At COP28 in Dubai, there was an intensity of debate, a tsunami of evidence, a profusion of advocates, an electrifying urgency and a grasp of consequences we lack in New Zealand. Rod Oram reports.
Yet, to achieve that we need nothing less than a fundamental transformation of our electricity system from a 20th century model dominated by gentailers involving large-scale generation, long distance transmission and concentrated market power to a 21st century one based on local generation, use, trading and storage of renewable sources of electricity.
Oh good grief. We’re not going to power a nation with rooftop solar and other small scale power, especially when our peak power usage happens on the coldest nights of the year. Our hydro dams are the backbone of the grid, and they’re at the opposite end of the country to our biggest centre of demand.
More local, distributed generation would help with the big problem in our energy system being the big hydro dams being at the opposite end of the country to the biggest source of demand. It’s not saying get rid of the big hydro dams, it’s saying we’ll need a different model for the future.
I have solar. My power bill halved, so total imported units is probably reduced by about 30%. If everyone had solar, demand on the grid would drop by a significant amount.
Your turn. Why would rooftop/local solar and wind not help?
our peak power usage happens on the coldest nights of the year.
I already did, but allow me to expand on that point.
Our hydro dams are, in effect, colossal batteries, and are vital to back up the many other types of renewables we have, including solar, wind, run of the river hydro, and geothermal. Geothermal is a base load, and we don’t have control over the output of the others the way we do with hydro. This is why Labour was proposing to build a colossal pumped storage hydro scheme, because they understand this as well as anyone.
We need them, we will always need them, and we need a national grid to bring power from them to the rest of the country. Your solar doesn’t do anything on a cold winter night.
Oh good grief. We’re not going to power a nation with rooftop solar and other small scale power, especially when our peak power usage happens on the coldest nights of the year. Our hydro dams are the backbone of the grid, and they’re at the opposite end of the country to our biggest centre of demand.
More local, distributed generation would help with the big problem in our energy system being the big hydro dams being at the opposite end of the country to the biggest source of demand. It’s not saying get rid of the big hydro dams, it’s saying we’ll need a different model for the future.
I’d love some technical details on how you think this will work.
No you wouldn’t
Quite frankly, I think both you and the author lack the technical knowledge to make that claim.
Case in point, you’re not actually interested. Where’s your technical argument oh great one?
My technical argument is there’s a good reason why we do things the way we do, and if you want to change, it’s on you to prove your way is better.
I have solar. My power bill halved, so total imported units is probably reduced by about 30%. If everyone had solar, demand on the grid would drop by a significant amount.
Your turn. Why would rooftop/local solar and wind not help?
I already did, but allow me to expand on that point.
Our hydro dams are, in effect, colossal batteries, and are vital to back up the many other types of renewables we have, including solar, wind, run of the river hydro, and geothermal. Geothermal is a base load, and we don’t have control over the output of the others the way we do with hydro. This is why Labour was proposing to build a colossal pumped storage hydro scheme, because they understand this as well as anyone.
We need them, we will always need them, and we need a national grid to bring power from them to the rest of the country. Your solar doesn’t do anything on a cold winter night.