Mr Colin Dunstan
Dear Mr Dunstan Thank you for your letter of 26 October 2006 to the Prime Minister regarding the feasibility of solar power for baseload power generation. The Prime Minister has asked me to respond on his behalf. Australia will need a portfolio of technologies to meet its energy needs efficiently and responsibly. In caring about a sustainable future, the Australian Government is considering every energy option and has established a taskforce to review the economic, environmental, health, safety and proliferation issues associated with uranium mining, processing and nuclear energy. I enclose a copy of the taskforce's draft report, which is also available from the website http://www.dpmc.gov.au/umpner/reports.cfm, together with specialist studies commissioned by the taskforce. The draft report includes analysis of the options for baseload power generation. If you wish to provide feedback on the draft report, please do so by 12 December 2006. You may provide feedback to the taskforce via the postal address or the facsimile number mentioned above, or via email: umpner@pmc.gov.au. Thank you again for your letter to the Prime Minister. Yours sincerely
John Ryan Head of Secretariat Uranium Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy Review
(TYPED COPY) Colin Dunstan Friday, 1st December 2006 Mr John Ryan Head of Secretariat Uranium Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy Review Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet 3 – 5 National Circuit Canberra ACT 2600 Dear Mr Ryan, Thank you for your letter of 29 November 2006 concerning analysis of options for baseload power generation. Simplifying a difficult problem before trying to solve it is often a good strategy. Solving a simplified problem is invariably much easier than trying to find a way to solve a difficult problem. A very significant portion of energy production and energy use in Australia and throughout the world is carried out as follows: 1/
2,700 kilograms of Coal / Carbon +7,200 kilograms of Oxygen =9,900 kilograms of Carbon Dioxide + 25 megawatt-hours of heat energy
2/ = +
25 megawatt-hours of heat energy 15 megawatt-hours of “waste” heat energy 10 megawatt-hours of electrical energy
= +
10 megawatt-hours of electrical energy 6 megawatt-hours of electrical energy use 4 megawatt-hours of “useful” heat energy
3/
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We should quickly introduce two innovations so that the net process is as follows: 1/
1,080 kilograms of Coal / Carbon +2,880 kilograms of Oxygen =3,960 kilograms of Carbon Dioxide + 6 megawatt-hours of electrical energy use + 4 megawatt-hours of “useful” heat energy
This will allow time to gradually implement renewable energy generation infrastructure and, eventually, driven nuclear reactors – that do not rely on spontaneous fission, and that produce no radioactive waste, and no weapons-capability. Yours sincerely,
Colin Dunstan
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