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Originally Posted by GTM 3442
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.
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Originally Posted by minimoke
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.
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Originally Posted by blobbles
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.
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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
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Originally Posted by blobbles
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!
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New Zealand's future electrity requirements are likely to be met by wind power. The problem is that wind is intermittent and we are already at the stage where wind is starting to destabilise the national grid. That means for every MW of new wind generation we need another MW of fast start hydro or gas turbine plant.
There is another way of matching future wind generation and that is with pumped storage hydro. Every 1 MW of pumped storage will allow another 2 MW of wind. There are two sites in NZ suitable for pumped storage: Lake Onslow and the Hawea - Wanaka Neck, but no-one seems to have the appetite to build them.
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Originally Posted by 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
Im seeing F1 turning into slot cars.
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Originally Posted by Jantar
New Zealand's future electrity requirements are likely to be met by wind power. The problem is that wind is intermittent and we are already at the stage where wind is starting to destabilise the national grid. That means for every MW of new wind generation we need another MW of fast start hydro or gas turbine plant.
There is another way of matching future wind generation and that is with pumped storage hydro. Every 1 MW of pumped storage will allow another 2 MW of wind. There are two sites in NZ suitable for pumped storage: Lake Onslow and the Hawea - Wanaka Neck, but no-one seems to have the appetite to build them.
I happen to think wind turbines are a blight on the landscape. Greenies not alright with polluting the atmosphere but visual pollution is just fine. One perfectly good hill outside Palmerston North now nothing but an eyesore. Makara used to be a pleasant escape (loved escaping there for a bit of diving and fishing) - now signs of industrialization speckle the hills all over the place. Disgusting for this "clean green country of ours!
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Originally Posted by minimoke
I happen to think wind turbines are a blight on the landscape. Greenies not alright with polluting the atmosphere but visual pollution is just fine. One perfectly good hill outside Palmerston North now nothing but an eyesore. Makara used to be a pleasant escape (loved escaping there for a bit of diving and fishing) - now signs of industrialization speckle the hills all over the place. Disgusting for this "clean green country of ours!
I couldn't disagree more!
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Originally Posted by Minerbarejet
Im seeing F1 turning into slot cars.
Don't need slots
Formula E
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