Guest essay by Eric Worrall
h/t JoNova – Anyone waiting for sanity to prevail will be reassured that the person who helped Governor Cuomo transform New York’s green energy grid is now applying her talents to Australia’s energy needs.
Zibelman on changing energy market: “Get used to it”
By Sophie Vorrath
on 9 May 2018
Australian Energy Market Operator chief Audrey Zibelman isn’t given to making grand statements.
But at the Australian Energy Week 2018 conference in Melbourne on Wednesday, she had a subtle message for those politicians, industry groups and media outlets still struggling to come to terms with the clean energy transition.
“I would say that (something) that would be really critical for all of us, is that we could all agree in Australia, that when we say it’s changing – it is changing,” Zibelman.
“So whether it’s 30 per cent renewables, or 40 per cent, or 60 per cent, or 30 per cent DER (distributed energy), or 40 per cent or 50 per cent, all of that is vastly different than what we’ve had before.
“So we need to to adapt to that change and we need to make sure that it happens in a way that benefits the consumer.”
Zibelman’s comments comes as AEMO prepares a landmark document – the Integrated System Plan – which it hopes will provide a template for planing and investment in coming decades.
…
Read more: https://reneweconomy.com.au/zibelman-changing-energy-market-get-used-56736/
Back in 2017, Audrey explained that ours is the last generation which can do anything about climate change.
Power grid head Audrey Zibelman: the good news about sustainable energy
The new head of Australia’s power grid is drawing on her experience in the US to make our electricity supply more reliable and sustainable. Melissa Fyfe hears an energising message.
It’s Friday, 4pm, and I’m looking at a pleasant woman sitting behind a black desk. She’s the gatekeeper for the opulent Lui Bar, atop Melbourne’s Rialto skyscraper, where entry is “at the discretion of management”. She looks at me and I nervously do a stocktake – is this outfit professional enough? – but she directs me to a slick black glass lift for an ear-popping 234-metre ascent.
…
She insists there’s been no push-back to her ideas from those who run large fossil-fuel power plants. “I think the industry recognises the business model needs to be changed,” she says while rearranging the table, moving the nuts, which she’s heavily favoured over the olives (“Get these away from me!”).
As a long-time observer of Australia’s energy set-up, I’m sceptical of this, but she’s optimistic. “I believe we’re the last generation on earth who can really do something about climate change. And the good thing is that technology has evolved so that we don’t have to worry about sacrificing economics for good environmental policy.”
…
What can I say – thank you for lending us all that talent, but the world only has a limited supply of people like your Audrey. If America needs Audrey to return to the USA we Australians shall understand.
A lawyer running a power distribution system? I can take a guess how well that will work.
All you have to be is smart. That is why DeGrasse is a heart surgeon on the side. Actually having experience is not important, just thinking a lot of yourself is sufficient. This is the mantra we get fed. Sort of like having a petroleum engineer out of U. Penn. telling us about our imminent climate demise. The new normal is not to have competency in what you are promoting, just have a degree in something.
Perhaps she spends time at a Holiday Inn Express.
Don’t forget the MBA.
Which a bloke who has been around upper management describes a “More Bullshit Again”
for mine it is more on the spectrum “Mindless Bloody Autocrat” to “Masturbating Bull$#!%%ing A$$#ole” which is about as respectful as I can be about that cult of screwing things up.
As New Yorker I have a couple of comments.
Number 1: No givebacks. With any luck she will lead your system to such an obvious problem that maybe we will be able to say “See it won’t work”.
Number 2: Relative to her qualifications compare her to Richard Kaufman, New York Governor Cuomo’s energy czar (https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Board-Governance/Board-Members/Richard-L-Kauffman). According to his New York State Energy and Research Development Authority biography: “Mr. Kauffman oversees and manages New York State’s entire energy portfolio, including the New York State Department of Public Service, the New York Power Authority, the Long Island Power Authority, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.” He also “leads” the New York Reforming the Energy Vision (https://wp.me/P9j7Tj-1m) initiative. While his work history includes impressive positions at the U.S. Department of Energy and big businesses, his education (Bachelor’s degree in African History from Stanford University, a master’s degree in international relations from Yale University, and a master’s degree in public and private management from the Yale School of Management.) does not include any background in science and technology.
Australia wont put up with brownouts and blackouts and electricity prices = to those in Germany and Denmark. She will be out on her ass as soon as one of the major political parties wakes up and understands that both global warming and the green revolution are a big hoax to line the pockets of certain elites. Solar power makes sense sometimes as a single user of solar but not to run a national grid. Windpower isnt the panacea either on a national basis unless as in Germany you have a sugar daddy like Sweden’s hydro to kick in. Since Australia doesnt have that sugardaddy except for Tasmania which wont be enuf even with pumped storage, Australia will have to go nuclear or forget about the stupid carbon restrictions.
Been there, done that, and it still had no long lasting effect. Grey Davis, the Governor of California, was recalled successfully after a series of blackouts (among other failings), and the green blob was back in after co-opting his successor. Then another open member of the green blob was back in power, in the person of Jerry Brown.
“Alan Tomalty May 13, 2018 at 6:41 pm
She will be out on her ass as soon as one of the major political parties wakes up and understands that both global warming and the green revolution are a big hoax to line the pockets of certain elites.”
We’re talking about Australia remember, *ALL* parties are in on the green hoax.
They are not in the green hoax one bit. To get a coalition government, they have to cater to fringe parties to get a ruling majority.
Labour are, the Greens are as is Turncoat, so that pretty much covers most parties of any significance.
The Nationals are the junior partner in the Coalition and they are skeptics, along with the Liberal ginger group, but being ordinary politicians they know nothing of the science.
Nevertheless, Turnbull has until Xmas to get the Coalition on a winning path or fall on his sword.
Aussie prices are right up there with the most expensive countries. If only we had really low electricity bills like Russia, China, or Iran!
How did this pro-CAGW …er… person get to be head of AEMO? Who recommended her? Who interviewed her? On what basis was she considered the best person for this job? How much does she get paid, and for how long are we stuck with her? How bad do things have to get in our electricity market before she gets fired…er…redeployed?
The board of AEMO puts executive positions up to Standing Council on Energy and Resources (SCER) which is one of the groups controlled by COAG.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Australian_Governments
Generally it will be the Minister for Energy for each State and Territory and the commonwealth Minister for Energy. Here is the current board
http://www.coagenergycouncil.gov.au/about-us/council-membership
Alan Jones reckons Josh is a hypocrite.
“I’ve known you for some time. My judgment of you is you have sold your soul for the sake of ministerial office.
“You don’t believe in this global warming stuff. You don’t believe we can survive on renewable energy. You know that coal-fired power will be the source of our energy needs for years to come but you’ve swallowed this leftwing Labor party-Greens rhetoric. Why?”
Frydenberg was calm in rebuttal. “Well, Alan, that’s not true. I’ve always rejected reckless responses to climate change but I’ve never rejected the science.
“In fact I’ve been on the record for more than a decade, well before I went into parliament, about the need to tackle climate change.”
Guardian
And how did she obtain a 453 visa? The employer should be able to show that despite extensive recruiting nationally, there were not other suitable candidates. Last time I looked, we still had good stocks of home-grown airheads more than capable of stepping into such a role.
yeah what i was wondering too, never heard of her and sure dont like what i just did read why i rated it low
not for being but for her crap lies and messages
our banks are exposed at last for lying basta*rds they are -we knew
powercos should be the next to be outed and busted for lies n ripoffs
Australia draining Trump’s swamp – one Clintonite at a time.
What could possibly go wrong?
And where are the calls from the ACTU & Labor condemning another issued 457 visa?
My guess is the Australian government, who were openly pro Hillary, are waiting for Trump to fall so things in America can return to business as usual. Maybe they hope providing a safe haven for clintonites will win Australia future favours.
I suspect when the Presidency swings back to the Democrats Australia will discover they haven’t won much influence. As Comrade Stalin once said, “Gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs”.
Eric,
The Brit Parliamentry system of govt is what has l
produced this curent entrenched dysfunction and policy perversion at both the Federal level, and in all ‘State’ govts and Territories, combined with that systems’ inbuilt knifing of serving Prime Ministers, rather than having a top dog gug who can’t get so easily rolled if the back bench go weak at the knees when the poles oscillate (as opposed to cycle).
Stuff the Commonwealth of Australia, we need a Presidential Republic to get out of this entrenched ideological political strangling-fig forrest.
“a happy little debunker May 13, 2018 at 6:57 pm
And where are the calls from the ACTU & Labor condemning another issued 457 visa?”
As a past holder of 457 visas, their temporary status renders the holder restricted employment. No Govn’t job allowed. Could be wrong, rules may have changed since my time.
Didn’t seem to impede John McTernan (an imported British Labour Hack) from accepting a Government job from South Australia and then another as The Prime Minister’s (Julia Gillard’s) Director of Communications?
I guess if you work where the rules are made, you can break them too. But yes, forgot about that little trick she pulled.
It could be worse…New Zealand was almost blessed with Hillary Clinton’s presence:
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/05/07/hillary-clinton-considered-permanently-relocating-to-new-zealand-after-defeat/
What, doesn’t new Zealand and America have an extradition agreement?
If as she says prices will be more economical in future, the government should allow me to lock in a long term contract today so I can buy energy for the same price as today, 5 or 10 years into the future.
And since the government is convinced prices will go down in the future they will make money by doing this.
So when can we expect the government to offer long term futures on energy?
Excellent point and good question.
Ferd, I love your optimism, but have a feeling my pessimism concerning your question will win by a country mile.
Or at least sell options.
While she and her sycophants are wallowing in their fantasies, my wood stove is cranking out the heat in my living room here east of Melbourne. It also doubles for cooking meals.
So far this winter, I have burned about two cubic meters of wood; I figure it is the least I can do for my contribution to the atmosphere’s carbon balance. Also, I have stockpiled about four years’ of wood.
So I, at least, can survive for a while.
I am hoping that our elected idiots will come to their senses before I run out of wood. But I am not optimistic.
After all, we have Malcolm Turnbull.
I grew up in Melbourne. My advice, move North. Up here in Queensland you can survive without a wood fire. You can even do without air conditioning when electricity becomes too expensive.
Running was never a good answer for tyranny. Venezuelans didn’t stand up to Maduro, now they run. Multiple Generations lost. A country destroyed. Sheeple.
Don’t be a sheeple. Stand and fight.
Be articulate.
But most of all stand up. Don’t run.
For your children.
Easy to say. There are other considerations.
Be damned the other considerations. You fight for what is yours and protect your children, or history repeats
William
Steam powered co-generation of electricity on your agenda?
reckon we should save some wood to burn the pollies
and maybe stock up on tar n feathers too
“So we need to to adapt to that change and we need to make sure that it happens in a way that benefits the consumer.”
ROFL. That would require several laws of physics to be over turned. Or creative accounting. Pick one.
As a lawyer, Audrey is probably examining ways to change the Laws of Physics!
Or at least get a judge to circumvent them.
Who is responsible for hiring this nincompoop?
Looks to me as if Australia has a swamp that needs draining.
those of us who are still forthright…get busted by the mongrels with pc’ness and webmasters who remove comments in most of the major papers comment sections gruniad no go needs not even rate mention
Looks like she will fit right in with the program in Australia as she appears to be a True Believer, a zealous Believer.
Australians must ask themselves why these Alarmists want to turn their country into an experiment.
A rude awakening is coming.
So how much of this bullshit is Australia going to endure before they do something about it? Or will they quietly acquiesce into joining the 19th century?
What happened to Ozzie forthrightness ?
You put a sheila in charge. Duh!
Even Rudd and Turnbull are sheilas.
Grow a pair and dig coal and burn it my dear friends in Oz.
Or become vassals of the Chicoms. Your choice.
No one has used the term Sheila probably since the second world war dopey, before you open your stupid flapping pie hole you might want to educate yourself as to the merits of your comments…we had an election re power and won it in a massive landslide, but the duly elected PM Abbott was overthrown by a socialist. What do you suggest we do? Have riots as you do? Vote for Obama like you did? Grow up.
Perhaps he just watched Crocodile Dundee one too many times.
We had one opportunity to vote against insane electricity and other related issues that destroy our industries etc…and we won it in a landslide victory for common sense….and in the weeks before the Jap. Climate gabfest, Turnbull, an ex-CEO of Goldman Sachs and committed globalist overthrew PM Tony Abbott, the only leader in the western world holding out against IPCC madness.
Lord Moncton predicted that this would happen about a year before it did. Now we have two socialist parties to choose from, as you do, but we have no Trump…Trumps are very rare, you must vote in the midterms or what will happen to you will make us look clever. In a decade we have gone from having the cheapest power in the western world to the most expensive. And we now have no industries worth shit, and what’s left such as aluminum smelting will obviously not last much longer.
Sick, sad world.
“Trumps are very rare, you must vote in the midterms or what will happen to you will make us look clever.”
I completely agree. Trump is currently our only bulwark against Socialism. I say “currently” because I’m hoping Trump’s success will create more Anti-Socialist in the future. Success breeds success.
Success breeds success, but welfare breeds dependency.
And manufacturing and industry that depend on reliable grid electricity… they will depart.
And then everyone in Audrey Zibelman’s plan can spend their productive days serving frappe-double mocachinos and flavored lattes to each in a service economy that slowly, but most assuredly, runs out of OPM.
Car makers Ford and General Motors (Holden) pulled out over the last few years citing labour and energy costs as reasons. This announcement was made during the term where Gillard said there will be no carbon tax.
Audrey Zibelman is the reason all our energy intensive machines will be in China by Q4 2019.
The Chinese are currently falling all over us with amazing deals.
Australia has lost its competitive energy edge.
Policy for both major political parties is set by the ‘renewables cartel’ and they have no interest in manufacturing because they can’t supply manufacturers and make a healthy profit.
The domestic market here is hugely profitable (for the cartel) so Federal and State Govs have zero policies for manufacturers. In the recent Federal budget manufacturers weren’t mentioned.
Energy intensive manufacturing is no longer commercial in Australia so now we advise associates to look to: 1-China, 2-Canada, 3-USA, 4-India for electricity intensive manufacturing.
I love the way private enterprise is not allowed to decide what is economic, only people who don’t stand to lose and who pretend to know about the climate are allowed to do that by way of laws and market regulations. End all subsidies and see what happens – absolute chaos when despatchable power is not available. I wonder if this impostor understands that the cost of backup power has to be included in the economic evaluation of the beloved renewables. Does she have some skin in the renewables game? The hypocritical arrogance of relying on fossil fuels for backup while demonizing fossil fuels is breathtaking. How long do renewables need to prove they are economic – there are literally thousands of mechanical and electrical engineers who have been dreaming about “free” perpetual energy for decades and no-one has yet come up with a reliable economic baseload system. How long will it take? The only thing they have come up with requires endless subsidies and political over-rule.
C’mom Aussies!
Pitch this idiot a nulla nulla, and send her packing!
Y’all really need to get your act together – there’s another major dust up coming with China.
“…..we need to make sure that it happens in a way that benefits the consumer.” Now that is an interesting approach! So far, all the consumer has seen is the price of power head for the sky, and system reliability sink to new lows in South Australia and Victoria (and Tasmania, I almost forgot ‘The Nation’s Battery’.)
Mark Passio continues to be vindicated.
These are dark, evil humans who care not about humanity but about their own selfish desires. What is so upsetting is how the average citizen does not grasp the severity of the implications of what these globalist scum are pushing. Depopulation couched in caring about the environment.
Many years ago when I first lived in Tasmania we had a government owned body called the Hydro Electric Commission (HEC) which was responsible for generation, distribution and retail. At that time Tasmania wasn’t connected to the mainland and was predominantly self sufficient in power (hydro). In periods of drought there was an oil fired power station at Bell Bay. Around 1998 some bright spark in Government decided we should have a market driven pricing system and along with that break up the HEC into 3 bodies; HEC for generation, Tasnetworks for transmission/distribution and Aurora Energy for sales. Same service, more people and power prices somewhat regulated by dam levels.
Fast forward and now the decision is made to actually become part of the Australian energy market and the BassLink power cable is laid. Even though no one in Tasmania can buy power from anyone other than Aurora we are still in the ‘market’s. Elsewhere this is called a monopoly.
Another and logical reason for connecting the power systems between Tasmania and the mainland is so that in periods where dams are spilling, the HEC can generate at full capacity and export, at a premium 100% renewable energy. Meanwhile, purchasing cheap coal produced power from the mainland wherever possible means the government wins either way. Of course this utopia only works when they have a cable between the 2 and a couple of years ago they BassLink line faulted, at a point where the HEC had run dam levels down to make lots of money selling renewable energy in the ‘market’s. We then had to import diesel and gas standby generators in case the dams dried up.
The government now demonstrates how caring it is by giving out power subsidies to the needy, a situation that wouldn’t be there if the power price wasn’t $0.27/kwh because of market driven prices. I suspect if Tas remained disconnected and removed the inefficiency of 3 bodies instead of 1 then the price of power would drop. Too many people playing with power systems for political and ideological reasons.
This is great news for Australia – one of the countries most exposed to climate change and already suffering its effects. There is noexa recognition amongst the population that climate change has become a real threat and that increased measure need to be put in place to mitigate its effects. Australia is a perfect place for renewable energy growth with plenty of solar power and wind.
“ivankinsman May 13, 2018 at 10:38 pm
This is great news for Australia – one of the countries most exposed to climate change and already suffering its effects.”
I guess you don’t live here because I would like to see the proof to your assertion.
Even the Chief Scientific Officer of Australia admitted that the push for renewables hurts poor people.
Ivankinsman doesn’t care – to Ivan the suffering of Australia’s poor is acceptable collateral damage on the path to our glorious green future.
Hydro power in Tasmania $0.27 kwh, coal/gas/nuclear in Florida $0.135 kwh. I’m glad I have cheap renewable power.
$0.27 kwh for hydro power? unbelievable. you miss a zero. should be ~$0.027 at production cost.
Now, I guess tax can make the price tenfold on the consumer side
> “Australia is a perfect place for renewable energy growth with plenty of solar power and wind”
http://anero.id/energy/
Look carefully at the contribution of moonbeans and unicorn flatulence to the national power supply.
Then put your mouth where your other mouth is.
Australia is about to experience a mini boom in renewable energy, which as we all know has been long overdue. Australians are now much more aware of AGW and are prepared to now back projects that, until now, were put on the back burner owing to lack of public support. It’s good for the country, good for the planet that this mind shift is occurring: https://mankindsdegradationofplanetearth.com/2018/05/14/clean-energy-council-clean-energy-australia-report/
In ivanski’s world, politicians ignoring the will of the voters is proof that the people support his nonsense.
In ivanski’s world, huge government subsidies is proof that renewable power is affordable.
In ivanski’s world, the sky is green.
@ ivankinsman
Clearly you don’t actually live in Australia, that is a report by a bunch of polticians:-)
Now lets look at the reality
https://reneweconomy.com.au/australia-emissions-rise-for-3rd-year-in-row-despite-fall-in-electricity-71131/
Australian emissions rose yet again we should have a healthy 5%+ for 2018.
To have any impact a government would have to tackle every sector that is increasing and that would get any political party trying to do it voted out of office. Try multiplying the backlash over power prices across all sectors of the economy.
what utter bullshit! are you overjoyed at 29c a kwh power and rising almost quarterly?
i guess if youre in a govvy job a uni or somesuch no sweat bludge job overpaid white collar setup you just give a sh*t about the bills you dont struggle to pay
i can only use my stove or oven or washer on weekends at half rate power, simply cant afford to cook decent meals or bake or make preserves etc.
the not smart at all meters added 100 a quarter and rising to our bills
and now some daft sod reckons the billions spent forcing them on us was a waste and they need to be replaced and WE get to py for that too.
i hope i never meet you or id be up on assault charges!
Energy bills are rising in most countries. Even oil-rich Saudi had energy that was almost free but now it is being charged for, as is water.
Sceptics constantly whinge about power costs but are probably perfectly happy to splash that cash on big gas guzzling automobiles. You can’t have everything.
I am perfectly happy to spend more on a 16 week old chicken compared to a 7 week old intensively reared one because the meat tastes better. Likewise, I am prepared to pay a bit more for a conventional-renewable energy mix than just onventional fossil fuels because it helps reduce CO2 emissions. Stop carping and focus on the positives.
Reducing CO2 emissions is not a positive.
You may be willing to pay extra but most Australians are simply not willing to pay more and it is a vote changer for them. Hence no political party can really do anything. The only party that has the sorts of policies you are advocating is the greens and at 5-10% vote they are a political noise party with no chance of ever getting elected.
“ivankinsman May 14, 2018 at 5:08 am
Energy bills are rising in most countries.”
In Australia, it is entirely due to “gold plating” the wire and poles, renewable energy targets (RET) and the market.
now a recognition
Will you quit trolling We know you dont believe in CAGW nor AGW. So please stop. Mods you should not allow trolls to speak just to start arguments. At least people like Nick honestly believes in CAGW and we can have honest arguments. Kinsmans trolling just wastes peoples time for those that dont know his real viewpoint.
Keep your hat on Alan. Don’t attack the messenger my friend.
Ivankinsman is just a contrarian who likes to poke the bees nest. Much like myself who has nothing else to do until the markets open. So I go get a coffee and pastry from WaWa’s and see who I can annoy on the internet. Perhaps later I will go to the gym for an hour or so.
I’m beginning to think that Ivan is one of those Russian trolls we here about.
I dont think Nick honestly believes in Climate change at all. I think he is employed to astroturf. He is too sophisticated in his specious arguments.
No, ivanevenbiggerone is more your typical believer, full of faith, but about as intelligent as a headless chicken.
We are the last generation …….
The lady would benefit from a reading of the book of Genesis, the section dealing with the building of towers, to learn about the fate of such hubris.
Eric, just let her wreck havoc a few years, and then she will be back in USA, job done.
Turnbull ‘appointed’ this woman Audrey Zibelman. Definitely a political move on his part to boost his standing with his American friends and business associates. It doesn’t seem to matter that she has no formal qualifications in the field of engineering or science. Just imagine, would it be appropriate to appoint say an accountant as an aviation designer? Of course not.
Zibelman is typical of today’s ‘managerial’ class who believes that she can ‘manage’ her way out of any problem. If necessary force may be applied to reach solve the problem. (like a baseball bat to the head of those who oppose her methods) ‘get used to it ‘. Results are all that matter and the cost to the customer is not a consideration. She is a climate change zealot out to save the world from perhaps some tiny amount of Co2 warming, and in the process destroy our economy and send Australia broke!
I can only hope that the people of Australia wake up to the truth before it is too late. I am not optimistic.
ALL aspects of technology are undergoing continuous change, but power generation has been singled out to have the word “transition” applied to it. Naturally, most of the power generation industry loves it, a govt mandated spending of bill payers wealth on new kit, but in many ways power generation is still pretty much where it was 50 years ago, with most power still coming from internal and external combustion engines, and much of the rest coming from hydroelectric.
The real “transition” in power generation is that from it being a routine engineering subject to the supposed control knob for the weather, rather like plastic straws and coffee cups now being the key factor in the ecology of the oceans, i.e. not at all.
Living in Western Australia, I’m so glad that we aren’t connected to the “National Grid” like the eastern states. Also our state governments had the sense to put aside natural gas at a fixed cost for domestic use. Most of our power comes from coal and gas.
Green energy is the biggest scam ever inflicted upon human society. It’s basically a rent seeking industry that not only steals trillions of dollars from taxpayers, but in the process turns the entire energy generation market into a sports-bet style gambling industry where the resulting energy scarcity causing skyrocketing wholesale prices, creating trillions of dollars more in profits to the rent-seeking owners. It’s a win-win for BIG GREEN until the host country will ultimately succumb to the parasitic infection and fail. BIG GREEN will then move on to the next host ….
Western Australia has it’s use…a good testlab to demonstrate the mismatch of renewables with human needs. Let the farce continue…
Oops…”Australia”
Hey maybe you can convince her to go on a non-chaperoned walkabout in the Outback. Something, something, getting in touch with nature.
I hear that can keep people occupied for a long time.
And if it does not work out in NY they can just buy it from Canadian hydro power. I guess Australia just needs a very long power transmission cable for the same policy backstop for lawyer-managed policy experiments. This is the case because Australia apparently does not know how to build long distance natural gas pipelines or combined cycle gas turbine power plants.
Premature reduction of carbon-based energy supplies has to be the greatest hoax ever perpetrated upon society by middlemen looking to rake off a percentage and spend what is remaining on completely worthless products. It boggles the mind that in the 21st century so many of the public and the politicians who are not on the take can be so utterly clueless. Getting out of the ditch will not be pretty.