The 'Electric Election': energy policies, side by side
On Newstalk ZB, Energy Resources Aotearoa chief executive John Carnegie spoke with Mike Hosking about the need for coal and gas to provide enough electricity in what looks like another dry year. But there is another option.
GAs and coal will be required in the short term, but we would argue that "it's the answer" mostly because the extra renewable generation hasn't been built fast enough; it's a bit like saying McDonald's is the answer for dinner after forgetting to go to the shops.
Rewiring Aotearoa has a different (and cheaper) answer to the supply problem.
Our hydro system is basically a massive battery and more rooftop and ground mount solar on our homes, farms and businesses could keep water in the hydro lakes for when we need it most.
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It's a particularly compelling option in a dry year where there is an average 11% increase in solar production. When it's not raining, it's shining and, as the graphic shows, that 11% bump creates a significant amount of additional hydro storage - and it could be rolled out a lot more quickly than a new gas field.
A briefing to the new Energy Minister talks about households and businesses finding energy unaffordable. We always come at these issues from a customer perspective and generating your own electricity for your own electric machines is not only good for the energy system, it's the cheapest option for customers.
Like highways, peak times are the main concern, but the grid can handle it if we adopt new technology and change our behaviour.
For example, Forest Lodge Orchard produces around 80% of the electricity it needs to run its 21 electric machines via rooftop and ground mount solar. It stores a lot of that electricity in batteries, so while its electricity consumption has increased dramatically, it doesn’t use any more electricity at peak times.
It can actually be a net positive by exporting during congestion times and powering roughly 25 neighbouring homes.
At a household level, home batteries (and soon enough batteries that come with free wheels AKA electric vehicles with bidirectional charging that can power your house or feed back to the grid) make those calculations even better.
Heating water, which makes up around 30% of a home’s energy use (if you don’t count your car), can also be timed for the solar window.
The long-term answer to our electricity issues is not sitting at the bottom of the ocean or on a ship sent from Indonesia. At least part of the answer is beaming down from the sky.
'Twas the night before Chris-mas, and all through the house, all the voters were stirring, the pundits showing their nous … the election will soon be over, but the energy crisis won't, so we'll be there to pester whoever is in power about the need to run more of the economy on New Zealand-made energy; can Ethiopia's aggressive push for EVs work and how does New Zealand compare in terms of adoption rates?; a two-way charging trial from Genesis shows promise in Auckland, but there's still a way to go before it's mainstream; small electric vehicles are often overlooked when it comes to electrifying transport, but it's hard to miss this weird French one; a solar-powered cafe (and some electric coffee); and we endorse the political vandalism of Keith of All Trades.
Read moreDownloadPoliticians are being urged to adopt stronger electric vehicle incentives ahead of the election. Climate and energy advocacy group Rewiring Aotearoa is arguing that EVs are one of the most effective long-term solutions for rising transport and energy costs. They're promoting an EV Salary Boost proposal, which would allow workers to access EVs through pre-tax salary arrangements – similarly to already existing schemes in the UK and Australia. Policy and Government Relations Spokesperson Ngaio Neumegen told Kerre Woodham that even with the rising cost of power, it's still cheaper to run an EV than a car running on imported fuel.
A proposal that would let New Zealanders lease an electric car using their before-tax pay has not won a commitment from either National or Labour, with the 7 November election days away. Under the EV Salary Boost, put forward by Rewiring Aotearoa and Drive Electric, an employee would lease a new or used EV for three to five years. The payments would come out of their pay before tax, lowering the cost of running the car. The idea is based on Australia’s novated leasing system, though the groups say they are not proposing a direct copy.
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