Presentation by Vaughan Latimer
The Royal Society Room
Tuesday, 4th June 2013 Commencing 8.00 pm until 9.00 pm
About the Speaker
Vaughan Latimer has achieved: Certificate in Electrical Engineering (Power),Certificate in Electrical Power Protection Systems, BSc (Hobart) in mathematics and computer Science, BSc (Hobart) with Honours (Mathematics), Holder of a current Pilots Licence since 1971 (PPL), From 1979 to 1992, I worked with the Hydro Electric Commission of Tasmania, primarily in the Protection and Test role. This involved commissioning the electrical protection in major substations and switch yards. (Reece Power Station and Farrell switchyard were the major items in commissioning. I moved into market outage management with Transend Networks and eventually with Hydro Tasmania. This role was to optimise scheduled (and unscheduled ) outages to maximise the dollar return to Hydro Tasmania. In 2003, I commenced working (concurrently) for the Cloud Seeding Group in Hydro Tasmania. This occupied about 12 % of my time and was chiefly involved in being placed on a roster to participate in the aerial based cloud-seeding program. In May 20th 2011, I took early retirement from Hydro Tasmania, but continued to work part time (April to October, 20 ~ 30 hours per month) in the Hydro Tasmania Cloud seeding program. In 2013, returned to the University of Tasmania to continue post graduate studies in physics, with an aim of progressing in atmospheric physics.
Brief Abstract of the Talk
The presentation will provide a brief outline of the history of cloud seeding as well as a non-technical discussion of the processes involved. This will touch on aspects of atmospheric physics and the chemistry of cloud seeding agents. The speaker will then discuss Hydro Tasmania’s role in cloud seeding as well as the Snowy Hydro’s exhaustive program. The methodology of the two authorities will then be detailed. The executive summary of the Snowy Mountain’s study and evaluation will be discussed. A brief discussion on world cloud seeding programs will then close the session.
