Electricity affordability and reliability key election issue for SA

South Australia is heading to the polls in March.

The top issues?

According to a recent 'Your Say' survey of 3500 voters by the Sunday Mail, energy affordability and reliability are the key issues, followed by jobs and political leadership.

The three top issues go hand in hand.

South Australia has among the highest electricity prices in the world, if not the highest.

According to this report by AEMO, 43% of SA's power system capacity is renewable energy, mostly wind (30%) and a decent percentage of solar (13%).

The chart below for July - December 2016 compares installed capacity to actual output after coal-fired power was shut down.

The intermittent sources on the left, wind and rooftop solar PV, output 34% and 16% of their respective capacities.

Prior to the closure of coal-fired plants, it looked like this:

So, what replaced the coal?

Mostly, more coal... from Victoria.

And the cost?

Meanwhile, Queensland, with the lowest wind capacity in Australia, averaged $65 MWh last month.

Therein lies the issue. The energy policy trilemma: affordable, reliable, low, or zero-emission intensity.

You can't have all three, despite what some politicians claim.

The key takeaway from the survey results; to be environmentally sustainable, solutions first need to be economically sustainable.

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