NZ | Energy Projects

[jarbury]

Good to see some more geothermal. These plants are critical in replacing coal, as effectively they do the same thing (without the CO2 emissions).

[Svartmetall]

Agreed. I like the use of alternative energy. Where this country falls down on general carbon emissions, it really picks up the ball and runs with it when it comes to energy projects, good on you New Zealand.

[jarbury]

A shame we can't take a few simple steps to stamp down hard on vehicular emissions. When one considers the number of people they kill each year... more than the road toll!

[Kane007]

Big tick for wind as power of the future

NZ Herald
2007/11/26

Electricity generators are embarking on a green Think Big solution to looming power supply shortages.

Fuel supply for most of the rest of this decade is secure but there are concerns beyond then when existing power stations may not have access to fuel.

Sparked by the Government's green push, the pace for alternative, sustainable fuel sources is picking up.

The Government's energy strategy says state-owned electricity generators should not build more fossil fuel-burning power stations. It is considering extending the ban to private sector generators as well.

With new hydro opportunities all but gone, generators are looking underground at geothermal energy and, most significantly, at wind to meet shortages next decade.

A dozen wind power projects generating close to 2700MW at full capacity are on the drawing board or have planning approval. The first of the big ones is not due for completion until early next decade, if it is not held up by objectors concerned about the visual impact and noise pollution.

New geothermal projects or major modifications to existing plants will generate more than 600MW. The Clyde Dam, one of the centrepieces of the late 1970s and early 1980s Think Big energy projects, generates 432MW.

But just as there are high costs and climate constraints with hydro power, so there are with wind.

The worldwide shortage of wind turbines is driving up price and generators are looking outside traditional suppliers in Denmark and Germany to other manufacturers in China and India.

Contact Energy plans to build the country's biggest wind farm near Port Waikato but its budget has a wide variable of between $1.5 billion and $2 billion. Infratil, which has a majority stake in TrustPower, has analysed the cost of windpower and found that in the past two years the sharp rise in the demand for turbines and increases in commodities such as copper, steel and cement, have led to a 15 per cent rise. Once turbine supply catches up with demand, costs should revert to 2004 levels.

The other problem lies with the vital component - wind. Although New Zealand's location in the Roaring Forties gives the country a natural advantage, wind does not blow steadily at all times, and wind farms usually run well short of full capacity.

New Zealand's biggest wind farm, TrustPower's Tararua project, has averaged slightly more than New Zealand's average of 45 per cent of full capacity - that is, what a wind farm would deliver if the wind blew all day every day at the right speed.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority figures show an average wind turbine in New Zealand will produce electricity equivalent to it operating for 4000 hours at maximum output a year. In Wales, Scotland or Western Ireland the figure is typically around 3000 hours, or in Germany, only around 2000 hours.

Three big wind projects are planned for Otago and this is forcing national grid operator Transpower to focus even harder on plans for a $600 million plus line upgrade to get power north.

The upgrade is designed to boost the main transmission line between Benmore and Wellington and details of the plan will be released at the end of the month.

PICKING UP SPEED

* At the end of last year wind turbines generated 170.8MW - enough to power the requirements of around 77,000 typical households.

* More than 151MW of new capacity has been installed this year, nearly doubling the total capacity to 321MW.

[Kane007]

Projected energy supply

Some interesting facts;

Proposed peak capacity North Island:

Gas 860MW
Geothermal 562MW
Hydrothermal 0
Tidal 200MW
Wind 1661MW

Total 3283MW

Proposed peak capacity South Island:
Gas 0
Geothermal 0
Hydrothermal 149MW
Tidal 0
Wind 1095MW


Total 1244MW

Do note that in NZ the average peak generation from wind is about 45% of the time

The only ugly part of these forthcoming projects is the GAS option, but I suppose a necessary evil.

[kegan]

Puketiro Wind Farm

Capacity: 150MW (50 3MW turbines)

For more info see the Puketiro Wind Farm thread in the Wellington Forum: www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=552131

[Kane007]

Ok this is scary.

I was perusing the Sydney Morning Herald this morning and came upon an article re the recent election. The Rudd government has as one of it's goal to make Australian energy supplies 20% renewable by 2020!

My God our - New Zealand's - are around 70% renewable ALREADY!, with a 95% target of 2025!

Yes I know, this also got me thinking semantics. Is this "energy" target referring to all energy uses - electricity/heating/cooling/transportation - or as is prevalent in NZ, electricity. So got some more research done.

Currently 8% of Australian electricity is generated from renewable's.
Currently 70% of NZ electricity is generated from renewable's.

Both, in fact all country's transportation fleets (car, truck, rail, boat) are almost all powered by non renewable's.

Further reading of the wikipedia article would appear to point to that 20-25 target to also be for electricity generation.

Currently the US is 15% renewable.

Iceland is currently 99% renewable - impressive!

This is about energy production, carbon dioxide emissions belong in another thread.

As a further aside, I did a quick calculation of Aus and NZ percentage of electrified rail - Australia 13%, New Zealand 7%.

[KIWIKAAS]

Imagine if NZ could boost production and export electricity via cable to Australia. The costs would probably be prohibitive though.

[Kane007]

Lol, not so great in the Netherlands - sorry.

But no worries, the rest of the EU isn't much better - 20% target by 2020.

[KIWIKAAS]

Oh deary me

[Kane007]

Originally Posted by KIWIKAAS

Imagine if NZ could boost production and export electricity via cable to Australia. The costs would probably be prohibitive though.

Am imagining it. Example the Pacific DC Intertie HVDC 1,362 kilometer carries 3,100 megawatts from the Dalles, Oregon to the Sylmar Converter Station outside LA, though the current longest is in the Dem. Rep of Congo at 1700km and 500MW.

HVDC - High voltage direct current is what the Cook Straight cables use.
Distance Wellington to Sydney 2226 kilometers. Yes longer, but 1. predominately submarine, 2. Pacific Intertie is 1950/60's tech.

"Depending on voltage level and construction details, losses are quoted as about 3% per 1000 km" - HVDC

So say around 2000 km (6% loss) between the tips .

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by Kane007

Lol, not so great in the Netherlands - sorry.

But no worries, the rest of the EU isn't much better - 20% target by 2020.

How does South Africa compare ?

[Kane007]

Your a hard task master Enigma - bit more work involved finding anything, but...

Electricity - production by source (and I believe from 2001):

* fossil fuel: 93.5%
* hydroelectric: 1.1%
* nuclear: 5.5%
* other: 0% (2001)

[SYDNEY]

Thanks Kane those figures are quite shocking

[Kane007]

Only when compared to NZ, Iceland and Scandinavia. But on a par with Aus and way better than the middle east .

[jarbury]

I think we can be pretty proud of our renewables, but then again we're in a country that's quite blessed for renewable energy resources, so there's no reason why we shouldn't be doing so well.

Apparently in the last 5 years there's been a significant reduction in the percentage of NZ power from renewables, with Huntly and various Gas plants taking up the slack. Hopefully the myriad of wind farms being planned/built at the moment will help reverse that trend.

[kegan]

From Radio NZ News:

Resource consent has been given for a new geothermal power station near Taupo.

The new station will produce 130MW of energy and will be built on the same site as the Rotokawa geothermal station.

The existing station produces 33MW.

The new geothermal station is owned by a joint venture of Mighty River Power and the Tauhara North number two trust. It will be named Nga Awa Purua.

[Svartmetall]

Originally Posted by Kane007

Lol, not so great in the Netherlands - sorry.

But no worries, the rest of the EU isn't much better - 20% target by 2020.

And yet the UK and Germany are going to meet their Kyoto targets whereas New Zealand couldn't meet them despite the fact that most of the energy produced by NZ is renewable.

New Zealand renewables are indeed something to be proud of the abudance of geothermal and hydroelectric power here is really quite stunning! But you guys really shouldn't lord it over the rest of the world and wave it in their face too much as personal per-capita emissions are still huge and things like the level of recycling are pitiful in comparison to the EU.

New Zealand doesn't even have any real heavy industry so what is the excuse for not being able to meet Kyoto guidelines?

Also: just realised that they're not classing nuclear as renewable. Nuclear constitutes most of Frances electricity and a good portion of the electricity across the continent. Nothing wrong with using nuclear power - at least it has no carbon emissions.

Diagram of Green House Gas emissions per capita including land change:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:G...apita_2000.svg

List of countries by Green House Gas emissions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ons_per_capita

Funny, NZ actually seems to do worse than South Africa.

[Kane007]

It's called 5+ million cows and 44 million sheep, flatulating as one and pumping out all that lovely methane!

[Svartmetall]

I know they play a large role, but the EU has a huge amount of farming too - Britain and Germany included (you can see it all from above on google earth) so it can't account for the total issue. Nearly all of our meat in Britain was local except for the obvious imports of Kiwi lamb.

Plus did you know that their burping is almost as bad as their flatulence?

There was an interesting mockumentry (I can't really credit it with being a documentry as it was so emotionally biassed that it was nonsense) on the quality of Aucklands air on today - did anyone see it?