Another thing I have been thinking about recently, which is linked to climate change, is New Zealand's power generation methods. Currently we rely on big power plants, be they Hydro, gas, geo-thermal or coal. This is quite inefficient, as much of the power generated is lost in transit. This is especially so in the case of the big South Island Hydro plants, which are located well away from New Zealand’s main population centres.
It seems to me that we ought to move to smaller, local projects to reduce this wastage, and to reduce our dependence on one particular type of energy. Currently, if there is a drought in the South Island, we are in deep trouble! This does not mean that we will generate less electrical from the big Hydro projects, just that they will produce a lower proportion of our power.
Specifically, I think we should be increasing our use of commercial wind farms, and investigating tide-based generation. These forms of generation are clean, and will help to diversify our sources of power. Also, they can be sited closer to centres of population. The Kaipara and Manukau Harbours spring to mind as good sites for tidal power, close to Auckland. Ultimately, I think people are going to have to accept the widespread installation of wind generators, as part of the price of continued secure, cheap, and cleaner energy.
We should also be encouraging households to install solar and small wind generators on their own properties. If each household could generate even 10-20 per cent of their own power, this would significantly reduce our dependence on large, new developments. As it stands now, solar generation is already cheaper than other forms of generation. A solar panel pays for itself in 3 to 5 years of operation. The only losers from households generating their own power are the commercial generators and retailers of power.
By giving incentives to households to install their own clean, cheap power source, we can reduce our reliance on big, central projects, lower the cost of electricity, and reduce our carbon footprint. Ideally, we might be able to permanently decommission our coal and gas plants, possibly retaining them as back-up generation options.
These options seem to me to be a pretty easy choice to make. Cheap, cleaner energy, with greater efficiency and security.
It seems to me that we ought to move to smaller, local projects to reduce this wastage, and to reduce our dependence on one particular type of energy. Currently, if there is a drought in the South Island, we are in deep trouble! This does not mean that we will generate less electrical from the big Hydro projects, just that they will produce a lower proportion of our power.
Specifically, I think we should be increasing our use of commercial wind farms, and investigating tide-based generation. These forms of generation are clean, and will help to diversify our sources of power. Also, they can be sited closer to centres of population. The Kaipara and Manukau Harbours spring to mind as good sites for tidal power, close to Auckland. Ultimately, I think people are going to have to accept the widespread installation of wind generators, as part of the price of continued secure, cheap, and cleaner energy.
We should also be encouraging households to install solar and small wind generators on their own properties. If each household could generate even 10-20 per cent of their own power, this would significantly reduce our dependence on large, new developments. As it stands now, solar generation is already cheaper than other forms of generation. A solar panel pays for itself in 3 to 5 years of operation. The only losers from households generating their own power are the commercial generators and retailers of power.
By giving incentives to households to install their own clean, cheap power source, we can reduce our reliance on big, central projects, lower the cost of electricity, and reduce our carbon footprint. Ideally, we might be able to permanently decommission our coal and gas plants, possibly retaining them as back-up generation options.
These options seem to me to be a pretty easy choice to make. Cheap, cleaner energy, with greater efficiency and security.
5 comments:
Another thing to think about is how we use our existing energy sources better. Currently we burn gas in huge power plants, which is around 40% efficient on a good day. If you pipe the gas direct to homes and burn it on the stove or in the hot water cylinder, it is around 90% efficient. I'm not saying we should burn more gas, what I'm saying is that given we do currently burn it there are more efficient ways of doing so.
But is getting the gas to the homes efficient Chris, or does it leak out on the way, eating up the gains made? I have no idea, your suggestion sounds good though.
Span: pretty efficient, though YFG (unaccounted for gas) on local networks is about 1%, and at least some of that is due to creative accounting by gas companies.
(Other causes of UFG include people not having their meters read for two years, but having a number made up every month by the meter reader, and people whose billing information has been lost and are getting their gas for free. Actual leakage from pipes is a factor, but is estimated to be rather low. Though one of the big problems with the gas industry is that no-one really knows, because their monitoring is very crude and ultimately depends on gas companies telling one another the truth in circumstances where doing so may cost them significant amounts of money).
Another thing that is often forgotten, there is a large stock of LPG that comes out of the Maui field, most of which is shipped offshore. LPG is the stuff you use to fire up a gas BBQ and can also be used to provide gas to homes in remote areas where it is not possible to pipe it in.
The trouble with tidal power is that NZ doesn't have many unwanted esturies. Tidal power generally involves damming the estury and thus both silting it up, and making it useless for breeding fish. Wave power seems much more likely to be useful to me, but again much of the obvious capacity is on the West Coast... not a lot of people.
Wind, on the other hand, is everywhere and easy to do incrementally.
I think that a focus on local generation will really bring that home (so to speak). Faced with a small new coal/oil/gas power station nearby, or a line of wind turbines, most people will choose the turbine. The trouble is that right now that's not the choice - it's a wind turbine here, or a big oil fired station a long way away. So people choose oil. Bah!
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