Everything you do today will be possible thanks to the natural resources sector...now imagine life without our sector.
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What work do you do? Does it involve using a computer or telephone? They are courtesy of the resources industry, so back to pencil and paper? No, the resources sector contributes to those as well. And the list goes on.
The Queensland Resources Council this week launched an education campaign to highlight just how important the resources sector is to our everyday lives – now and, particularly, into the future...the key to a sustainable future is to harness the knowledge and skills of the natural resources sector to deliver innovative solutions. Indeed, there is no alternative to using our natural resources, there is no Uber on the horizon.
Let’s look at the sustainable energy innovations. Solar panels immediately come to mind. Australia has one of the highest rates in the world of penetration of domestic solar panels, mainly thanks to Queensland, where the combined output from the roofs of homes is greater than the coal- fired Stanwell power station.
But the drive is on to increase solar farms to inject electricity into the national power grid...Adani has identified two solar projects in Queensland totalling 250MW, which is similar in capacity to the gas-fired power station at Oakey in southern Queensland.
One of the two solar projects – a proposed 100MW plant – could be located near Emerald in central western Queensland. Adani is also looking at solar projects in South Australia with total capacity of 400MW.
The important thing to remember here is that the manufacture of each solar panel requires 16 metals and minerals, including coal, bauxite and alumina, copper, silica and titanium (both sourced from mineral sands), lead, lithium, tellurium, cadmium and iron ore. Each plays a vital role in the construction and operation of every solar panel on every roof. And Queensland is a leading producer of coal, bauxite, copper and alumina, mineral sands and lead. Queensland also has some exciting lithium prospects.
Wind power is also attracting attention. Again, these towering structures require significant input from the natural resources sector of Australia, particularly Queensland...the generator is 66 percent steel and 35 percent copper. The blades are held in place by steel bolts, and the foundations are made from concrete that is reinforced with steel rods. The towers are 90 percent steel.
Queensland’s contribution to the modern day windmills is significant. Approximately 70 percent of steel is made using coking coal, with Queensland the world’s largest seaborne exporter of coking coal.
In simple terms it takes 220 tonnes of coal to produce a wind turbine capable of generating one megawatt of electricity which is sufficient to power around 40 Queensland homes when running at full capacity.
It should come as no surprise then that electric vehicles rely on the resources sector. And for those who leave the car at home for their daily commute, the natural resources sector gets you to work on time.
Iron ore and coal are used to make steel for frames, seats, and wheels. Bauxite is transformed into aluminium for frames and fixtures. Factories that produce steel, plastics, rubber and paints use a long list of natural resources including natural gas...
Natural gas is also increasingly being used to generate electricity to cover the increased demand during peak periods.
There are some who believe that they can leave the electricity grid. But what happens to the lights – and the TV and drinks fridge – when the sun sets and the wind generators stop turning because the breeze has run-out of puff just as Friday night football is about to start? Two solutions – tap into large and still relatively expensive banks of batteries, or stay connected to the largest battery of all, the existing electricity grid.
Whichever you chose, both require massive contributions from the natural resources sector. And that situation will not change for some time.
QRC CEO Michael Roche