Have you ever wondered how green wind energy really is, especially when you see those vast piles of wind turbine blades dumped in landfills? Social media posts with photos of wind turbine blades in landfill have raised this question, casting doubts on the sustainability of wind power. Is it actually horrible for the environment? The video below examines why recycling wind turbine blades is such a challenge, focusing on the materials and manufacturing methods involved. Then, then it scrutinizes the current recycling methods and discusses what needs to change for blades to be effectively recycled.

Australia’s Current Energy Policy a 'Dangerous Experiment' – Risks Trillions in Costs and Irreparable Damage MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 30 April 2025 Australia’s energy future is in jeopardy, according to a major open letter signed today by over 50 of the nation’s leading scientists, engineers, economists, conservationists, business leaders, union leaders, and energy experts. The signatories warn that Australia’s current energy policies are ideologically driven and risk becoming a multi-trillion-dollar, irreversible economic and environmental disaster. Key Points from the Open Letter: • Australia’s energy transition is proceeding without sufficient scientific rigour, transparency, or cost accountability.

The wind turbine projects being built on the tops of the Great Dividing Range have very little sediment control. Some of the roads are very steep. I wonder how much sediment is washing into the little streams that host endangered species like the Magnificent Broodfrog. How far does the fine sediment flow? Many of these projects lie in the Great Barrier Reef catchment. Farmers must meet tougher and tougher standards regarding their properties. For years I worked on huge infrastructure projects in Asia. Sediment control was carefully planned and monitored.

What are the effects of infrasound on our wild birds? We have no idea. It has been known for many years that other forms of noise can impact the fitness and survival of birds. Eggs and nesting baby birds exposed to moderate levels of anthropogenic traffic noise experience large, direct, and additive adverse effects on long-term development and fitness, according to a new study. The findings underscore the disruptive properties of noise on physiology, development, and reproduction, leading to lifelong fitness reduction. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) …

Images by Stephen Nowakowski Infrasound Can Harm Humans and Wildlife Infrasound is sound with a frequency below 20 Hz. It is normally not perceptible to the ear, but it can affect animals and humans (negatively) if the levels are sufficiently high. What makes infrasound special is that it travels very far, as it is barely attenuated by the atmosphere, ground, or walls. It can pass straight through walls without significant attenuation. Sounds with higher frequencies are attenuated by the atmosphere and bounce off walls. Even though we may not hear it, physiological responses have been measurabled.

Should we trust recent claims that low-dose radiation causes cancers? What is the truth? Do we really know?

Can you help or know anybody who can help me? Please save me and all the other koalas. Here are some actions that you may be able to do. The following is a copy of a letter from Steven Nowakowski Dear all, This is a call to action to STOP THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CONNORS RANGE. It’s disheartening to see conservation groups straying from their founding mission and neglecting the critical conservation values of our environment. Many seem unable to recognise the importance of maintaining our natural ecosystems and the vital role they play in climate action.

Australian Associated Press Fri 11 Apr 2025 19.53 AEST ‘Science nerd’ who ordered radioactive materials to his parents’ Sydney home spared conviction. A “science nerd” who ordered uranium and plutonium to his parents’ apartment has escaped conviction and been given a two-year good behaviour bond. Emmanuel Lidden, 24, admitted breaching nuclear non-proliferation laws by ordering various radioactive samples through the internet. The package’s delivery sparked a major hazmat incident as Australian Border Force officials, firefighters, police and paramedics all combed the scene in August 2023. But almost two years on, a judge on Friday spared Lidden a conviction and allowed him to walk from Sydney’s Downing Centre district court on a two-year good behaviour bond.

How can nuclear facilities be closed down in an environmentally friendly way once they have reached the end of their operating life? This video shows what it takes to decommission and restore a nuclear site. As Kris Kolasinski and Martin Klingenboeck wrote in the IAEA news: Planning and innovation play crucial roles when it comes to the end of a nuclear reactor's life. Decommissioning activities, set to increase in the coming years as ageing nuclear power plants are retired, include decontamination and dismantling of structures, leading to the removal of regulatory controls so that a facility and site may be reused.

Cyclone Alfred was a 1 in 50y event that brought low grade cyclonic winds to southeast Queensland and northern NSW over a period of a week between March 4-11. However, it was the rain and associated flooding after the cyclone crossed the coast that caused the most widespread damage. The multi-day duration of cloud cover that the system brought is the basis of this blog. Rooftop solar refers to solar panel on roofs, and this is dominated by residential (domestic) installations. Currently more than 1-in-3 Queensland homes have rooftop solar…

This is a copy of a Substack article by Robert Hargraves on April 6. The full essay will be posted in several parts. Abstract The root cause of nuclear power cost and opposition is excessive fear of radiation. This essay explores true observed radiation, effects, harm, and benefits, summarized here, proven later. Doesn’t radiation from nuclear power plants causes cancer? No, its radiation damage rates are slower than biological repair rates. Isn’t the nuclear waste harmful to future generations? No, we can store used fuel in ground-level casks as penetrating radiation decays away.

Climate Council please care! This infographic was produced by the Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub. The ESCC Hub was funded by the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program and still feeds data into the Global Carbon Project. It was our wonderful natural land that acted as a giant carbon sink squirrelling away almost all the carbon dioxide we produced on our land. Bushfires caused half of that carbon dioxide we produced. It did not include our fossil fuel exports or our imports of so many goods such as solar panels that are made using fossil fuels.

Many press stories were published onFri 21 Mar 2025 including this extract from Australian Associated Press. “Homegrown scientist faces 10 years' mail for importing plutonium. His package delivery locked down his street as special agents in hazmat suits swooped. Now he will be the first person ever to be sentenced under a decades-old law. Sydney ‘science nerd’ may face jail for importing plutonium in bid to collect all elements of periodic table Emmanuel Lidden, 24, to learn fate after breaching nuclear non-proliferation laws by shipping samples of radioactive material to parents’ suburban home.

I began my last blog by noting that sufficient storage, especially medium to long term storage will be critical to ensuring reliability for a renewable dominated grid. Here I will be discussing battery storage from home to utility scale, and the critical role that pumped hydro must play for long duration storage. Batteries The big benefit of batteries is their flexibility. Energy stored in batteries can be discharged quickly when needed. However, individual battery systems of the Lithium-ion (Li-ion) type can only currently provide about 2-4h of backup supply at full discharge rate.

In my last instalment I explained that Australia is going to need at least seven time more energy storage if we are going to have a chance of achieving a reliable and stable 80% renewables target by 2030. I will be upfront here and state that I don’t believe that that this notional target can possibly be met – with medium to long term storage being the big elephant in the room. The reason for this is that pumped hydro is the most critical component needed for large-scale long-term storage. The environmental approvals alone can take years before construction can even start so it is naïve to think that the quantum of required storage can be brought on line before the early 2030s.

It's nuclear or nothing if we wish to be a reasonably self-sufficient country. With no merchant navy at all, we are very vulnerable from a security viewpoint if we rely on the import of all our fertilizers, most building materials and chemicals.  The following article was written on Thursday 13 March 2025 written by Leith van Onselen for MacroBusiness daily email. "Australia’s last major plastics manufacturer, Qenos, closed last year due to high energy costs. Now, Australia is wholly reliant on imported plastics from China. In February, Australia’s only architectural glass manufacturer, Oceania Glass, collapsed after 169 years of operation, amid soaring gas costs.

All our mammals are precious. Read about Cecil's adventures. Learn about barotrauma, bats and wind turbines.

Germany has more radon baths than any other country. Yet they fear nuclear power plants. They closed them down and opened up coal mines knocking down ancient forests in the process. Medical benefit payments are paid out to people who attend the radon spas for relief of muscular-skeletal ailments. The medical fraternity warns of the dangers of radon yet people in pain still seek relief. People have been using radon baths for thousands of years.  Low dose radiation seems to lessen the pain and immobility of osteoarthritis. But not every patient benefits.

Japanese Tsunami March 2011 A magnitude 9.0 earthquake, centred to the east of Sendai caused a wave 10m high travelling at 800 kph . The highest wave hitting the coast of Japan was 23m. It travelled inland for 10 km in some places. The Hawaiian Islands had waves over 3 metres high. As many as 19,500 lives were lost from both the earthquake and tsunami. Misinformation The following figure, with the added title "FUKISHIMA RADIATION HAS CONTAMINATED THE ENTIRE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ITS ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE!" was repeated over and over again on the web by various "green" groups.

The cost is more than money. We blithely talk about protecting biodiversity in Australia. Are we doing so? What is the true impact on Climate Change when we buy renewables made overseas using coal fired power? Greenhouse emission data commonly quoted do not apply as they were calculated using nuclear and renewable energy for their production in Europe. The video link below provides a few answers to my questions about the impact on biodiversity. ()

This is the fourth in a basic series about electricity written by Dr David Jones.