough for their own state and industry.

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            • #

              Marinus Link has no hope of paying – look how Basslink has been a huge loss-maker – Feds are crazy to tip Fed taxpayer dollars into the loss making Tassie Hydro.
              Battery of the Nation would be even worse.

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          Neville

          Mike Jonas I’d like to agree with you, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
          I’m also very afraid that these clueless Labor/ Greens donkeys could even increase their majority.

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          Rupert Ashford

          Well they’ll have to be brought down in a revolution then, because the sheep will first vote for them as these ideas sound fantastic in theory. People will only wake up once the black-outs start.

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            Terry

            ‘these ideas sound fantastic in theory’

            They sound fantastic in theory “fantasy” (as in “fanciful).

            Even in theory “these ideas” are utter garbage.

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        Ross

        The dictator had to match the clueless Libs, who announced emission reduction targets more than the Labor government. Off shore wind, that’s what this is all about. Dan wants to cover the whole Gippsland coast with off shore wind turbines.

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          Graham Richards

          Let’s face, if the private sector are stuffing the renewables hoax, can you imagine the circus when Dan’s Labor party gets its hands the levers???
          😂😂😂😂😂😂

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          • #
            Terry

            ‘…can you imagine the circus when Dan’s Labor party gets its hands the levers???’

            ‘…can you imagine?’ Yes. Easily.

            I can imagine predict emergency “Climate Lockdowns” to save the planet where Dan gets to compassionately lock citizens with sufficiently low social credit scores in their micro-apartments (ie cells) for their own “safety”, and “temporarily” shuts off the power until appropriate fealty to Dan and Co is shown by his subjects prisoners.

            Victorians will thank him.

            I wish this was hyperbole.

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    another ian

    More of the hype of hydrogen –

    “Instead, the two countries entered into a bizarre agreement to develop a “transatlantic hydrogen supply chain”. […]

    We were a little dumbfounded when saw these headlines. Surely, this must be a joke? Alas, like much of what emanates from the current slate of Western leaders, the two countries appear to be as serious in intent as they are unserious in understanding. While we could write an entire piece demonstrating why this effort is destined to be just another multi-billion-dollar boondoggle…”

    http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2022/10/20/109755/

    And comments

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    OldOzzie

    Meanwhile while Australian Governments push Electric Vehicles

    The Green Tax: Electric Vehicle Owners Shocked by Battery Replacements Costing $20,000+

    Canadian Electric vehicle (EV) owners have been shocked to find out that battery replacements for their cars, especially older models, tops $20,000. One EV owner shared his experience, saying: “At the dealership, he looked it up online and said you’re not going to like this,” before delivering a bill of $15,000 plus labor and taxes.

    “I don’t understand why they make the battery so expensive when you have to change it,” Phyllis Lau, who owns a 2018 KIA Soul all-electric vehicle, told CTV News Toronto.

    Lau’s electric SUV came with a warranty for the battery that covers 160,000 kilometers (99,419 miles), or eight years, whichever comes first. This year, her EV clocked in more than 170,000 kilometers, meaning the warranty no longer covers the battery.

    When the battery failed, Lau took the vehicle to her local dealership, where she was told a battery replacement, after labor and taxes, would come to $23,000. KIA reportedly agreed to foot half the bill, even though the EV was outside the warranty period.

    “They won’t fully cover the cost,” Lau said. “They say the best they can do is half and half.”

    An American EV owner who takes road trips between Cheyenne and Casper in Wyoming recently revealed that his first trip of 178 miles took a staggering 15 hours to complete in his electric Nissan Leaf.

    Earlier this month, a man who bought a brand new $115,000 Hummer electric truck was left stranded in the middle of the road — and the vehicle had less than 250 miles on it.

    Similarly, a YouTuber recently demonstrated that buyers of GMC’s new electric Hummer better clear their calendars if the truck is running low on battery charge, as the $80,000+ EV will take over four days to fully charge when it is plugged in to a regular house outlet. Moreover, a special 240-volt charger still takes a full day to charge the vehicle.

    Another YouTuber, with 1.4 million followers, conducted an experiment with his brand new 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup. The man tried to tow a 1930 Ford Model A truck with the EV, but it ended in “a complete and total disaster.”

    China rubs its hand together – More Batteries to sell to the Stupid Westerners

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      RickWill

      I have read that a replacement battery for a Lexus BEV is AUD43k.
      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11274013/Electric-car-Australia-EV-replacement-batteries-costing-large-sums-Tesla-Nissan-Lexus.html

      It is difficult to imagine any BEV having any second hand market value unless the battery has been replaced and has a long warranty.

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        MichaelB

        And EV batteries are only going to get more expensive, as increased demand leads to higher prices, due to supply issues for lithium, cobalt, etc.
        We already see this reflected in the cost of batteries for portable power tools. The tool ‘skins’ are dirt cheap due to economies of scale in production, but replacement batteries have not come down in price. I suspect this is due to material cost rises offsetting the production economies.
        This will only get progressively worse, due to massive increases in material demands for EV batteries.
        And further, in 5 to 10 years the demand for replacement batteries will accelerate, thereby deteriorating the cost-effectiveness of replacement. This will lead to rapid declines in the value of 2nd hand EVs.
        Unlike fossil fuel vehicles, the end result will be that there won’t be widely available cheap 2nd hand vehicles, due to costly battery replacement.
        This will severely impact young people and the less well off.

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          Graham Richards

          High prices have nothing to with battery production / availability.

          Those high prices are simply telling you that without buying a new battery your car , lawnmower vacuum cleaner or any battery operated product is about as useful as boobs on a bull!!!

          So stop complaining & cough up your $$$$$ thank you!!

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        Robert Swan

        … and has a long warranty

        A long warranty is only as good as the company backing it. How many people making warranty claims are going to find themselves lining up as creditors of failed battery retailers?

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      Ross

      Even without having driven an EV, I’ve got a lot of experience with using Lithium rechargeable batteries. As would a lot of people on this blog. At last count I possess at least 10 18v rechargeable battery tools. They’re brilliant and in a couple of cases my old gasoline powered tools sit idle, because I go to the 18 v tool first. Great. But, I know that as soon as the battery indicator only lights up 2 in a range of 4, that battery needs a recharge. On only 2 lights, performance is much reduced. I have also possessed a Roomba robot vacuum for 10 years. Now that unit is basically just a small version of a Tesla, without all the other stuff. In the 10 years I have replaced the expensive battery pack twice. So for me that’s how EV’s will perform. Their range will be very limited and the battery pack will need changing often and be very expensive.

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        OldOzzie

        who owns a 2018 KIA Soul all-electric vehicle, told CTV News Toronto.

        Lau’s electric SUV came with a warranty for the battery that covers 160,000 kilometers (99,419 miles), or eight years, whichever comes first. This year, her EV clocked in more than 170,000 kilometers, meaning the warranty no longer covers the battery.

        About matches my Electric Tools and Phones – 6 years and you need a new battery – going to be a lot of not wanted Used Evs in the future

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        • #
          Ross

          Yep, and probably the used EV market will have a lot cars for sale just prior to that major battery swap. Particularly if it’s a fleet EV. Buyer beware , big time.

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      OldOzzie

      Biden Admin Shells Out $2.8 Billion To Battery Makers That Pledge Commitment To Diversity, Equity And Inclusion

      The Biden administration announced a $2.8 billion investment in U.S.-based battery manufacturing Wednesday that contributed to the administration’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives.

      The administration selected 20 companies to receive awards from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed into law in November 2021, with projects evaluated by their ability to “contribute meaningfully” to the administration’s Justice40 initiative, which sets a target of 40% of all federal clean energy investments benefitting “disadvantaged and underrepresented communities,” the Department of Energy (DOE) announced Wednesday.

      The award will result in the construction of 5 new facilities in “disadvantaged communities,” with 15 located adjacent, according to the DOE. Of the 21 total projects, 15 will involve collaboration between companies and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and are expected to create a total of 5,000 permanent jobs.

      “This U.S.-based high-tech demonstration plant will employ a workforce of up to 150, including a minimum of 40% of new employees coming from disadvantaged communities and being paid wages higher than the prevailing rate,” said materials fabricator 6k Inc., who received $50 million, according to the DOE. “Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility principles are incorporated into all aspects of the project and 6K will work with local and regional workforce development agencies to create training and intern programs with high schools, technical and community colleges, and local universities.”

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    David Maddison

    Forcing “clean” (sic) “renewables” (sic) on China gives them the excuse to consolidate their control over much of the world’s water supply.

    As yet mostly unrecognised is one of the main reasons China took control of Tibet.

    Via dams, with real hydro electricity (not like SH2) as a by-product, it gives them control over much of the population of the world’s water supply.

    Tibet is the source of:

    -Brahmaputra
    -Irrawaddy
    -Ganges
    -Mekong
    -Salween
    -The Indus
    -Yangtze

    Rivers.

    Unlike Western “leaders” the Chinese are both smart and long-range thinkers, although certainly not good people in the Western sense of morality.

    As Sun Tzu said:

    Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.

    What could possibly go wrong?

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    another ian

    “So we get to the heart of the current global catastrophic problem: the difference in consequences between the possibility that a new technology will succeed versus the expectation/demand that it will succeed – and the dismantling of the old because it is a foregone conclusion that the new will take over.”

    More at

    “Did Henry Ford’s Success Come About Because He Demanded the Execution of Horses?”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/10/20/did-henry-fords-success-come-about-because-he-demanded-the-execution-of-horses/

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    You cannot transition from what has worked to something that cannot work right now. That is Madness and suicide.

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      Terry

      ‘…something that cannot work right now.’

      cannot work right now ever!

      “Wastefuls” cannot produce sufficient inputs to create nor replace themselves, let alone existing and future energy requirements.

      It’s utter fantasy; stupid and irrational.

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    Furiously+Curious

    So China has increased its coal production in the last 12 months, by more than Australia produces in total! And yeah, that Asian rivers thing is going to be a calamity. They have the potential to build the worlds biggest dams in the upper reaches of those rivers. Just to add to the 85000 dams they already have. Unfortunately it has been a tad dry lately, making most of them useless.

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    Furiously+Curious

    I wonder what happens to pumped hydro in a dry spell?

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    Ross

    So that’s China, now add Vietnam, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Phillipines and India to the mix. ( “another Ian” stole my thunder a little). That’s got to be about 1/2 the worlds population about to use MORE coal, gas and oil. All of those countries are probably increasing their S & W as well, but there is no ” transition”. So there is no climate catastrophe and now there really is no energy transition either.

    70

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    John Connor II

    Greece says its entire electrical grid ran on 100% renewables for the first time

    The Greek electrical system has hit a new milestone, after running completely on “clean” renewable energy for the first time.

    Renewable energy sources covered Greece’s electricity demands for about five hours last Friday, the Independent Power Transmission Operator, or IPTO, said. Renewables also posted a new record that day, reaching a peak of 3,106 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity.

    The company, which owns and operates the Greek electrical transmission system connecting power plants with customers, says the achievement will open the door to making its energy mix greener in coming years.

    Greece relies on a range of sources for electricity, with no one source accounting for more than 50%. In August of 2022, natural gas and renewable sources, such as wind and solar, accounted for the most power. IPTO also draws electricity from hydropower, as well as from lignite or “brown coal,” one of the dirtiest fossil fuels.

    Wow – they went for 5 hours!
    Then the sun went down and the wind stopped and they switched back to dirty, planet killing fuels.

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    William

    China is forging ahead with its investment in renewable technology as it can clearly see the benefits of wind and solar over coal.

    Albeit the benefit is purely financial to China as it exports useless renewable generation to moronic idiots like Australia while it enjoys the luxury of coal and gas fired electricity.

    170

  • #

    Quite astounding.

    As an analogy, most of us need a car to get around. If we have to swap it over we make careful arrangements to avoid being caught out around servicing or buying/selling so we can still do what we have to. We don’t just get rid of it with no immediate plans to replace it.

    But our bureaucrats and pollies display no such sense when it comes to our power grid. Grandiose plans to shut coal stations when there is no immediate 365/24/7 financially and physically viable alternative are complete idiocy. And yet we have all the “intellectuals” of the Left, our press and now many of our corporates baying for this to occur. Each of us needs power, our factories which produce food need power, our supply chain needs power to keep meat etc safe and yet it is treated as though we just flick the switch and its there, without thought that we need generation to cover all the time.

    Quite unbelieveable and shows that we need to immediately remove all our bureaucracy and nearly all our “leaders” immediately as they are a real danger to us and our lives. They are dangerously and evilly incompetent.

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    Neville

    So why do our pollies, so called scientists, MSM etc lie to us about their so called climate EMERGENCY, CRISIS or even an EXISTENTIAL THREAT to Humans in the near future?
    AGAIN Willis Eschenbach has checked the DATA/EVIDENCE and found no climate EMERGENCY at all. BIG surprise NOT.
    AGAIN why have Humans rapidly increased our population since 1800 or 1950 or 1970 etc?
    AGAIN why is Human life expectancy so much higher today than 1950 / 45.5 years ( 2.7 bn) or 1970 56.5 years ( 3.7 bn ) or 2022 -73 years and 7.9 billion and soon 8 billion?
    Will we ever WAKE UP to their BS and FRAUD?

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/04/25/wheres-the-emergency/

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    • #
      Neville

      AGAIN here’s Human life expectancy since 1950.
      This is UN data from Microtrends site.

      https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/WLD/world/life-expectancy

      50

    • #
      John Connor II

      The question is- what will the masses do when they DO wake up?

      Look at France – a tv screened poll showed 75% of people want out of (WW2 defunct legacy) NATO and to stop funding Ukraine (in reality US money laundering).
      The masses will only care when it hurts them.
      The crash and burn is inevitable. It’s all too far gone to save. The rot and corruption in every government and MSM in every country has assured that outcome.

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    John Connor II

    It’s not fair that big companies control our power supply and bills skyrocket.

    So we’re going to set up a government-owned power company to drive down bills.

    It’ll put the power back in the hands of Victorians.

    And it’ll be 100% renewable.

    DopeyDan’s latest verbal diarrhea.
    Has everyone left Vic yet?
    Closing down sale shortly.
    Solar and wind power products on special!
    Only used once.

    110

    • #
      David Maddison

      I hope they count coal and nuclear among the “renewables”.

      When the coal power station runs out of coal, you renew the supply by just digging more coal out of the ground. There is centuries of supply.

      Similarly for nuclear, you just add more nuclear fuel or you take the “waste”, which still has 98% of the original energy and reprocess it then transmute it in a breeder reactor. There are millennia of supply.

      In both cases the supply is indefinite for present practical purposes.

      100

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    David Maddison

    I would be very interested to give every Australian politician a science and general knowledge test.

    With very few exceptions, I expect the results would be appalling, bordering on a result reflecting a total or almost total lack of education.

    In terms of ABS categories, most would be:

    https://www.abs.gov.au/census/guide-census-data/census-dictionary/2021/variables-topic/education-and-training/level-highest-educational-attainment-heap

    Year 8 or below (5)

    Or

    Did not go to school (6)

    90

  • #
    David Maddison

    It is remarkable and tragic, but not surprising that Australia is probably more committed to the anthropogenic global warming fraud than any other country on earth.

    120

    • #
      Greg in NZ

      We may only have 1/5th of your population, however, Herr Dear Leader, President Jacinda, plans to ‘show the way forward’ by being a ‘world-first’ actor (actress) on the ruinable and dirty road back to serfdom… Pine cones for dinner AGAIN?!

      No, David, our little country is the most insane, and all for a minuscule 0.00000272 % contribution to so-called ‘carbon emissions’. The Cult of the Horse is very strong here indeed.

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    David Maddison

    It is hard to believe that in Australia there is not a single person with a science, engineering or common sense background who is in a position of influence who is prepared to say anything about the insanity of unreliables.

    Apart from anything else, this is theoretically why we have an Office of the Chief Scientist and the CSIRO, both positions of which, incidentally, are headed by former colleagues who I did my PhD with in the same department.

    150

    • #
      Neville

      David it is appalling that we have nobody who will stand up and support the science.
      I know that the then chief scientist admitted under oath before the Senate that Aussie’s reduction of all our co2 emissions would result in virtually no change to the temperature.
      But he had to tell the truth when asked a direct question.
      I’d like to see all pollies, public servants, reporters, industry leaders, all MSM, union leaders etc take the Co2 Coalition quiz and the results published online.
      I’ve had ZIP education but I can very easily pass their quiz and score 100% and ditto I’m sure for many people on Jo’s blog.

      https://co2coalition.org/climate-quiz/

      80

      • #
        John Watt

        Can speak from personal experience. Over a decade ago , during the Rudd “moral dilemma” era, I tried to hand our local MP Graham Perrett a printout of Dr John Nicol’s perceptive analysis of the role of CO2 in our climate’s behaviour. Definitely not interested. Disease has since spread to all of our so-called representatives. Poor fella my country!!

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    • #
      GERARD BASTEN

      Then, why doesn’t Malcolm Roberts fit the bill?

      41

    • #
      Ross

      This is tweet this morning from the CSIRO, verbatim. “Our Towards Net Zero Mission aims to halve the emissions of Australia’s difficult to reduce sectors, including steel, agriculture and sustainable aviation fuel, by 2035.” This is our major science advisory body who look intent on wrecking some of our major industries over the next 13 years. Mind you, this tweet was probably formulated by some young millennial “socials” advisor, but it basically sums up the CSIRO, who don’t appear to have any dissenting voices anyway in their organisation.

      110

    • #
      RickWill

      Malcolm Roberts is knowledgable and somewhat influential on the climate scam. There is some support in the Senate for the facts he offers.

      Dutton has to bide his time and let NutZero unravel before offering an alternative – dump Morrison in the poo for his misguided views. Dan will send Victoria broke if he tries to socialise the electricity network in the State – it will be back to the Kirner years. There is every prospect that he alienates current electricity providers and the other States as well as Albanese and Bowen.

      There is a wide held view in government that “renewables” are free energy. They cannot understand why electricity costs more. They have a firm belief that the energy providers are rorting the system. It is where poor education meets reality. And I doubt the polles are capable of being educated in the complexity of the grid being created trying to achieve NutZero.

      It would be interesting to listen to Lily D’Ambrosio explaining all the components of the FCAS market and the range of bids. Who gets paid what amount for each service provided.

      One thing for certain is that the Finkel report did not include the need for synchronous condensers. In that report, the sun shines for 12 hours per day and the wind is steady. Clouds are a thing of the past.

      I wonder how battery tractors would stand up to the current duties in places like Echuca right now.

      90

    • #
      John Connor II

      It is hard to believe that in Australia there is not a single person with a science, engineering or common sense background who is in a position of influence who is prepared to say anything about the insanity of unreliables.

      Their jobs depend on not saying anything counter-narrative.

      If you want a dose of reality ask a retired physicist!

      Get the retired experts to speak out. They’re the ones we need.

      70

  • #
    Alistair Crooks

    I’ve said it before but hey, why not say it again?
    I feel like we are currently living in the same situation as the Germans found themselves between the two wars (WW1 and WW2, lets not forget all the others in Europe before that) They had a choice between supporting a Fascist NAZI Party or a Communist Party. We are in the same position today – the choice between the fascism of the WEF or what amounts to the Fascism of the BRICS countries. We have a government controlled by the Fascist oligarchs in Davos. Is it really treason to not support the Australian government’s kowtowing to WEF fascism? Liberal democracy here has become more or less illegal (and I note that the main policing of this is left to the oligarch-controlled corporations). There is no liberal democratic USA to march in, defeat Fascism, and restore liberal democracy.
    I dont like Russia and I dont like China but it appears to me that the only hope for the Western world is if the BRICS countries exhaust themselves bringing the WEF to its knees – and then maybe- just maybe there is hope for sanity to prevail … somewhere. Not in Australia though. We are a colonial country that will hook itself up to someone, anyone, and exhaust ourselves too.

    70

    • #
      el+gordo

      History doesn’t repeat, so everything is different and BRICS is growing in strength.

      After Putin is dethroned and replaced by a liberal minded individual, it might be possible for Australia to join the BRICS club, or at least sign up to the belt and road.

      15

  • #
    Bruce

    China?

    “ALL must pay tribute to the EMPEROR” (General Secretary / President) etc.

    THAT is and has been for Millennia, CORE cultural doctrine.

    The actual NAME of the country literally translates as; “Central Kingdom”, i.e., that around which all others MUST revolve. This is MUCH more accurate than the more bland-sounding “Middle Kingdom.

    It has eerie similarities to that sand-pirate “religion”, and the Eagles, “you can check out…., but you can never “leave””. This is the multi-generational power held over “ex-pats” and their descendants, GLOBALLY.

    These ties are used to bribe or blackmail “overseas” Chinese into acts of criminality or outright treason. The helicopter story out of Viet Nam is a salutary warning.

    41

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    el+gordo

    That is their political culture and its unique, but more importantly Xi has the mandate of heaven.

    https://www.csis.org/analysis/new-tail-chinas-wolf-warrior-diplomats

    14

  • #

    “In addition to such problems with the perception of risk, it is also a scientific fact, and a shocking one, that both risk detection and risk avoidance are not mediated in the “thinking” part of the brain but largely in the emotional one…The consequences are not trivial: It means that rational thinking has little, very little, to do with risk avoidance.” – Nassim Taleb, Fooled by Randomness, p 38)

    Fire! Fear.

    Flood! Fear.

    Drought! Fear.

    There is a global shortage of natural gas! Blank stare.

    Well worth a read….

    10

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  • #
    Daffy deVere

    Shesh, I’m beginning to warm to a Chinese dictator. Better than the Wuckfits we’ve got.

    00