After watching a media file on my television around 10PM Dec 14, I turned to TV mode Sky Channel late debate to hear midway through how environment minister Tanya Plibersek had been encouraging electricity users on returning home from work, during late afternoon, asking electricity consumers to avoid switching on air conditioners.
     Sky program host and 2 guest debaters making fun out of air condition owners were being asked to set air conditioners to 26C in order to avoid crashing electricity grid, an excuse that a coal powered electricity supplier generator was off line having maintenance being carried out. (why wasn’t such maintenance done during Spring, during low electricity consumption months) I don’t remember hearing any suggestions asking EV owners shouldn’t fast charge they’re vehicles until after certain hours to aid preventing the electricity grid from crashing. EV owners can’t be assumed to be doing anything wrong.

     I google searched “charging EV at home”, read top search result on 12 mistakes buying home installed chargers Nu 12 being ‘a bad idea to charge home battery during midday bright sunlight hours, by late afternoon fast charging EV battery while consuming low energy sunlight solar panel reduced charging ability. Charging EV having home lithium battery draining into EV lithium battery (bad idea) as expensive to buy lithium batteries aren’t a forever lasting battery, reducing the usable life of home lithium batteries’.
     The greater charge percentage example, from 20% charged to 100% charged to then discharge to 20% charged the more frequent events happen the shorter lifespans lithium batteries will last.
     A google inquiry result, “The typical estimated life of a Lithium-Ion battery is about two to three years or 300 to 500 charge cycles, whichever occurs first. One charge cycle is a period of use from fully charged, to fully discharged, and fully recharged again.”

     Story teller’s ‘12 mistakes’ own examples having 2 EVs in driveway, needing 3 phase electricity supplies wired into home most homes don’t have in order to fast charge 2 vehicles simultaneously.
     EV lithium batteries do consume to hold a lot of electricity current wattage potential.

     Today, coal generation produces much of Australia’s electricity, Dec 15 10 News journalist Lucy Grey stated “last year almost 70% of generated power were from coal fired”.
     After the sun’s solar energy fades in late afternoon, high current charging EV owners plug in vehicles during same time other house hold items are turned on: air conditions; electric stoves; electric ovens; microwave ovens; large screen televisions; dishwashers; clothes dryers… with households using installed lithium batteries, eventually when (many before) all coal powered stations are switched off by predicted 15 years, 2038, house hold installed lithium batteries are going to be suppliers of vast amounts of electricity to the electricity grid ‘during no sunlight/darkness hours’ reducing lithium home batteries life span.

     When South Australia had it’s blackout several years ago, Musk installed many lithium batteries as a backup power supply unit, yet 1 rare comment I heard was if the Musk battery units were called upon to supply many homes, lithium battery units only had a short time duration of usage, batteries are only used to maintain a more constant quicker to react supply of electricity 50 hertz stability being that coal fired power station generators are slow to react to varying electricity consumption, without Musk’s lithium units 50 hertz were wildly varying above and blow 50 hertz stable number.

     As governments encourage household battery installation, buyers of such lithium batteries having been told batteries will last 10 years, may not realise when coal powered electricity generation have ended, household batteries will be taking up the lost coal powered electricity during nighttime dark hours worse during winter months, that household lithium battery lifetime use will drastically reduce. I have no known evidence to backup that last sentence statement.
     Solar panel electricity providers may find disconnecting from the national grid more economically viable, than to remain connected to a grid reducing owners lithium battery life span. Being connected to the grid charging up more batteries than owners own battery may even reduce solar panel’s life spans.
     My assumption, as lithium batteries fail (may even have many house fires) so will new buyers of lithium batteries decline.
     The better long term low cost solutions to aid lithium battery life are: to improve home insulation by installing ceiling insulation bats by a “qualified” licensed installer; control/reduce unwanted airflow flowing in and out of houses; have fewer window square metre coverage walls, reducing heat and cold penetrating through thin class, reducing the need for larger high wattage reverse cycle air conditioning installations; new building construction requirements starting with kitchen installation behind cupboard storage wall to ceiling not cornice covered gaps allowing ceiling to roof cavity dust, hot and cold seasonal airflow as well as cockroaches to enter living spaces.

     The big plan seemingly going nowhere, (rarely reported as happening) large areas of solar panels in outback Australia, collecting electricity, wire feeding electricity to east coast Australian homes power grid providing electricity after east coast sunlight retreats west, may provide 2 to 3 hours of extra electricity at a time east coast Australians consume huge electricity loads, including fast charging an increased number of EV lithium batteries compared to today’s EV numbers.

     Citizenry by now have realised almost all government championed great plans to solve problem issues are doomed to fall short of expectations, the bigger the project plan the greater the disaster.
     I don’t expect central Australian vast solar panels to come close to completion when farmer protests entering court decisions aren’t considered as a fast tracked emergency.

     The great investment: in outback solar panels; wind generators… money without doubt borrowed at whatever markets supply and demand theory interest rates are set at, long term electricity consumers will be charged as part of the cost of being on the electricity grid. Accept RBA governors set interest rates based on a fictional theory “increasing interest rates reduces inflation” truth being increasing interest rates increases costs of borrowing money to build: homes; outback solar panel constructions, passed onto electricity consumers; sends many indebted people into loan default particularly privately owned managed businesses; the list can go on.

steve9

A recent news story stats on EVs:
Australia installing EV recharge stations up by 72% this 2023 year.
Now Australia has 800 EV recharge stations having 2000 plug in leads.
A total of 173.000 EVs. Australia wide.

please don't challenge above posted data, I'm only communicating a Dec 26 news story.
Story also promoted not used solar electricity going into EV battery rather than grid advantages. My concern is when coal power stations go off the grid home battery and grid service batteries will be needed to power homes at night. Even charging EVs during day time hours reduces charging home and utility batteries while solar and wind generation are powering day time: industry; traffic lights; high rise office buildings; train transport utilities: summer and winter air conditioning; etc.

steve9