Something odd I’ve noticed over the years is floodlights shining onto private property from public power poles. So who foots the bill for them? They’re a common sight in industrial areas. Their orange glow shining onto locked up warehouses. From atop power poles. But with no power meter to be found anywhere. And an answer […]
At primary school they tell parents “label everything”. But slapping a “this pole belongs to [power company]” sign seems like overkill – who is going to steal a bloody power pole planted into the ground? But there is a reason behind these signs – and Jeff Kennett is to blame. In the beginning, the State […]
Another instalment in my photos from ten years ago series – this time it is July 2010. Down on Spencer Street For Melbourne Open House 2010 CitiPower opened ‘JA’ zone substation – a key part of the power supply to the Melbourne CBD. For historical reasons the substation was divided into two – the State […]
The dinosaurs in the Australian fossil fuel industry have been fighting the rise of renewable solar and wind power, with a recent tactic being the promotion of natural gas as a ‘clean’ fuel for the transition from coal. This is the story of how Victoria has used natural gas for the generation of electricity. In […]
In the past decade wind and solar generation has been displacing older coal fired power stations in Australia, with the stability of the electricity grid coming into question. One of the proposed solutions is something called a synchronous condenser – a technology that the State Electricity Commission of Victoria took advantage of fifty years ago. […]
