It’s the perennial question for critics of the renewable energy transition, and even those strongly committed to it: What happens when the sun don’t shine and the wind don’t blow?
Critics would like you to believe that the lights will go out, the economy will collapse, we’ll end up living in caves, Sky After dark commentators will do high fives, and we will all agree to drill, baby drill.
The reality is quite different. The lights stay on, the grid turns to back-up generators (batteries, gas, pumped hydro, and even diesel if necessary), and we continue on with the green energy transition – because it is cleaner, cheaper and more reliable. In short, it works.
Monday, according to keen market watchers, was the worst wind and solar drought on Australia’s main grid since 2022.
A massive cloud band across much of the eastern states suffocated solar, killing the so-called “solar duck” for a day, and low wind conditions meant there was not a lot of wind output.
