Dispatchability is about speed of response to changing demand, say during peak hour or after a breakdown.

The best dispatchable sources are hydro, battery, gas turbine, diesel generators and in fact wind turbines – if the wind is blowing and they are being feathered.

Coal is lousy as a dispatchable because it takes ages to heat up the boiler.

So perhaps he means baseload.

The question then becomes, “what is the optimum level of baseload generating capacity for a stable system?”.

But we only get to hear about carbon targets. 

Perhaps we should be told about grid structure and performance and see what carbon target that implies?

THERE are a number of different ways of ranking a country by its wealth.

By any measure Australia is a rich country and Peter Doddy (The Examiner, August 25) is disingenuous when he writes that Australia is in debt for billions, yet gives away billions.

In highlighting the plight of the homeless and stating that charity begins at home he is arguing, falsely, that we cannot afford foreign aid.

There are many reasons why we have homeless people.

House prices, unoccupied investment properties, poor mental health supports, lack of job opportunities, rising inequality.

There are many other sources of revenue to fund and support those who find themselves at the bottom of our increasingly unequal society.

Obscene CEO salaries, franchises ripping off workers left right and centre, greedy banks and superannuation funds, corporate tax evasion just to name a few.

Foreign aid is something else.

It is abundantly clear that if we do not help our Pacific neighbours in particular - China will.

It's time we stopped looking inwards and accepted that we are part of global village and have a serious contribution to make.

I DON’T believe we attach enough importance as to how much we rely on reliability in our lives.  

Marriage, friendships, financial institutions, having perishable items like strawberries available when we want them and even governments all sink or swim by it.

Most of us seem to be unaware that our electricity supply also needs it - unfortunately it looks like we’ll never know until we haven’t got it.

A good start could be made by forcing all suppliers to use the unit “reliable electricity” in all comparisons.  

We would then have a better idea, for example, as to how “cheap” electricity from solar farms is.

Or how many of the thousands of homes quoted in their claims are willing to accept no power at night or on cloudy days.

HOW unfortunate that the wonderful victory by Japan's Naomi Osaka in the US Open women's singles final was overshadowed by the ranting and ravings of her defeated opponent Serena Williams.

Williams was infuriated by three code violations applied by the experienced and highly-respected chair umpire.

Williams claimed it was a case of sexism and that she was standing up for women's equality in the sport.  

Interesting, when the most glaring example of gender inequality in the Grand Slam tournaments, is the fact that women, who only play best-of-three sets, receive the same prize money as the men.

Particularly when men play best-of-five sets.

Men, on most occasions, give the fans far more on-court time.

They also give more effort and quality entertainment than the women players.

This is not the first meltdown tennis fans have seen from Williams.

In the 2014 US Open women's final against the eventual winner, Kim Klijsters, Williams received a penalty on match point, from a woman chair umpire.

The penalty was for threatening to shove a tennis ball down the throat of a lines person who had correctly foot-faulted her.

On that occasion Williams only received a $175,000 fine and put on a two-year probation.

Even so it is a lenient penalty and a meaningless probation for such a serious offence.

Especially considering her income from tennis.

Of course there are instances of men players being treated too leniently for disgraceful on-court behaviour.

Nick Kyrios being one example.

But it's a bit rich for Williams to be claiming bias.

She only received a lenient fine for threatening to shove a tennis ball down the throat of a lines person.

Williams was also fined for abusing a chair umpire in the 2010 US Open final.

That was when she lost to Australia's Sam Stosur.

Last week should have been the most wonderful occasion of Osaka’s promising career to date.

However, Osaka was in tears.

The biased New York crowd, obviously incited by Williams' meltdown, booed during the presentations.

The talented and gracious 2018 champion deserved better.