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My son has this sticker on his 2019 Tesla.

I have just been digging around in the Battery capacity stats. Residential (3.6 GWh) + Business (0.5–1.0 GWh) + Grid (6–12 GWh) → ~10.2 GWh to ~16.6 GWh operational mid-2025 (range reflects uncertainty in business & grid totals). Committed / near-term additional capacity (next 1–3 years): Under construction (end-2024): 23.3 GWh (utility). Clean Energy Council At/near financial close (pipeline): 37 GWh (Rystad — larger pipeline beyond those under construction). pv magazine International If the under-construction + near-financial-close projects all proceed, Australia’s total installed (homes + business + utility) could reach dozens of GWh (40–70 GWh) within a few years. Also, the 410000 EVs (approx) in Australia at the moment have a combined capacity of 30GWh. Vehicle-to-grid is now happening, albeit small at the moment. I think those countries that embrace technological innovation will thrive.

He's already said "You will NEVER have to Vote again" He's even scared of the Mid Terms. . Nev

That's Been happening everywhere for a while Now. IDIOTS have been damaging them. Some people add a sign saying" I bought this b4 we Knew he was Horrible/ MAD". Sales have dropped. Nev

Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 United States presidential election

Trump would love to have millions not vote - then only his MAGA supporters would vote - and then, he'd become KING of America, FOREVER!!

Dicktators love THAT idea. Your MATE, TRUMP Does too, and frequently says so. He's $#!t Scared of the Peoples FREE Vote. AND DYING. Nev

And how is that working out for you? Poor voting turnout does not stick it to the pollies. Most countries don't have compulsory voting and have low turnouts, but so what? Willingly paying fines when you say you are struggling to pay your power bills seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face. How does not voting achieve anything?

There's also tidal. 8+ metres at Broome and very reliable. Wind doesn't NEED strong winds. Focussed SOLAR can provide extremely HIGH temperatures of say, SALT. You can do a Lot with that. WA is NOT on the THE grid. Properly Organised it Has Great variation of clean energy potential.. We've hardly scratched the surface with Pumped Hydro. Whatever WE do transmission over significant distances will Be Part of it But stand alone solar and Batteries may be an "off grid "answer for a lot of the dry inland. Nev

I don't REALLY believe America is Over riding us IF we Eliminate the Trump effect. We buy Nothing like the Amount of stuff from them that we used to. . That's THEIR Problem. Not Ours. Our dependency on THEM when Trump is so Erratic is a Cause for Concern. THAT NEEDS working through and careful handling. Thoughtful diplomacy well researched. Not Breast Beating public displays of Alpha Male Behaviour.. Nev

l mean l can well understand at times in the past we were too much so the other way and kinda naive , but it's a far cry and way too opposite these days . It's proven right in this thread with stuff said many times, and over in that Whirlpool thread about the same thing to- even though l hate that damn place it's gotta be ran by 3aw and the same tiny tiny minds l swear butttttt , none the less. There's a thread there l forget how long but t's bloody long, 100s of pages l think and many many people see what's happening but ofc there's the many that are clueless in it to. But someone said it right there- he's not even sure what our identity is . Well, if that right there doesn't tell you we're lost souls here that need something done before we just turn into America - or someone else, then you'd be blind as a bat. We've even had PM's v worried about it all and wanting to limit force fed American tv here and add far greater Aus and others content instead. Forget who they've been, wasn't that halfwit Howard l don't think ,he was so busy kissing Bush's backside but l think back at the time others were fighting him about all this very thing even then , even b4 the internet has really taken off but ofc with all that now and that hasn't even begun- it's a 20fold these days. and you can triple that again in the v near future. Anyone who can't see all that coming as also as blind as a bat even Musk is worried about it ofc not the Americanism part but the rest. At anyrate, whomever mentioned an identity, nailed it, exactly and we're losing whatever we did have faster and faster. Now Albo's seeing to that yet again and on a whole nother level again and thread all it's own, we're not even suppose to mention ourselves beng an Australian these days fear of offending someone, friggin pathetic weak leaders. Actually , anyone know what that Blockhead Dutton thought about all this sort of thing. Dumbest man to ever stand up there on most things but he did seem to have some very good stands on others, like immigration, housing, and so hence l'd imagine maybe holding on to Australia as well but not sure about that angle. Could've panned out to be another yanky boot kisser to for all l know.

The major parties have it all rigged to allow themselves to rule Australia for as long as they think they can get away with it. Notice how they have timelines of 2030 for fulfilling climate policy, and 2050 for nuclear submarine policy. They know they'll still be ruling Australia by then. So what's the use of voting. The major parties close ranks when they feel threatened. They jailed Hanson to show her who is boss. Members of the major parties have committed murder, fraud, and sex offenses. Why wouldn't they let a few muslem wives and children of fanatical head decapitating muslem ISIS terrorists back in? Way to go for the Labor government. The excuse is: "They are citizens of Australia" - yeah, but who wants them here? I stopped voting altogether, I pay the tyrannical fines instead. Compulsory voting is just another way to keep the system rigged in favor of the ALP/Coalition duopoly. If it wasn't beneficial to them, we'd be voting another way, which ever way it takes to benefit the Duopoly. When a democracy is rigged, the ultimate protest is to simply stop voting.

Denmark is relevant not because it is identical to Australia, but because it demonstrates what is technically possible: High penetrations of wind (often >70% of demand) Stable grid operation Large-scale integration of storage, interconnectors, and flexible demand Australia will not copy Denmark, but Denmark proves that variability can be managed at the national scale. Whilst it does import power (about17%) it also exports. Iceland → virtually 100% renewables, advanced grid Norway → >95% renewables Uruguay → ~95% renewables, stable and wealthy by South American standards Portugal → frequently >80% monthly renewable generation Scotland → >100% wind generation equivalent to demand They are not “third world,” and they demonstrate that stable, high-renewable grids are entirely achievable Ethiopia or Congo are irrelevant—they rely on hydro because that’s their resource. Australia’s mix will be different. Australia is not physically connected to big neighbours. But we dont need to be. Australia’s strength is spread over a huge geographic area, which actually reduces variability when linked with transmission. Australia also has: Vast land for large-scale storage Strong rooftop solar penetration Mature markets that reward firming and flexibility Growing pumped hydro, battery, and demand-response capabilities We don't need a France next door when we can build storage and firming solutions domestically. Notable pumped-hydro / hydro projects in Australia (2025) Project (or Site) Status (as of 2025) Capacity / Storage Notes / Timing Snowy 2.0 Pumped Storage Power Station (NSW / Snowy Mountains) Under construction ~ 2,200 MW / ~ 350,000 MWh storage potential Wikipedia+1 Links two existing reservoirs via a 27 km underground tunnel + new underground power station. It’s a major national-scale storage project. Estimated commercial operation ~ 2028. DCCEEW+1 Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project (QLD, repurposed old gold mine) Under construction / near-commissioning (entered NEM 2025) waterpowermagazine.com+2pumpedhydro.com.au+2 250 MW / ~ 2,000 MWh (≈ 2 GWh) pumpedhydro.com.au+2Genex+2 First new pumped-hydro energy storage facility in Australia in nearly 40 years. Uses two old mine pits (upper + lower) as reservoirs. Expected to deliver dispatchable energy to the grid from 2025. Genex+2Energy-Storage.News+2 Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro Project (QLD — former gold mine) Proposed / in development / feasibility + design + government backing State Development Plan+1 ~ 2,000 MW / ~ 20,000 MWh (20 GWh) proposed PV Magazine Australia+2pv magazine International+2 The proposal involves converting the decommissioned mine pit into the lower reservoir + a purpose-built upper reservoir, with underground tunnels & powerhouse. Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) active; expected construction start around 2028, with commissioning in early 2030s if approved. mtrawdonhydro.com.au+2State Development Plan+2 Borumba Dam Pumped Hydro Project (QLD, near Gympie / Mary Valley) Proposed / planning & early works / design stage pumpedhydro.com.au+2Queensland Hydro+2 ~ 2,000 MW / ~ 48 GWh storage proposed pumpedhydro.com.au+1 The state-owned developer is currently doing technical investigations, site planning, project design and community consultation. Business case refresh expected by mid-2026; no firm construction start date. Queensland Hydro+1 Glenbawn Pumped Hydro Project (NSW, Upper Hunter) Early-stage / feasibility (under development by private energy co.) WaterNSW+1 ~ 770 MW / ~ 7.7 GWh proposed pumpedhydro.com.au+1 The project was acquired by an energy company in 2025. Preliminary steps (land-use agreements, studies) are underway; no committed construction date yet. WaterNSW+1 Glennies Creek Pumped Hydro Project (NSW, Upper Hunter) Early-stage / feasibility (like Glenbawn) WaterNSW+1 ~ 623 MW / ~ 6.2 GWh proposed pumpedhydro.com.au+1 Bought by the same energy company in 2025; still in early development with no confirmed build schedule. World Energy+1 Several other proposed/screened sites (various states / dams / water storage assets) Proposed / “potential / identified for study / early-stage” pumpedhydro.com.au+2WaterNSW+2 Varies — many in the low-to-mid hundreds of MW; small-to-mid GWh storage For example: sites identified by state dam-owners for feasibility studies. Projects have not yet been confirmed. WaterNSW+2NSW Climate and Energy Action+2 Germany’s temporary coal use was due to: The Russian gas crisis Closing reactors without adequate alternatives ready A conscious political decision, not a grid technology failure Meanwhile: Germany’s coal is trending down long-term Wholesale prices in Germany have stabilised Germany added record renewables in 2023–2025 Also important: Germany's grid has remained one of the most reliable in the world, even with high renewables. I dont oppose nuclear, however it does have some drawbacks. Nuclear is a valid technology—but it does not solve Australia’s challenges: New nuclear is the most expensive form of new generation in the OECD Construction times are 10 to 15 years Requires large water supplies Needs a massive regulatory, licensing, and workforce base Australia does not have CSIRO GenCost: nuclear is many times more expensive than firmed renewables If the aim is lower prices quickly, nuclear cannot deliver that. Nuclear is a valid technology—but it does not solve Australia’s challenges: New nuclear is the most expensive form of new generation in the OECD Construction times are 10–15+ years Requires large water supplies Needs a massive regulatory, licensing, and workforce base Australia does not have CSIRO GenCost: nuclear is multiple times more expensive than firmed renewables If the aim is lower prices quickly, nuclear cannot deliver that. Cross-border flows fluctuate every hour. One snapshot doesn’t prove stability or superiority. France often exports, but it also imports during cold weather or reactor outages. The UK also imports and exports constantly. The presence of imports and exports is not a sign of weakness—it’s how interconnected grids work. As the report says - From a VRE perspective, remember that this is early afternoon so we would hope (I have not checked) that solar yield was cranking at that time To be clear, I think we are many years away from, shall we say "near 100% renewables" I believe in the short term, gas will most likely be our backup.

That's OK then, we should "usually" have electricity then. Check out the wind drought around April to June 2024. https://wattclarity.com.au/articles/2024/06/13june-lowwind/ How much transmission are we going to have to build to Power Victoria from Queensland.

Denmark is not relevant for Australia. Australia has no France or Sweden. All these other countrys have small grids and are third world countrys. Would you like to live in Ethiopia or the Congo. I think not. Or there grids are majority conventional hydro. Australia has only 7% traditional hydro and not likely to get more. No One has ever done what Australia is trying to do with weather dependent intermittent generation on a grid the size of Australia. You are correct, we don't want coal, so the obvious answer is nuclear. We should start looking at it very seriously. We may have to work with coal again. Look how Germany is doing. France currently exporting approx. 12.5GW. Windy in UK, it is exporting 885MW to france and is exporting slightly more than it is importing exporting 3 importing 2

I'm quite surprised at the number of Teslas I see on the road, that have all their badging removed. Every single piece of script or logo indicating the vehicle is a Tesla is gone. It makes me wonder if there's some underground movement of Tesla owners that likes the Tesla design, but hates the CEO of the company - so they "rebel" against the CEO's attitude, statements, beliefs and ethics, to effectively shove it up Elon, by removing all the Tesla identifying badges and logos. It appears quite a few American Tesla owners have even taken it one step further, by re-badging their Teslas to other car makes, and even specific models. https://electrek.co/2025/03/03/tesla-owners-get-creative-to-distance-themselves-from-elon-with-new-car-logos-projectors/

"Kill them all" apparently what Hegseth said after they shot up a boat of suspected drug smugglers & found 2 survivors clinging to the upended boat & they did.Under international law Hegseth is guilty of War Crimes.

No comparison IMHO. Nev

They also produce better electric cars than the US industry apart from Tesla, though they have overtaken Tesla as the top manufacturer now.

Here's a refreshing story about a (for now) multi-millionaire. If only Musk and the other kleptocrats were like this. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-30/rich-heiress-giving-away-all-her-wealth/106077200

Bullshit.

PMC do you take your cossies in your Port? I'm trying to bring BACK Hoo Roo.. Nev.

As you age, it is very important to cultivate new, younger friends - because all your lifelong friends die when you get old, and you end up suffering from loneliness. Plus, having younger friends keeps you in touch with current culture and trends. Dick van Dyke makes some good observations about living to 100. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dick-van-dyke-age-birthday-health-diet-b2875237.html

People in Castlemaine say Cassel maine not carsle maine as I do. That is my NSW accent, which rarely makes a difference.

Perhaps it is being raised by British parents, but I have always adapted. When I joined the RAAF, we used to travel around and often go to Williamstown airbase near Newcastle. In line with my northern British roots, I would pronounce Newcastle with a short "a", no one else did. Eventually, I adapted. The other thing for me is that as I age, I definitely don't want to be pigeon-holed as an old man with old attitudes. My circle of friends tends to be younger than me, and like my time in the RAAF, I tend to adapt to my surroundings. This is very much just my personal philosophy.