Below is the text of a Letter to the Editor to a small regional newspaper, published in 2009.
It was attachment 9 of a submission to 2012 Senate Inquiry "The Social and Economic Impact of Rural Wind Farms”.
Part 2: Summary Response
Part 3: Long Response
The context is during the "Kevin '07" Labor Government.
They had to catch up on 11 years of inaction & neglect by the Howard Liberal Govt.
They avoided a post-GFC recession by investing in useful programs - such as Home Insulation and School Infrastructure.
Also created a Carbon Trading Scheme (ETS), plus an economy wide emmissions monitoring & recording system to back it.
Cardwell is a "Climate Sceptic", a misleading & deceptive self-characterisation.
This group aren't "sceptical", there is NO evidence that can or will convince them. If anyone comes close to providing the evidence demanded, they change the goal posts, arbitrarily creating impossible standards of evidence for others to meet, while themselves providing no factual data.
While their own arguments aren't rigorous or evidence based, rather, they 'cherry pick' data they like and ignore "inconvenient" data, or attack, ridicule and denigrate people & institutions that challenge them.
Cardwell and his peers are "Climate Change Deniers", pure and simple.
The purpose of the Letter to the Editor is to push that agenda, not to inform, educate or argue.
Intro to attachment 9 by Renate Metzger in 2012, 2-3 years after letter was published.
Date: 2011 or 2012
Subject: FW: Coal Driven Power Stations and Carbon Dioxide. (interesting read)
Read on ....... FWIW
This article appeared in the Rockhampton morning Bulletin on 22.12.09. Although I have never ever met the author I was, after some difficulty, able to contact him by phone.
This is an excellent piece for my friends to send to their politicians or to anybody who needs to be educated about Australia's Coal driven power houses.
Terry is now retired and is in excellent health at age 69. Nobody paid him to write the article which was, (to their credit), published by the local press.
Terry told me I could distribute his article as I saw fit.
Copy of text, provided by Renate Metzger to Senate Committee.
Date: November/December 2009
Written By Terence Cardwel
The Editor
The Morning Bulletin.
001 I have sat by for a number of years frustrated at the rubbish being put forth about carbon dioxide
002 emissions, thermal coal fired power stations and renewable energy and the ridiculous Emissions
003 Trading Scheme.
004 Frustration at the lies told (particularly during the election) about global pollution. Using Power
005 Station cooling towers for an example. The condensation coming from those cooling towers is as pure
006 as that that comes out of any kettle.
007 Frustration about the so called incorrectly named man made ‘carbon emissions’ which of course is
008 Carbon Dioxide emissions and what it is supposedly doing to our planet.
009 Frustration about the lies told about renewable energy and the deliberate distortion of renewable
010 energy and its ability to replace fossil fuel energy generation. And frustration at the ridiculous carbon
011 credit programme which is beyond comprehension.
012 And further frustration at some members of the public who have not got a clue about thermal Power
013 Stations or Renewable Energy. Quoting ridiculous figures about something they clearly have little or
014 no knowledge of.
015 First coal fired power stations do NOT send 60 to 70% of the energy up the chimney. The boilers of
016 modern power station are 96% efficient and the exhaust heat is captured by the economisers and
017 reheaters and heat the air and water before entering the boilers.
018 The very slight amount exiting the stack is moist as in condensation and CO2. There is virtually no fly
019 ash because this is removed by the precipitators or bagging plant that are 99.98% efficient. The 4%
020 lost is heat through boiler wall convection.
021 Coal fired Power Stations are highly efficient with very little heat loss and can generate massive
022 amount of energy for our needs. They can generate power at efficiency of less than 10,000 b.t.u. per
023 kilowatt and cost wise that is very low.
024 The percentage cost of mining and freight is very low. The total cost of fuel is 8% of total generation
025 cost and does NOT constitute a major production cost.
026 As for being laughed out of the country, China is building multitudes of coal fired power stations
027 because they are the most efficient for bulk power generation.
028 We have, like, the USA, coal fired power stations because we HAVE the raw materials and are VERY
029 fortunate to have them. Believe me no one is laughing at Australia - exactly the reverse, they are very
030 envious of our raw materials and independence.
031 The major percentage of power in Europe and U.K. is nuclear because they don't have the coal supply
032 for the future.
033 Yes it would be very nice to have clean, quiet, cheap energy in bulk supply. Everyone agrees that it
034 would be ideal. You don't have to be a genius to work that out. But there is only one problem -- It
035 doesn't exist.
036 Yes - there are wind and solar generators being built all over the world but they only add a small
037 amount to the overall power demand.
038 The maximum size wind generator is 3 Megawatts, which can rarely be attained on a continuous basis |
039 because it requires substantial forces of wind. And for the same reason only generate when there is
040 sufficient wind to drive them. This of course depends where they are located but usually they only run
041 for 45%-65% of the time, mostly well below maximum capacity. They cannot be relied for a ‘base
042 load' because they are too variable. And they certainly could not be used for load control.
043 The peak load demand for electricity in Australia is approximately 50,000 Megawatts and only small
044 part of this comes from the Snowy Hydro Electric System (The ultimate power Generation) because it
045 is only available when water is there from snow melt or rain. And yes they can pump it back but it
046 cost to do that. (Long Story).
047 Tasmania is very fortunate in that they have mostly hydro electric generation because of their high
048 amounts of snow and rainfall. They also have wind generators (located in the roaring forties) but that
049 is only a small amount of total power generated.
050 Based on a average generating output of 1.5 megawatts (of unreliable power) you would require over
051 33,300 wind generators.
052 As for solar power generation much research has been done over the decades and there are two types.
053 Solar thermal generation and Solar Electric generation but in each case they cannot generate large
054 amounts of electricity.
055 Any clean, cheap energy is obviously welcomed but they would NEVER have the capability of
056 replacing Thermal power generation. So get your heads out of the clouds, do some basic mathematics
057 and look at the facts not going off with the fairies (or some would say the extreme greenies.)
058 We are all greenies in one form or another and care very much about our planet. The difference is
059 most of us are realistic. Not in some idyllic utopia where everything can be made perfect by standing
060 around holding a banner and being a general pain in the backside.
061 Here are some facts that will show how ridiculous this financial madness the government is following.
062 Do the simple maths and see for yourselves.
063 According to the 'believers' the CO2 in air has risen from .034% to .038% in air over the last 50 years.
[ 1980 = 340PPM, 2004 = 380 PPM. https://www.co2levels.org ]
064 To put the percentage of Carbon Dioxide in air in a clearer perspective;
065 If you had a room 12 ft x 12 ft x 7 ft or 3.7 mtrs x 3.7 mtrs x 2.1 mtrs, the area carbon dioxide would
066 occupy in that room would be .25m x .25m x .17m or the size of a large packet of cereal.
067 Australia emits 1 percent of the world's total carbon Dioxide and the government wants to reduce this
068 by twenty percent or reduce emissions by .2 percent of the world's total CO2 emissions.
069 What effect will this have on existing CO2 levels?
070 By their own figures they state the CO2 in air has risen from .034% to .038% in 50 years.
071 Assuming this is correct, the world CO2 has increased in 50 years by .004 percent.
072 Per year that is .004 divided by 50 = .00008 percent. (Getting confusing - but stay with me).
073 Of that because we only contribute 1% our emissions would cause CO2 to rise .00008 divided by 100
074 = .0000008 percent.
075 Of that 1%, we supposedly emit, the governments wants to reduce it by 20% which is 1/Sth of
076 .0000008 = .00000016 percent effect per year they would have on the world CO2 emissions based on
077 their own figures.
078 That would equate to a area in the same room, as the size of a small pin.!!!
079 For that they have gone crazy with the ridiculous trading schemes, Solar and roofing installations,
080 Clean coal technology. Renewable energy, etc, etc.
081 How ridiculous it that.
082 The cost to the general public and industry will be enormous. Cripple and even closing some smaller
083 business.
084 T.L. Cardwell
085 To the Editor: thought I should clarify. I spent 25 years in the Electricity Commission of NSW
086 working, commissioning and operating the various power units. My last was the 4 X 350 MW.
087 Munmorah Power Station near Newcastle. I would be pleased to supply you any information you
088 may require.
LinkedIn page, Terry Cardwell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/terence-cardwell-a1615839/
- worked from 1959 to 1978 with NSW Electricity Commission at Munmorah Power Station:
- 22 years, not 25 or 26 years as he claimed
- moved to Rockhampton in 1978
- Ran “Terry's Marine Centre” for 27 years
- probably retired in 2005/2006
- has written some books
Terry Cardwell, other public info.
listed as a 2019 “Founding Member” of “The Saltbush Club”: Jo Nova, Ian Plimer and other “Climate Sceptics”
"Tapping a deep vein of public concern about the Paris climate agreement”.
https://saltbushclub.com/about/
Stood for QLD Senate in 2013 for "Climate Sceptics", beside Alan Rutland.
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Results_of_the_2013_Australian_federal_election_(Senate)
Wrote Chapter 17 for George Christensen’s 2021 “Unchain Australia”
https://www.georgechristensen.com.au/news/free-book-unchain-australia
Munmorah Power Station
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munmorah_Power_Station
Units operational: 350 MW
Nameplate capacity: 1400 MW
Commission date: 1967
Decommission date: 2012
Steam was supplied at a pressure of 2,500 psi [ 17.24 MPa ]and a temperature of 460 °C.
[ At 17.24 MPa, this was "sub-critical", with 36%-40% maximum efficiency ]
One unit was completed in 1967,
another in 1968,
and the remaining two in 1969.
Units 3 and 4 had fabric filters fitted in the 1980s,
and this reduced load to 320 MW each.
Units 1 and 2 were relegated to emergency use from 1992.
Munmorah drew salt water from Lake Munmorah, part of the Tuggerah Lakes, for condenser cooling.
The coal for Munmorah came from two underground mines,
Munmorah State mine and Newvale No.2 Colliery,
and also from Vales Point coal storage
via a series of conveyor belts.
Delta Electricity announced on 3 July 2012 the closure of Munmorah power station after 45 years of operation due to decreasing energy demand.
Parts of the boilers and turbines needed to be replaced which would have cost about $AUD 400 million.
Units 3 and 4 had been maintained on standby but had not been in production since August 2010.
Munmorah was disconnected from the grid in May 2014 and completely de-commissioned.
Plans were made to demolish the station and its out-buildings and sell off the 500 acres of surrounding land for housing and sporting venues.
Heat Rate
“10,000 BTU per kilowatt” - the Heat Rate - isn’t 96% efficient, it’s 34.12%. Out by a factor of three.
https://www.powermag.com/understanding-coal-power-plant-heat-rate-and-efficiency/
Because approximately 3,412 Btu/hr equals 1 kW, we can easily determine the thermodynamic efficiency of a power plant by dividing 3,412 by the heat rate.
For example, a coal power plant with a heat rate of 10,000 Btu/kWh
has a thermal efficiency of 3,412 / 10,000,
or 0.3412 (34.12%).
Source
The scanned-only copy of the letter to the editor, provided above, is “Attachment 9” in submission '838' by Renate Metzger, a resident of Smeaton, VIC,
to the 2012 Senate Inquiry "The Social and Economic Impact of Rural Wind Farms”.
List of Submissions https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Completed_inquiries/2010-13/impactruralwindfarms/submissions
Sub 838 Mrs Renate Metzger (PDF 10KB) Attachment 1(PDF 162KB) Attachment 2(PDF 111KB) Attachment 3(PDF 191KB) Attachment 4(PDF 545KB) Attachment 5(PDF 191KB) Attachment 6(PDF 179KB) Attachment 7(PDF 10003KB) Attachment 8(PDF 2376KB) Attachment 9(PDF 1342KB) Attachment 10(PDF 1839KB) Attachment 11(PDF 1075KB)
Submission 9 by Renate Metzger: scan of letter to editor
https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=8c9ca0b7-63a7-4bb6-8114-d82ec8deb34c
Source of information on relative costs of Capital investment and Operations & Maintenance.
Report for Congress
Power Plants: Characteristics and Costs
November 13, 2008
https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/RL34746.pdf
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