Turnbull knew renewables were not the cause of SA blackout the next day

More than 20 electricity transmission towers destroyed by SA storm on Wednesday 28 September 2016
Credit: Debbie Prosser/The Advertiser

On the afternoon of Wednesday 28 September 2016, a once-in-50-year storm, with winds up to 130kph & more than 80,000 lightning strikes, occurred in South Australia. Result for residents, was a state-wide failure of electricity supply.¹

At the time, & since, some, mainly on the conservative side of Australian politics, have seen this as an opportunity to attack South Australia’s high proportion of renewable energy (43%).^1,2 This despite the evidence available at the time, & the growing body of evidence which has accumulated since, that the blackout was unrelated to the source of the electricity.^1,2

These attacks generally take the form of a statement about the storm, & then an attack on renewables. Here is an example from an interview in Launceston, Tasmania on the day following the SA blackout:

“... what we know so far is that there was an extreme weather event that damaged a number of transmission line assets, knocking over towers & lines & that was the immediate cause of the blackout … Now, turning to the issue of renewables. There is no doubt that a heavy reliance on intermittent renewables by which in South Australia we’re mostly talking about wind but there’s also solar, but intermittent renewables does place very different strains & pressures on a grid than reliance on traditional base load power whether it is fossil fuel or of course hydro …” – Malcolm Turnbull

See for yourself:



Now it has been revealed that the Australian Government, including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, & his ministers, was informed that renewables were not responsible for the blackout as early as 7:20 on the morning of 29 September. I.e. before the statement in the video above.³

‘Officials told the prime minister’s office early on 29 September the loss of major transmission lines during the storm, which led to a loss of wind power being generated and transmitted at the time, was “followed by the Torrens Island gas power station shutting down shortly afterwards”.’ – The Guardian

“There has been unprecedented damage to the network (ie bigger than any other event in Australia), with 20+ steel transmission towers down in the north of the State due to wind damage (between Adelaide and Port Augusta). The electricity network was unable to cope with such a sudden and large loss of generation at once. AEMO's advice is that the generation mix (ie renewable or fossil fuel) was not to blame for yesterday's events – it was the loss of 1000 MW of power in such a short space of time as transmission lines fell over.” – Sydney Morning Herald

The Guardian – “Malcolm Turnbull was told gas plant shut down before South Australia blackout”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/feb/13/malcolm-turnbull-was-told-gas-plant-shut-down-before-south-australia-blackout

Sydney Morning Herald – “Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and ministers were told wind not to blame for South Australia blackout”
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/pm-and-ministers-were-told-wind-not-to-blame-for-sa-blackout-20170212-guaxf0.html

Huffington Post – “The Turnbull Government Can't Stop Blaming Renewables”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/02/12/the-turnbull-government-can-t-stop-blaming-renewables/
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¹ HitchHiker’s Guide 2 Tech: “Once-in-50-year storm blacks out South Australia – naysayers rush to attack renewables”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2016/10/once-in-50-year-storm-blacks-out-south.html

² news.com: Politicians blame renewable energy for South Australia’s freak blackout”, http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/politicians-blame-renewable-energy-for-south-australias-freak-blackout/news-story/e60198eb2325fca65cf11ee0a8cab80d

³ Sydney Morning Herald – “Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and ministers were told wind not to blame for South Australia blackout”, http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/pm-and-ministers-were-told-wind-not-to-blame-for-sa-blackout-20170212-guaxf0.html

/ Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ministers were told wind not to blame renewables for South Australia blackout Turnbull government statements blaming last year's South Australian blackout high renewable energy target ignored confidential public service advice was not the cause emails obtained under freedom-of-information rules febrile debate renewable energy versus coal-fired generation raging in Canberra revelation undermine Coalition's energy messaging shatter confidence call for investment sober debate bipartisan policy solutions government denies it ignored the early advice it was the storm which brought down lines ministers canvassed publicly central state's high renewable energy reliance contributed subsequent assessment refer to the state's energy mix complicating factor security of supply advice to the government dated 29 September 2016 day after the whole of SA went black devastating storm suggested problem state's high reliance on wind generation key parts electricity distribution network wrecked during a severe weather event email trail senior official from Malcolm Turnbull department seeking explanation blackout 8.31 evening of the storm next morning outlines subsequent discussions 5am phone hook-up departmental political staff email sent Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's own officials assessment of the blackout including advice Australian Energy Market Operator unprecedented damage network bigger than any other event in Australia 20+ steel transmission towers down State wind damage Adelaide Port Augusta electricity network unable to cope sudden large loss generation capacity AEMO's advice generation mix renewable or fossil fuel was not to blame yesterday's events loss 1000 MW power such a short space of time transmission lines fell over within hours of the calamity Turnbull government capitalising on the blackout suggesting state's unsustainably high quotient wind generation failed to keep working in the conditions Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce chorus from Canberra state Labor government's unrealistic energy policies other senior ministers including Energy and Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg major storm major blackout across a whole state South Australia renewable energy target storm capacity to handle it intermittent renewables pose real challenges state Labor governments priorities renewable targets extremely aggressive extremely unrealistic energy security blackout South Australia extreme heat event energy blame game intensified evidence again suggests adequate supply gas turbine generation sitting idle wind contribution fell Labor's spokesman climate change energy Mark Butler hysterical Mr Turnbull playing politics very deep crisis enveloping our energy system /

Tesla's Model S keeps getting quicker – another record

Production Tesla Model S P100DL sets Motor Trend all-time world record to 60 mph in 2.27 sec https://t.co/sxALQrM5Ls

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 7, 2017

Difference of opinion as to whether its 2.27 or 2.28 seconds. Motor Trend actually recorded 2.275507139 seconds. Apparently, Elon Musk truncated to yield 2.27 seconds, while Motor Trend took the next decimal place into account & rounded up to 2.28 seconds.

Motor Trend – “2017 Tesla Model S P100D First Test: A New Record – 0-60 mph In 2.28 Seconds”
http://www.motortrend.com/cars/tesla/model-s/2017/2017-tesla-model-s-p100d-first-test-review/ / Production Tesla Model S P100DL sets Motor Trend all-time world record to 60 mph in 2.27 sec Tesla Inc sedan Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk Tesla Model S luxury sedan electric vehicle EV battery electric vehicle BEV lithium ion battery LiIon /

Tesla to begin pre-production of Model 3 this month

Tesla Model 3
Credit: Newsline/Tesla

Tesla is preparing for production of Model 3 (note that it's no longer spelled Model ≡ (check https://www.tesla.com/model3))

● production of current offerings (Model S & X) will shut down for a week, to prepare for production of the Model 3

● building of pre-production Model 3 units will begin on 20 February

Production is scheduled to begin in July of this year. When this was announced last year, anyone familiar with Tesla's performance against target dates was skeptical. However, pre-production beginning on 20 February is consistent with Model 3 production beginning on schedule.

Charged EVs – “Tesla pauses production to tool up for Model 3”
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/tesla-pauses-production-to-tool-up-for-model-3/

Reuters – “Tesla pausing factory for Model 3 preparation this month”
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-model-idUSKBN15N2W7 / Tesla Inc shut down production California assembly plant week prepare for production high-volume Model 3 sedan mass market company meeting target start production July Tesla brief, planned pause company add capacity existing paint shop prepare for Model 3 other general maintenance Tesla begin Model 3 production later this year planned start the ramp towards 500,000 vehicles annually 2018 Tesla spokesman pause material impact first-quarter production delivery figures added production days to compensate luxury electric carmaker planned begin test-building Model 3 20 February February 20 Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk more than 370,000 customers deposits down Model 3 start building cars July 2017 analysts and suppliers timeline too ambitious difficult to achieve Tesla's history missing production targets Tesla starting pilot production factory Fremont California shareholders two days later reports fourth-quarter results Model 3 rollout stoke the fan base highly anticipated vehicles Tesla small number test assembly system quality of vehicle parts stoke the fan base Wall Street pre-production models earnings announcement Tesla's plans Tesla spokesman production schedule Elon Musk investors July 2017 startup target suppliers deadlines Tesla Model 3 government incentives sedan Tesla niche luxury player automotive sector Tesla $41.4 billion market capitalization equals Nissan Motor Co Ltd Elon Musk bold approach cars space exploration clean energy investor enthusiasm Tesla skeptics Elon Musk promise producing 500,000 cars per year by 2018 Tesla 373,000 refundable $1,000 deposits for Model 3 production total sales fully electric vehicles /

Keeping the lights on in a rapidly changing world

Credit: How Stuff Works

On the afternoon of Wednesday 28 September 2016, a once-in-50-year storm, with winds up to 130kph & more than 80,000 lightning strikes, occurred in South Australia. Direct damage included destruction of more than 20 electricity transmission towers. In addition, 3 items of critical distribution infrastructure were destroyed. Other items of infrastructure responded to protect themselves, as planned, by shutting down.

Result for South Australia residents, was a state-wide failure of electricity supply.

Coincidentally, at over 40%, SA is leading the nation in adoption of renewable energy.

Just to be clear – the loss of power in SA was totally unrelated to the source or capacity of generation. Failure occurred because of the loss of critical distribution infrastructure.

Unfortunately, some, mainly on the conservative side of Australian politics, saw this as an opportunity to attack renewable energy.

01 October 2016 – “Once-in-50-year storm blacks out South Australia – naysayers rush to attack renewables”
https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2016/10/once-in-50-year-storm-blacks-out-south.html

In fact, in a large grid, accurate weather forecasting makes it possible to accurately predict & schedule renewables a day ahead.

27 November 2016 – “Renewable energy & the national grid”
https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2016/11/renewable-energy-national-grid.html

On 08 February 2017, a heat wave in South Australia led to a spike in demand, which forced, “load shedding”. At the time, gas power plant at Pelican Point, new Adelaide, was sitting idle due to a lack of foresight &/or planning by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), the relevant authority.

Once again, those on the conservative side of politics rushed to judgement, attributing the power outages to renewables. Witness this remarkable piece of double speak from Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg:

“Well we're not politicising the fact that there is an insecure energy system in South Australia & that high renewable energy targets, be it in that state or in other states, put in place by Labor governments is going to bring great instability.”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation – “SA heatwave forces blackouts to cope with electricity demand, angering Government”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-08/sa-heatwave-forces-rolling-blackouts-angering-government/8252512

Then, a predicted heatwave in the coal dependent state of New South Wales on Friday 10 February promised to force load shedding.

Ausgrid – “NSW HEATWAVE”
https://www.ausgrid.com.au/Common/Customer-Services/Electricity-supply/Blackouts-and-power-restoration/load-shedding.aspx

9 February 2017 – Renew Economy – “Coal-reliant NSW faces rolling blackouts as accusations fly in South Australia”
http://reneweconomy.com.au/coal-reliant-nsw-faces-rolling-blackouts-as-accusations-fly-in-south-australia-40115/

In the event, no load shedding was required during peak load. This was due, in no small part, to load being shed before the event – some industrial users including Tomago Aluminium (which consumes 10% of the power generated in New South Wales) , & Visy paper mill had taken some of their operations offline to help conserve energy.

news.com.au – Residents told to switch off appliances during crucial hours of peak demand
http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/residents-told-to-switch-off-appliances-during-crucial-hours-of-peak-demand/news-story/bb2894aec265b29f3c6280e308313c2b

Australian Broadcasting Corporation – “NSW power: Blackouts across the state averted, energy operator says”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-10/nsw-power:-blackouts-across-the-state-averted/8260830 / renewable energy sustainable energy electric power solar photovoltaic photo voltaic coal fired power station wind power wind turbine gas fired power station accurate weather forecasting grid /

Keeping your phone safe in an uncaring world

Credit: N-Tech

The Gadgeteer – “What is the worst thing to happen to your mobile phone?”
http://the-gadgeteer.com/2016/03/17/what-is-the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-your-mobile-phone/

Take home message from the article above, is that the major dangers to your phone are being dropped onto a hard surface, or submerged under water.

Part of the problem arises from the materials used in making phones. If I'm carrying hundreds of dollars worth of hardware, that I depend on for a large & growing list of functions, I'd prefer something with the resilience of a basketball. That's not going to happen, but a minimum of glass, & replacing metal with shock-absorbing plastic would be a good start.

On the other hand, for most people, functionality dictates a minimum of a 3.5 inch diagonal screen, & probably the most popular size is around 5 inches – either way, that's quite a lot of glass.

Manufacturers & reviewers seem to have agreed that a, “premium”, phone should contain as much glass & metal as possible – in some cases, including metal covered with glass at the back.

Look at the image above – there's a good chance that a case would have prevented the carnage. Problem with cases is that for many people, after choosing a phone with skinny-jeans-compatibility, making the phone bigger by adding a case doesn’t appeal. If this sounds like you, take another look at the image above …

If you are still committed to the skinniest phone, you may be interested in the Naked Case – essentially the plastic used in plastic screen protectors extended to cover the entire phone. Such a case won't absorb an impact, but will reduce the chance of screen breakage & provide protection against scratches.

The Gadgeteer – “Naked Case for the iPhone 7/7+ review”
http://the-gadgeteer.com/2016/10/24/naked-case-for-the-iphone-77-review/

Naked Cases web site
https://nakedcases.com/

Another type of minimal, “case”, protects just the corners. Check this:



Bumprz don't appear to have made it to production, but Rmour seems to apply the same principles. Crowd funding has closed, but your can pre-order.

Kickstarter – “Rmour: Silver case for Your iPhone 7 & 7 Plus”
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/48548502/rmour-silver-case-for-your-iphone-7-and-7-plus/description

Rmour manufacturer's web site
http://www.rmour-creatio.com/

Rmour is only available for the iPhone 7 & 7 Plus, but it does illustrate two important principles in protecting any phone in a fall:
● protect the corners

● prevent the screen from touching the ground – in addition to covering the corner, each Rmour covers a small part of the front & back of the phone – if it falls face down, the phone is supported at the corners, & the screen doesn't actually impact the ground

If you are looking for a minimal phone case, look for something with:
● good corner protection

● a ridge in front of the screen that will touch down before the screen – this will protect the screen in a fall & any time you put it face down – check the image below

Credit: Otterbox

If your are serious about protection, a good place to start is to buy a phone from Apple or Samsung, as they are generally best supported by case manufacturers. It's early days, but support for Google's Pixel is looking good too.

Some rules of thumb
● more popular phones are better supported by case manufacturers (surprise!)
● more expensive phones are better supported by case manufacturers

● older phones are poorly supported – manufacturers generally do one, or a small number of production runs, & then sell from stock

● its worth checking cases before you buy the phone

In my experience, the most protective cases come from LifeProof & OtterBox. (LifeProof was acquired by Otterbox in 2013,¹ but, at least at the design level, they operate as separate entities, with no overlap in their catalogues.) Check their sites for cases offering a range of protection, bulk & price. If you want waterproof, LifeProof is your best bet. This is becoming less important, though, as there is a growing trend for phone manufacturers to make the phones themselves waterproof.

Otterbox
https://www.otterbox.com/

LifeProof
https://www.lifeproof.com/

Best way to protect your phone from a fall is to not drop it in the first place. A case can help here too – grippy is better.

Why it's importance to place your phone face down
Look at the image at the top of this post again – notice that the cracks all radiate from a central point – the point of impact – either from the phone falling on something – or something falling on the phone. You can protect your screen from something falling on it by placing it face down – but check the surface. Paper, desk top, carpet, bed, all OK, but something more abrasive, no. Once again, a case with a ridge in front of the screen that will touch down before the screen, helps.

Lifehacker – “Five Foolproof Ways To Protect Your Phone's Screen”
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/02/five-foolproof-ways-to-avoid-a-cracked-phone-screen/
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¹ Wikipedia: “LifeProof”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LifeProof / Naked Case iPhone 7 iPhone 7+ Rmour silver case what is the worst thing to happen to your mobile phone major dangers to your phone dropped onto a hard surface submerged under water underwater mobile phone cell phone hardware large growing list of functions glass metal shock-absorbing plastic functionality 3.5 inch diagonal screen most popular size 5 inch diagonal screen premium phone glass aluminium metal glass phone skinny-jeans-compatibility case skinniest phone Naked Case plastic screen protectors absorb an impact reduce the chance screen breakage protection against scratches The Gadgeteer Naked Case iPhone 7 7+ Naked Cases web site minimal case protects corners Bumprz production Rmour crowd funding pre-order Kickstarter Rmour silver case iPhone 7 iPhne 7 Plus Rmour manufacturer's web site Rmour illustrate important principles protecting phone fall protecting the corners prevent screen from touching the ground Rmour covers front and back phone falls face down phone supported corners screen impact ground minimal phone case good corner protection ridge above the screen touch down before the screen protect the screen fall put it face down Otterbox if your are serious about protection buy phone from Apple or Samsung best supported by case manufacturers support Google's Pixel most protective cases LifeProof OtterBox LifeProof Otterbox protection bulk price waterproof LifeProof growing trend phone manufacturer make phones waterproof Otterbox LifeProof place your phone face down cracks radiate from a central point point of impact phone falling on something something falling on the phone protect your device something falling ways to protect your phone's screen /

Sweet Case for iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus

iPhone with Sweet Case – just 4 mm thicker at the back, plus 1 mm for screen protection at the front
Credit: Eli Imani/Sweet Case/Indiegogo

Apple deleted the 3.5 mm earphone socket from the iPhone 7. And iPhones have never had a microSD flash memory expansion.

Sweet Case on an iPhone 7 adds:
● 3.5 mm earphone socket
● microSD slot
● battery – doubles total capacity
● kickstand

Indiegogo project – “Sweet Case: World's Best iPhone 7 & 7 Plus Case”
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sweet-case-world-s-best-iphone-7-7-plus-case/x/9010251#/

Fuze case for the iPhone 7 is similar, but without the memory expansion or kickstand
https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2016/10/add-headphone-socket-to-your-iphone-7.html / Sweet Case world's best iPhone 7 Plus case case extra battery flash memory audio jack kick stand kickstand slim case developed desired iPhone case protects your phone memory capacity HQ audio jack high quality audio jack 3.5 mm audio socket sound extra battery power back stand hands free case 4mm thick Sweet Case iPhone 7 iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 7+ thinnest protects iPhone microSD card Micro SD card slot Sweet Case external SD card slot memory expansion flash memory expansion more storage memory your phone storage more movies songs pictures apps iPhone additional capacity up to 256GB Sweet Case integrated card slot iPhone 256GB internal memory up to 512GB amazing storage managed Sweet Case app complete Sweet Case development production HQ audio jack Sweet Case produce high quality sound 24 bit sampling CD quality HQ audio jack delivers better performance lightning port card readers battery charger smartphones charge charging charged case internal battery power specs iPhone's internal battery Sweet Case pass through technology first charges your phone case transfers data phone computer while charging battery status checked 5 rear LEDs lights button Sweet Case app development slim and elegant design slim design designing developing Sweet Case thickness weight case iPhone 7 iPhone 7 Plus 7.1mm thick thickness Sweet Case slim and elegant design 4mm thick 1mm screen protection at the front /

Tesla Autopilot – still need to keep your hands on the wheel!

Tesla’s Autopilot is not yet truly autonomous (but coming soon). It requires the person in the driver’s seat to keep hands on the wheel. If it detects non-compliance, it beeps warnings. What happens next?



If you look carefully at the 1:57 mark, the message at the bottom of the screen reads, “Autosteer Unavailable for the Rest of This Drive”. / Tesla updated radar camera ultrasonic sensors electric cars CEO Elon Musk new hardware's capabilities would lag behind cars on the street already Musk has projected Hardware 2.0 cars surpass older generation Hardware 1.0 vehicles fully self-driving 3 to 6 months news owners Hardware 2.0 cars rollout Autopilot features over-the-air updates over the air updates bringing those models closer functionality older-hardware cars full self-driving capability features enhanced autopilot features Elon Musk arrival Autopilot newer cars behind schedule series tweets Musk slow rollout Autopilot features camera calibration software update buyers Tesla cars built after October 2016 newly updated hardware start surpassing old hardware soon Musk's plan two-tiered Autopilot system Hardware 1 cars capable of running Autopilot Hardware 2 cars feature Enhanced Autopilot Hardware 2 cars offer a fully self-driving system Autopilot Hardware 2-equipped cars fully self-driving option installed half of their sensors enabled possibility running Autopilot two different sets of cars Musk goal driverless Enhanced Autopilot fully self-driving trip Los Angeles New York small delay Autopilot rollout Autosteer Autosteer /