Read our new Electric Homes and Vehicles report
"The most detailed counterproposal comes from Rewiring Aotearoa, a sustainable energy lobby group which commissioned research firm Sapere to model an alternative. Its answer is the least glamorous fuel imaginable: diesel. Does Rewiring Aotearoa actually like diesel? “The answer is ‘no’, but the answer is ‘yes’ if we have to do something,” says CEO Mike Casey. His thesis is that the rapid take-up of renewable energy makes most of the concerns about firming power redundant. “But 2024 sent energy ministers’ blood pressures through the roof.”
Read moreDownload the document here“We’ve only got one transmission line coming in through a gorge, and all our road access traverses the sides of steep mountains. ”If the line came down and road access was cut, the area’s diesel generators could run out of fuel well before the line was restored, particularly if widespread damage throughout the South Island made the emergency response slow.
Read moreDownloadThe Age of Electricity continues to ramp up and solar and wind are providing the extra juice; ASB releases a report on why businesses need to take energy into their own hands, but Mitre 10 Mega in Silverdale and the Christchurch Art Gallery already know that; global EV sales continue to rise and two-way charging is a massive opportunity, according to the World Economic Forum; research shows (and anecdotal evidence confirms) that concerns about battery longevity of EVs are unfounded.; The Spinoff's Robbie Nichol uses our explainer to explain plug-in solar; there's no need to heat rooms when you can heat humans directly; and some truly remarkable features from Zeekr and Xpeng.
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