PV Gap

Yolanda Said:

Where can I buy solar christmas lights in Australia?! Help!?

We Answered:

You've left it a bit late most places including online are sold out. You might have some luck at bunnings, kmart or target. Big W online store still had some a few days ago but may have sold out by now but it's worth a shot. Sorry I can't be more help but it's a real challenge finding lights this close to Christmas.

Anita Said:

John Howard wants nuclear power in currently nuclear free Australia, what do you think?

We Answered:

The whole thrust of nuclear energy in Australia is built on potential profit, and has no environmental component. That industry says that Nuclear is pollution free, but this is wrong, as we still have NO way to get rid of the spent fuel and other contaminated waste. John Howard has, I believe, a hidden agenda here.
I would vote against him if there were no other cause to do so. That's how strongly I feel about it.
There are many opportunities for geothermal power (there is already one outback town using a mild form of it, and it works well as base load power. There are ideal wave and tide sites all around the country - there's thousands of kilometres of it. Solar and wind energy generation definitely does have the capacity to produce base load power, and it has been proven.
This country has the potential to be world leaders in alternative energy if it weren't for that little bastard and his coal industry mates. The only reason I can see that these alternatives are not being promoted and developed is the political power of the coal industry.
Still, there's an election soon, so we may not have quite so much to fight against.
But it will be a fight, assisted by the climate change which is going to create even more havoc than it already has.

Ida Said:

Aussies, inland sea for Australia?

We Answered:

It would be cheaper to do pipe the water from dams in the tropics down to the southern cities. We already have major salt evaporation and collection facilities in northern Western Australia. There was a proposal back in the eighties to dam the Fitzroy river in Western Australia's Kimberley region. During the wet season enough water flows through that river to fill up Sydney Harbour every three minutes. The plan was to dam the Fitzroy floodplain in three different places. They would then pipe the water first to Perth, then across the Nullabor plain to Adelaide and the major cities of east coast. However it was never put into action because of the environmental lobby and the huge construction and maintenance expense. So now of course we have every major city building desalination plants instead.