Welcome to Lorimer Street in Port Melbourne. Located in a suburb better known for expensive waterfront property, it is often forgotten that this area is full of industrial plants belonging to the likes of Boeing, the DSTO, Herald and Weekly Times, Kraft, and GM Holden. The last company is the topic for today.
Another week, another “then and now” blog post from me. Following on from last week’s look at the power stations of the Latrobe Valley, here is a comparison of the facilities at Yallourn.
With Australia’s new carbon tax laws having been passed by the Senate last week, it is the perfect time to look at Victoria’s three major coal fired power stations. Located in the Latrobe Valley atop massive deposits of brown coal, together these power stations run 24 hours a day to supply the majority of Victoria’s baseload electricity demand, and in the process contribute more than their fair share of emissions in the environment. So why are they so dirty?
In the decade since 2001 wind farms have appeared around Victoria, driven by state government mandated renewable energy targets and subsidies. The young age of Victoria’s wind farms makes the state look like a laggard in the renewable energy states, especially when you discover Australia’s first wind farm opened at Esperance in Western Australia all the way back in March 1987. However, Victoria does have a link to that trailblazing wind farm at Salmon Beach, and it is found at the small coastal township of Breamlea: midway between Barwon Heads and Torquay, just south of Geelong.
Have you ever looked up at a power pole in Melbourne and seen one of these warning signs? They are quite easy to see on older electricity poles that carry high voltage power lines through the streets. So what do all those letters mean?
