Don't listen to Old Man Gas. Ditch LNG. Support New Zealand-made energy!
Over 100 people turned up to a meeting in Taranaki this week to voice their opposition to the proposed LNG import terminal. And whether it was cost, emissions or safety, there were a range of concerns raised, as RNZ reported. As we have said from the start - and as a big research project that's set to be released soon confirms - there are cheaper, better ways to solve the dry year issue and LNG is too expensive to be seen as a solution to our diminishing domestic gas reserves.
Our analysis shows that diesel is a better bridging option than LNG as we continue to build renewables and this would also help bolster our fuel resilience.
Mike Casey sent a video message to the meeting and, as he said, rather than investing in vinyl, we should be investing in a Spotify subscription.
We currently have to burn stuff when the lakes get low, but we should be trying to keep the lakes high by using more renewables. Solar is the thing that excites Casey the most and it's particularly important in a dry year as there is more production, but there are some barriers in the way.
Community Energy Taranaki has been doing some great work advocating strongly with council for long-term, low-interest loans for electric upgrades. And now we need the Government to play ball.
Political Power has gone local! Dr Nick Smith, mayor of Nelson and ex-National Party minister, is an early adopter when it comes to electric machines but, through his efforts with the council and his close involvement with the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme, he's also embracing one of Rewiring's core mantras: once you've electrified your own life, electrify someone else's life, too.
Read moreDownloadWhether it's the growing number of electric buses, new electric trains for the lower North Island and City Rail Link, or new electric ferries, we love seeing more electric transport options in our big cities. It's also good to see some of our smaller cities like Palmerston North, Timaru and Nelson going electric and, as is almost always the case, the drivers reckon it's better on electrons. At the Electrify Nelson expo, we spoke with one driver Lee about the city's electric buses. And he definitely wouldn't go back to diesel.
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