4 ms·
Can't they do something useful with the energy? E.g. aluminum is used everywhere, the ore is also everywhere it's 8% of the crust, the major cost to convert or
by Const-me 7y ago
Can't they do something useful with the energy?
E.g. aluminum is used everywhere, the ore is also everywhere it's 8% of the crust, the major cost to convert ore into metal is electricity. Can't they engineer a robotic aluminum factory which scales fast enough to capture the cheap power?
- int_19h 7y agoGiven that this is one of the most arid regions in the world, with a huge oceanic coast line, how about water desalination?
- keanzu 7y agoIf you invest in a aluminium smelter you will want to run it 24/7, not just when there's cheap power. Also Australia enjoys the most expensive power in the world because of grid costs.
- Xylakant 7y agoModern aluminum plants can operate in a fairly wide band around "expected power" and are often used in a load shedding/load taking capacity to use excess capacity or make up for lack of capacity. They get cheaper electricity prices to pay for that grid stabilization service. It seems that at least some of australias smelters haven't caught up with that development yet: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/31/australias-aluminium-sector-is-on-life-support-it-can-and-should-be-saved https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/31/austra...