💧 David Mitchell

RMI released this report last week which has attracted a bit of attention on social media. /1 rmi.org/insight/the-cl…

@Jimmy____D @Oscarthefarmer What else happened in 2022? Don’t tell me, let me guess…….that’s right, Russia invaded Ukraine. Correlation is not causation.

@flexibledragnet @Oscarthefarmer Why is it as soon as we installed most of renewables projects in 2020 on wards the prices of electricity more than quadrupled?

Just a small comparison note. If Australia today had the same % rate of electrification of cars and trucking that China does today? We would have 250 million litres less demand of fuel per month. Thats nearly as much as Agriculture uses...

@GregEttridge @Oscarthefarmer That just confirms my long held view about the Victorian police. MCS chargers are expensive. Quarter of a million per unit plus site works. But that will come down over time. I suspect we will see a lot of double gunning on 300-500 kW chargers like we see in China.

@flexibledragnet @Oscarthefarmer Rollout next year will be interesting to see if any of the big players buy one only to test it Guess the first aspect in Australia will be to change seating or legislation, not legal here What is the cost of MCS charger? Victorian Police have been testing one EV for half a decade

@Jimmy____D @Oscarthefarmer 😂😂😂 Don’t make me laugh. Those smelters were all supported by cheap power deals by governments of the day. Coal futures are USD 135/tonne. As for nuclear, please…just stop.

Coal is by far the cheapest electricity source. The reason they are fucked is the cost of renewables added to the grid Australia had many smelters running for years when it was only coal power. But in the last 5 years since renewables the price of electricity has has gone up making them unaffordable. For the 100b we wasted on renewable we could have built a fleet of nuclear power stations and be self sufficient for the next 100 years with the cheapest form of reliable energy.

@gary_methven @Oscarthefarmer @TonyHWindsor I certainly hope so. I think the government should bite the bullet and build a strategic network of MCS chargers in the Melbourne - Brisbane corridor for trucking. (Or wherever the best use case is).

@flexibledragnet @Oscarthefarmer @TonyHWindsor Twiggy Forest is making huge inroads into the solar electrification of his mining operation and saving himself a fortune in this current crisis! More mine operators will be looking at his efforts closely to see how they might do the same I would imagine!

@Jimmy____D @Oscarthefarmer Nice deflection. Most smelters in Australia have had sweetheart deals from governments of the day to preserve jobs. The reason Tomago wants to shut down is coal fired power in the Hunter is too expensive. What’s your suggestion for cheap electricity?

@flexibledragnet @Oscarthefarmer We cant even keep our smelters open due to sky high energy prices. We have 3rd world grid and sky high prices

@wrightg @OzTeslaGuy @TeslaAUNZ I moved on. Full spec Polestar 2. Couldn’t be happier.

@flexibledragnet @OzTeslaGuy @TeslaAUNZ I just bought a Y, after waiting a long time for a CT but being levered by FSD. Releasing the CT now would be a crushing blow…! I don’t need my CT reservations anymore because that availability window just closed…

The Cybertruck web page first appeared on the Australian Tesla site way back in 2019. Since then it has persisted allowing people sign up to “Get Information”. Fast forward to 2025, @TeslaAUNZ started showcasing the Cybertruck. It’s been showing up at events, it’s been seen on the roads, it’s been on display at Tesla locations. I believe it’s currently in Adelaide. I’ve discussed the Cybertruck with friends previously who are a Hilux only family (they own like 5 Hilux’s!). They live and breathe Hilux. They’ve said in the past that they’d seriously consider a Cybertruck if it was available in Aus. Given what’s happening in the world today, they would now be a day 1 purchase. Current events are shifting the mindset of the diesel loving sector. I don’t know what the hold up is, but @cybertruck, @tesla, @elonmusk - if you were waiting for the right time to release the Cybertruck in Aus, this is it! If it became available in Aus today, it would sell like hotcakes!

@ErwinOut @HuslerLaurenz @alex_avoigt No. The ISP, which models a doubling of output by 2050 for the NEM has about the same amount of gas capacity as now. It moves around a bit depending on the assumptions. Even with 2% gas, 98% RE cheaper than NPP LCOE.

@flexibledragnet @HuslerLaurenz @alex_avoigt Thank you, so for 2% gas power plants, maintenance, people, always ready, because they exist, does not mean they are cheap. kWh price? And with more electrification , you need more back-up power, new gas power plants?

For anyone who still hasn't grasped why nuclear power plants are the stupidest idea imaginable: New nuclear power plants cost up to 49 cents per kilowatt-hour in Europe. Solar power costs between 3 and 6 cents. Thats 16 times more expensive electricity For those now dreaming of small power plants (SMR): SMRs produce five to 30 times more nuclear waste than large reactors, and nuclear waste is a massive cost driver. Professor Dr. Lesch calls the idea of ​​using old nuclear waste as fuel "a wonderful fairy tale that has yet to come true anywhere in the world." For all now claiming storage is no cost driver take a look what Germany had to pay and all other countries with nuclear energy generation must pay for decommissioning and storing nuclear facilities and waste in the future:

@HuslerLaurenz @ErwinOut @alex_avoigt Ah. So Microsoft is not building a nuclear power plant. Thanks for confirming.

@flexibledragnet @ErwinOut @alex_avoigt Bill Gates' TerraPower.

@gary_methven @Oscarthefarmer @TonyHWindsor The big savers of diesel are mining and long haul transport. They should be the focus of an immediate start. Because they will take a long time.

@Oscarthefarmer @TonyHWindsor You're on the money Oscar. 1st. Stage Electrification of private vehicles, driven by this crisis 2nd Electrification of local delivery trucks sped up due to crisis. 3rd Electrification of short haulage 300km ~500kms. 4th Electrification of transport up to 800kms over time!

@Jimmy____D @Oscarthefarmer Sure it does. Show your working.

@Oscarthefarmer Australia does not have the grid capacity to support the same rate of electrification of cars as china

@GregEttridge @Oscarthefarmer Windrose E700, but you’d need an MCS charger in the middle somewhere.

@Oscarthefarmer Someone me the vehicles that will replace my sons work semi? Leaves 1am, does 500 kms, arrives 7am hour rest and unloading Second unload 500 kms back to Brisbane base Do not believe there is an electric vehicle that can do this Enlighten me

@comical_engr @CaptainAdvance1 No. As the rest of us call it, climate change.

@CaptainAdvance1 Climate change, or as the rest of us call it, weather!!

Australia we are one of the most resource-rich nations on Earth yet one of the most vulnerable. We are the world’s largest exporter of coal, yet we are shutting down coal-fired power stations that once provided reliable, affordable baseload energy. We are a top-3 exporter of natural gas, yet we struggle with domestic supply, can’t refine enough of our own fuel, and government revenue from local beer tax rivals that of gas exports. We are #1 in iron ore exports, yet we largely ship it offshore, only to buy back finished metals at a premium. We are a leading uranium exporter, yet we don’t use nuclear power to support our own energy security. We are among the top producers of rare earth minerals, yet we lack the manufacturing capability to turn them into high-value products. The pattern is clear that we export raw materials and import value. Over time, we’ve lost key industries such as automotive, white goods, textiles, oil refining, shipbuilding, electronics. At the same time, rising energy costs, complex taxes, and policy uncertainty have made it harder to invest and build locally. Once, Australia had one of the highest living standards in the world. Today, we still enjoy a great quality of life — but the gap between what we could be and what we’ve become is hard to ignore. We produce enough food to feed over 70 millions people globally, yet many of our farmers are under financial pressure and the sector remains under invested in. We generate enormous resource wealth, yet our supply chains remain vulnerable and dependent on others. This is no longer about nostalgia, it’s about direction. If we want long-term prosperity, resilience, and sovereignty, we need to rebuild our ability to make, refine, and add value here at home. That means thinking differently about energy, industry, and investment. Australia currently sits at or near the highest interest rates in the developed world, despite having a smaller, less diversified economy and heavy reliance on housing and consumption compared to peers like the US or Europe. Economically, this creates a mismatch, higher rates disproportionately hit households, small businesses, and investment, while doing little to address structural drivers of inflation such as energy costs, supply constraints, and government spending. Poor policy is suppressing domestic demand and productive capacity in an economy that already struggles to build, manufacture, and scale making it harder, not easier, to strengthen long-term growth and resilience. Australia has all the ingredients. The question is whether we have the vision, the political leadership and the business savvy to use them.

@HarryFromSyd @HinrichsZane Correct. But it demonstrated the multiple functions a big battery could have. The project was built in 6 months, so it demonstrated you could start earning in a year. Then they upgraded it to grid forming. It was a fantastic reference project b

@flexibledragnet @HinrichsZane That battery was used for grid balancing. It would not have the capacity to have saved you from the previous outage.

Why does it seem the Aussie’s are kicking our butts when it comes to megapack installations?

@exp_policy @TMFScottP Yes it is. But if you want to replenish fuel reserves, the logical place to start is to remove the excise rebate for mining.

@flexibledragnet @TMFScottP But it's equitable for all road users. A road user charge based on weight of car and distance travelled will raise more tax (EVs not paying fuel excise) that could then be used to replenish fuel reserves - thay are required for transport / agri / etc.

On the politics of Taylor's call for an excise cut: Morrison's was justified. This is not. My view isn't party-political. But also: If you criticised the energy rebate, you can't support Taylor, here. And if you supported the energy rebate, you can't criticise Taylor.

@exp_policy @TMFScottP Agriculture already receives the full excise rebate. As for transport companies. They should be investing in electric vehicles, maybe this will give them the impetus to get a move on. (Pardon the pun).

@TMFScottP @flexibledragnet Maybe the compromise is a full fuel excise cut for transport companies and agriculture. Otherwise our economy is going to stagnate even further. And, fuel excise cut will have flow on effects for reducing cost of goods.

@exp_policy @TMFScottP Road user charge (inevitable) won’t help poor people unless it raises less overall revenue than excise (unlikely). Enjoy your day. 🙏

@flexibledragnet @TMFScottP I consider the role of government to have holistic responses to emerging issues. The excise is under their control, and can be cut to ease the (ongoing) pain on the economy. Best case, they rush through a road user charge per km and get rid of fuel excise completely.

@exp_policy @TMFScottP Where do you get that data from? If I look at the marine tracker then are multiple tanker en-route to Australia (although no information about what’s in them, if anything). If we are now in a supply crunch, no use cutting excise, we want to reduce demand.

@flexibledragnet @TMFScottP That would have worked a week ago. Price is now supply based, with only 1 oil tanker arriving in the immediate future. Okay, to make it equitable, a road user charge per km should instantly replace fuel excise. But thats long-term, short-term we need this to continue the economy

Electrify the economy mate, instead of calling in renewable projects. But sure. Build a national dashboard. 🤦‍♂️