reSee.it - Tweets Saved By @gerardgholland

gerardgholland
Posted - April 30, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Saved - May 18, 2025 at 5:38 PM
reSee.it AI Summary
Spain's rapid transition to renewable energy has led to a grid collapse, serving as a cautionary tale for Australia, which is following a similar path. Since 2014, Spain has dismantled much of its fossil fuel capacity, leaving its grid vulnerable due to the instability of renewables like solar and wind. While Australia still relies on coal and gas for stability, this support is dwindling. The global shift away from strict climate commitments, including the U.S. pulling out of the Paris Agreement, suggests a need for a more pragmatic approach. We must prioritize grid stability over ideology.

@gerardgholland - Gerard Holland

Spain did everything the climate experts told them to. Now their entire grid has collapsed in an instant. Australia is being pushed down the same road. 🧵 A warning: https://t.co/NnGLTxNdKs

@gerardgholland - Gerard Holland

1/ Spain, much like Australia, has chased the renewable dream at breakneck speed, aspiring to a grid powered by over 80% renewables. Since 2014, around two-thirds of Spain’s fossil fuel capacity has been dismantled. Nearly all its coal plants are gone. This was cheered on by climate advocates. But the real-world consequences? Ignored. Until yesterday.

@gerardgholland - Gerard Holland

2/ Power grids run on a razor-thin margin of stability. They need to stay at a constant frequency - around 50Hz. Even small deviations can trigger system-wide blackouts. To prevent that, grids need inertia which is like a shock absorber that cushions sudden jolts. This has never been a problem before. Coal, gas and nuclear plants provide this naturally through massive spinning turbines. Solar and wind do not.

@gerardgholland - Gerard Holland

3/ That’s the core problem: renewables don’t provide inertia. They can’t help keep the grid steady when things go wrong. In fact they are inherently designed to be unstable- coming in rushes and gushes when the sun is bright or there is high wind, and then producing next to nothing on a cold winter's night when there is no wind. So as the Net Zero push wipes out more traditional generation,the grid becomes more fragile and more prone to total collapse.

@gerardgholland - Gerard Holland

4/ Australia has so far avoided Spain’s fate. Why? Because we still have a backbone of coal and gas holding the system steady. But that won’t last. Since 2015, we’ve added just 2GW of dispatchable battery capacity while shutting down 2.4GW of coal. And batteries do not provide real grid inertia.

@gerardgholland - Gerard Holland

5/ We’re on track to make the same mistakes Spain made, just a few years behind. You can’t build a resilient, industrial grid on climate ideology. It needs real engineering. Real physics. Real backup. Ignore that, and the lights go out.

@gerardgholland - Gerard Holland

6/ The rest of the world is waking up. The U.S. has pulled out of the Paris Agreement. Asia was never seriously committed - China, India, and Indonesia continue building coal at pace. And the rest of Europe? They're quietly reactivating coal and extending nuclear. https://t.co/JV8pgJUv7M

@gerardgholland - Gerard Holland

7/ Even Tony Blair who’s spent millions backing green NGOs, think tanks, and climate campaigns is now warning that Net Zero is politically unsellable. When even the architects of the narrative start jumping ship, you should pay attention. https://t.co/2sBvri4cfj

@gerardgholland - Gerard Holland

8/ Australia doesn’t have to walk blindly into the same wall. We can learn from what’s happening in Spain, and that means putting energy realism ahead of ideology. Scap Net Zero. Build more coal. Get more gas in the system. Start on nuclear. Grid stability first. Don’t say we weren’t warned.

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