Part 5/9:
Looking ahead to 2030 and beyond, Hilton describes a "fiddle"—a term she uses to criticize the artificial construction of future cost advantages for renewables. While current data (2024) shows coal as the cheaper option, projections for 2030 suggest renewables might be cheaper, but only through questionable assumptions.
The CSIRO's approach assumes that the significant investments supporting renewables—Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro project ($12 billion), new batteries, gas plants, and transmission infrastructure—will be "free" by 2030. These costs are, in reality, yet to be built and paid for; assuming they are zero distorts the economic picture to favor renewables.