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THE POWER ISSUE
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
WLINES TO SOURCES , HYDRO TO WIND – WE TACKLE POWER
FROM A RANGE OF ANGLES !
elcome to the first issue of another new year – one that we hope will be ever so less eventful than the previous . This edition of Electrical Gems is all about power , in its many guises and from its many different angles . Given we did a whole issue on solar power early last year ( check out issue 156 , ‘ The Rise of
Solar ’, on our website if you missed that one – it was a cracker , even if we do say so ourselves ), we ’ ve put the sun to one side on this occasion . But that doesn ’ t mean we ’ ve given natural power a swerve – this issue we ’ ve gone headfirst into wind power .
In the past couple of years , wind has overtaken hydro as Australia ’ s leading source of clean energy , supplying 35 per cent of our clean power and 10 per cent of our overall electricity .
So the sector ’ s picking up speed – you could say it has a bit of a tailwind – and it could be a good one to check out if you ’ re looking to add an extra string to your bow , if not make a full-time career move .
Whether it ’ s on the construction side or the ops and maintenance ,
there ’ s a number of opportunities available , so we ’ ve delved into the possibilities that are out there .
Of course , if wind provides 10 per cent of our overall power supply , there ’ s an awful lot that comes from other sources . What exactly are they , how ’ s that changed over the years and , more importantly , how ’ s it forecast to change over the coming years ?
There ’ s another side to all of this too , and that lies in the export of our power overseas . So just how big is that market and how important is it to our economy ?
Travel to many places in Australia and you ’ re almost guaranteed to see one thing . No , not a pub – although that is probably high up on the list too , in all fairness . No , we ’ re talking powerlines .
Whether you ’ re in the city or out in suburbia , in regional towns or coastal resorts , look up and there they are .
It ’ s almost as if we ’ ve become blinded by them , but like that new car you ’ re thinking of buying , once you think about it you see them everywhere . But why are they there ? They ’ re pretty unsightly , and there ’ s another very good option : burying them underground .
Having them six feet under has a few benefits , including keeping the lines out of harm ’ s way from storms and accidents . So why are they still – more often than not – high in the sky and out in the open ?
Sources of power have long been an issue that ’ s intrigued the great minds of our time . And , while hydro ’ s now a relatively common way of producing power , that wasn ’ t always the case .
In the northeast of England more than 150 years ago , there was a pretty smart chap who – it turns out – was well ahead of his time . He set up a hydro system to power his whole house . Now , for chap ( read : Lord ) and for house ( read : mansion ), it was a huge deal , and it still is today . We take a step back in time to discover the story behind Cragside , which is certainly worth visiting when we ’ re allowed to travel again .
To round off this issue , we get right to the heart of the southern hemisphere power struggle that ’ s kept arguments going for generations : Australia versus New Zealand . So we attempt to tackle that eternal debate and give a verdict once and for all . From drinks to music , animals to sport , we stand in judgement to give you the definitive answer . Well , something like that , anyway .
All that ’ s left for us to say is enjoy the issue , and we hope that this year is one when we all truly seize back the power ! n
FEB – MAR 2021 GEMCELL . COM . AU 7