Electric future

[minimoke]

The big thing that spins round and produces the electrons doesn't give two hoots what's making it spin. So why, long term, would you build a generation source which you have to keep shovelling money into to make that big spinning thing spin?

Whatever you shovel needs a consistent and reliable supply. Like coal. We have a thousand years worth sitting in the ground. Or oil - still seems to oodles of the stuff. Both of which are demonstrably "cheap".

Unlike solar which in christchurch only shines 9 hours a day in winter, or wind which is unreliable, or tidal which goes slack during peak periods. Even hydro is unreliable and dependent on rain/snowfalls - unless we get more climate change going which will create more of the wet stuff.

[blobbles]

Whatever you shovel needs a consistent and reliable supply. Like coal. We have a thousand years worth sitting in the ground. Or oil - still seems to oodles of the stuff. Both of which are demonstrably "cheap".

Unlike solar which in christchurch only shines 9 hours a day in winter, or wind which is unreliable, or tidal which goes slack during peak periods. Even hydro is unreliable and dependent on rain/snowfalls - unless we get more climate change going which will create more of the wet stuff.

Are you seriously advocating we burn coal to produce electricity minimoke? I recommend living in New Dehli or Beijing for a couple of weeks choking, getting sick and blowing your nose seeing black snot to disabuse you of that notion. There is a reason these countries are trying so hard to turn away from coal, just like the US did in the 70s and 80s. Repeating observable mistakes would be foolish to the point of absurdity. Interestingly China and India, if they continue on the same track, are likely to take up the slack of the USA in terms of the Paris Climate Agreement.

We can run all our electricity needs from renewable resources or renewable resources + nuclear for major economies and a tiny bit of peak load gas generation for when things turn really tough (snow storms etc), with a smart grid and a slight over production of renewable power. Whether we choose to or not is a different story. In NZs case we could do it so easily its barely even worth talking about burning coal as we are almost completely renewable now.

[blackcap]

We can run all our electricity needs from renewable resources or renewable resources + nuclear for major economies and a tiny bit of peak load gas generation for when things turn really tough (snow storms etc), with a smart grid and a slight over production of renewable power. Whether we choose to or not is a different story. In NZs case we could do it so easily its barely even worth talking about burning coal as we are almost completely renewable now.

In NZ plenty of coal is still burned for energy. Look at Fonterra and the milk processing plants in the SI. They are not going to stop doing so any time soon either.

[LaserEyeKiwi]

In NZ plenty of coal is still burned for energy. Look at Fonterra and the milk processing plants in the SI. They are not going to stop doing so any time soon either.

Fonterra has already announced they are converting all these plants to renewable energy.

plus NZ coal is crap for electricity generation - which is why the remaining coal fired power plants import coal form overseas.

[Snoopy]

Plus NZ coal is crap for electricity generation - which is why the remaining coal fired power plants import coal form overseas.

That coal we mine on the West Coast and send overseas for steel making. That could equally well be burned at Huntly for electricity production. But that coal does not contain the impurities found in alternative coal deposits, that would make those alternative coal deposits unsuitable for steel making. There are other lower quality coal deposits in NZ that we could access for power generation at Huntly. But at this stage in the global warming cycle, I think it would be politically unacceptable to open up a new coal mine to do that! So to summarize , we could burn West Coast coal at Huntly perfectly well. It is just that it would be a waste of good steel making coal to do so.

SNOOPY

[minimoke]

Are you seriously advocating we burn coal to produce electricity minimoke? I recommend living in New Dehli or Beijing for a couple of weeks choking, getting sick and blowing your nose seeing black snot to disabuse you of that notion.

Now why would you go and do that. What a senseless comparison. New Delhi population 19 million, Beijing 22m population Greymouth 13,500.

Just string a few power lines from Greymouth, or maybe the new thermal energy plant on the Alpine fault and we too can have oodles of energy without worrying about the sun or wind. Imagine it - the South Island being NZ's Texas!

[GTM 3442]

Imagine it - the South Island being NZ's Texas!

Given New Zealand's enthusiasm for environmental protection, I rather suspect it may end up more like the Niger delta.

[GTM 3442]

Whatever you shovel needs a consistent and reliable supply. Like coal. We have a thousand years worth sitting in the ground. Or oil - still seems to oodles of the stuff. Both of which are demonstrably "cheap".

Unlike solar which in christchurch only shines 9 hours a day in winter, or wind which is unreliable, or tidal which goes slack during peak periods. Even hydro is unreliable and dependent on rain/snowfalls - unless we get more climate change going which will create more of the wet stuff.

Different parts of the world and New Zealand will have a different mix of sources.

Would you build a solar plant in Christchurch? Well of course not. But you could certainly run a cable or two to a hydro station nearby. One which had a lake big enough to store (say) five years of rain, rather than one. An economy of scale?

For Wellington, possibly a heat exchanger to capture the hot air from Parliament - supplemented by methane from the *compost* from the same source.

As for coal, well all that soot just plays merry h*ll with your washing. Not a favourite at all.

Mix and match according to what's available.

[minimoke]

Could be no shortage of electricity if we can work out how to harness methane hydrate (fire ice) - with current reserves estimated to be more than all known other fossil fuels combined. Something like 280 trillion cubic meters (compared with 3.5b cubic meters of natural gas) - enough to power the world for the next 800 years. I'm still seeing city size scalextric roads in the future

[Minerbarejet]

Could be no shortage of electricity if we can work out how to harness methane hydrate (fire ice) - with current reserves estimated to be more than all known other fossil fuels combined. Something like 280 trillion cubic meters (compared with 3.5b cubic meters of natural gas) - enough to power the world for the next 800 years. I'm still seeing city size scalextric roads in the future

Im seeing F1 turning into slot cars.