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Yes that is true. The comment I was addressing was this: So lets see what is going on with mining vehicles and machinery. For many mines, getting renewable electricity for crushers, conveyors, processing plants, camps and offices is relatively straightforward. The really difficult challenge is replacing the huge diesel haul trucks, loaders, trains and other heavy equipment. Where the industry is today Processing plants Many Australian mines are already running a large portion of their fixed equipment on renewable electricity because the power comes from the site's solar, wind and battery systems. This includes: Crushers Conveyors Mills Pumps Processing plants Workshops and accommodation facilities These are the easiest loads to electrify. Haul trucks The giant haul trucks are the biggest diesel users. A single large haul truck can burn millions of litres of diesel per year. The major miners are now trialling battery-electric trucks: BHP and Rio Tinto are jointly trialling 240–250 tonne battery-electric Caterpillar haul trucks at Jimblebar in the Pilbara. Fortescue has developed its own high-power charging systems and expects its first operational 240-tonne battery-electric haul truck to enter service in 2026. Fortescue is probably the most aggressive 5 Fortescue's strategy is not just to build renewable power stations but to electrify the fleet as well. The company is: Building more than 1.4 GW of solar generation in the Pilbara. Installing large battery systems. Deploying battery-electric haul trucks. Operating electric excavators. Testing electric dozers, graders and loaders. Their goal is to eliminate fossil fuels from their terrestrial iron ore operations by 2030. Mining railways are also beginning to electrify. BHP has taken delivery of Australia's first purpose-built battery-electric heavy-haul locomotives for testing on its Pilbara rail network. These locomotives use large battery packs and regenerative braking. How much diesel is still being used? For most Australian mines today: Equipment Renewable/Electric Status Processing plants Often 50–100% renewable electricity Site buildings Often 50–100% renewable electricity Conveyors and crushers Often renewable-powered Light vehicles Increasingly electric Excavators Early electric deployment Haul trucks Mostly diesel, some electric trials Trains Early battery-electric trials Drill rigs Limited electric deployment So when you hear that a mine is "80% renewable", that usually means 80% of its electricity, not necessarily 80% of all its energy use. Diesel trucks can still account for a very large share of total energy consumption. This is one reason critics sometimes argue that mining companies overstate their progress, while the companies respond that the technology for replacing 250-tonne haul trucks is only now becoming commercially viable. The next five years will probably determine whether battery-electric mining fleets become mainstream in Australia.

Don’t confuse site power with total power which includes loaders, trucks etc.

Australia has quite a few mines that either run partly on renewable energy or are among the world's leaders in renewable-powered mining. Very few large mines operate on 100% renewables all the time, but several are regularly achieving 50–90% renewable penetration and occasionally reaching 100% for extended periods. Major Australian mines using renewable energy Mine Commodity Location Renewable Energy System Renewable Share Agnew Gold Mine Gold WA Wind, solar, battery, gas microgrid Typically 50–60%, up to 85–95% at times (Australian Renewable Energy Agency) Bellevue Gold Mine Gold WA Solar, wind and battery hybrid system Designed for ~80–90%; achieved 155 consecutive hours on 100% renewables (Reddit) Kathleen Valley Mine Lithium WA Solar, wind, battery, gas hybrid Around 60–80% renewable energy (The Australian) Mt Weld Mine Rare earths WA Renewable hybrid power system Reportedly exceeded 95% renewable share during one quarter (Reddit) St Ives Gold Mine Gold WA Large solar and wind project under development Expected to provide over 70% of site power (Reddit) DeGrussa Mine Copper/Gold WA Solar farm with battery storage One of Australia's pioneering renewable-powered mines (Australian Renewable Energy Agency) Weipa Mine Bauxite QLD Large solar installation Partial renewable supply (Australian Renewable Energy Agency) Tropicana Gold Mine Gold WA 24 MW solar, 24 MW wind, battery system Significant renewable contribution to mine power (Solar Now) The leaders Agnew Gold Mine Often regarded as the pioneer. It was the first Australian mine to use large-scale wind generation as part of a mine microgrid. The site combines: 18 MW wind farm 4 MW solar farm Battery storage Gas backup It typically obtains 50–60% of its energy from renewables and can reach much higher levels under favourable conditions. (Australian Renewable Energy Agency) Bellevue Gold Mine Currently one of the most ambitious renewable mining projects in Australia. The mine recently reported operating for 155 consecutive hours (over six days) entirely on renewable energy with diesel and gas generators switched off. (Reddit) Kathleen Valley Lithium Mine A good example of a new-generation mine being designed around renewables from the outset rather than adding them later. It uses a large solar-wind-battery system and has reportedly achieved renewable shares above 80% in some periods. (The Australian) An interesting pattern Most of Australia's renewable-powered mines are in remote Western Australia. That's because: Diesel fuel is expensive to transport. Many mines are off-grid. WA has excellent solar resources. Wind and solar can often generate electricity more cheaply than diesel generation. As a result, renewable energy is often adopted primarily for cost savings and reliability rather than environmental reasons alone. The economics can be very attractive for remote mining operations. (Australian Renewable Energy Agency) If you're interested, I can also list the major iron ore mines (BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue) and explain how far they have progressed toward running on renewable energy, because the Pilbara iron ore sector is currently undergoing a huge transition.

I can recall one wartime aviation hero, he survived the very worst of battle, and came home unscathed. Before he even went to War, his Anson and another, collided in mid-air, locked together, and he brought both crippled aircraft down to a safe landing, earning many kudos for his skill. Then, after returning from War with a DFM, he was sent to a training unit at Sale. But he collided with a bus on his pushbike in March 1944, and was killed. His name was F/O Leonard Graham Fuller.

A lot of mining is already disconnected from the grid. I'm surprised there is not more solar and wind tied directly to them as it would cut down the price of diesel as well as freight. The wtg company I worked for was in talks with a couple, but nothing came of it.

This is a bit of trivia that you might find interesting.

I asked my local Toyota dealer if he thought he would be selling EV work vehicles to local agriculturalists. I put up the range limit point. He said that a lot of them were installing solar systems and those systems would enable recharging of EVs. Then I considered how the locals used their work vehicles and came to the conclusion that those vehicle were not driven on long trips. Most trips into the local town wouldn't be more than 50 kms and back. From my place to Dubbo and back is only 150 kms, plus about 10 for running around in Dubbo. That sort of distance is only about half the range of a full charge. We all know that cockies have sedans and SUVs for the longer trips. They are likely to be hybrids.

I spotted this Ural M-63 frame on marketplace, same year model as the one I picked up recently. You don't often see photos of bare frames for comparison; sometimes youtube restoration videos can show some detail. The only thing I learnt from this photo is what the tank rear mounting bracket looks like, as mine has been removed. Only of any use if a stock tank was going to be refitted, which is highly unlikely. Good luck to him trying to get $1,000 for it.

Yes, it's best to keep out of them.

You tend to get killed in war zones. You can easily get killed riding a Pushbike in traffic. Young people tend to take more risks. . Only young pilots were good in fighters. Nev

Societal disruption and Breakdown of the rule of Law will be the biggest Problem. WE are very interdependent, whether we like it or not. Nev

There's LESS heat going to the roof's surface, once the Solar Panels are Installed. Cooking in daylight hours would cost BA. Some Bunning's Roofs have been done. too, Nev

If you were on gas the situation will be worse. The connection fee for Power is at present about 150%of the price of hiring a set of Oxy-acetylene bottles. Eventually the system will be able to process the feed in Tariffs better and the Payment will be a bit more realistic.. More storage anywhere will bring that change. Nev

A lot of industries are already exploring renewables and some are already off grid such as parts of the mining industry. As solar and batteries get cheaper, it will be irrational for households to connect to the grid merely to support the grid for the benefit of industry.

Pity industry will have trouble disconnevtibg to the grid. The more people that disconnect the harder it will be to compete. China are laughing there heads off i reckon

Unfortunately that is true. But the ball is rolling, and so far this year, about 400,000 home batteries have been installed this year. The whole system is changing. This transition is going to require some socialist support for those who are disadvantaged by the changes.

But there are still a lot of goslings who must remain connected to grid.

Yeah. I could not find anything online about damage to the roof. Mosty articles comment on the positioning of teh solar panels which crate those pyrimidal shapes designed to look like "fish scales". I suppose the curvature of the edge of the roof is to create the illusion of a piece of filleted fish.

I hope someone points out that this will result in the public buying more solar panels? I'll make sure my surplus solar power covers the connection fee.... until I am confident I can disconnect. Then those companies will find they killed the goose.

Not unexpected.

I think this is a humorous reference to the shape of the roof.

Looks like the power companies are changing their billing - increasing the fixed daily charges while dropping (in some cases) the kWh rate. Wonder if this is driven by the uptake of home batteries - they're losing money from the supply of power so they're charging more to stay connected to the grid? Australia politics live: energy minister asks regulator to investigate big jump in power companies’ supply fees https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/jun/24/australia-politics-live-war-memorial-tax-reform-greens-labor-deal-ndis-review-coalition-question-time-anthony-albanese-angus-taylor-ntwnfb?CMP=share_btn_url https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-24/why-power-bill-may-rise-despite-lower-default-market-offer/106830428

Fact check results, please.

yes. nev

The Heat has already buckled the Roof.. Nev