From 33m agoKey events33m ago‘Maintain the love’: Noel Pearson on voice campaign2h agoAlbanese rules out legislating voice if referendum fails2h agoWelcomeFilters BETAKey events (3)Australia (5)ABC RN (3)Victoria (3)Anthony Albanese (3)3m ago18.20 EDTPeter Hannam
Hot, dry summer to elevate risks for power sector, market operator warns
Every time the Australian Energy Market Operator releases its electricity outlook report, there’s an inclination in the media to lurch for the scariest headlines.
There are risks every day of power outages and at certain times of the year they rise. Depending on your standard of guaranteed service, we could face periods of “unserved energy” this summer, particularly in Victoria and South Australia.
That the risks are elevated this summer should surprise nobody. Three La Niña events in as many years meant the populated eastern seaboard had milder than usual summers, so air-conditioner use was moderated.
This summer, we’ll have El Niño-like conditions (whether one is declared or not) which by itself will ramp up demand. Our coal-fired power stations are also ageing, requiring more maintenance as the years pass.
However, there will also be some 3.4 gigawatts of extra capacity compared with last summer, and almost 1 gigawatts of “demand response” available to power down when things get tight.
Still, the margin for error is getting smaller. That’s why AEMO’s report is as much a call to arms to make sure we get the renewables actually rolling out where and when we need them. More details are in this article:
Updated at 18.22 EDT12m ago18.11 EDT
Lithium battery fire reported in Sydney
Fire and Rescue NSW are reporting a lithium battery fire has broken out in a multi-level building in the Sydney suburb of Silverwater.
It come as firefighters have said they fear being ‘“overwhelmed” by increasing numbers of battery fires, after the death of a Sydney man in a house fire on Saturday night was linked to toxic smoke from burning lithium batteries.
My colleague Royce Kurmelovs reported on Sunday about the growing concern behind the rate of lithium battery fires:
Firefighters fear being ‘overwhelmed’ by rise in battery fires after fatal Sydney blazeRead moreUpdated at 18.20 EDT20m ago18.03 EDT
Gig worker legislation to set minimum standards for protection
The minister for industrial relations, Tony Burke, has just spoken on ABC RN about the bill to be introduced by the Albanese government next week to set minimum pay and protections for gig workers.
Burke said it wouldn’t be possible for the Fair Work Commission to provide gig workers with all the entitlements of an employee while maintaining independent contractor autonomy, but setting minimum standards would stop work conditions from being a “race to the bottom”.
He said gig workers were putting themselves at risk to reach a “minimum wage that is meant to apply to every workplace in Australia”.
Updated at 18.14 EDT33m ago17.50 EDT‘Maintain…
2023-08-30 17:14:49
Article from www.theguardian.com
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