Politics 🗳️ NZ Politics

[miket12]

I believe this happened: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national...ery-project-short-sighted-otago-energy-expert

Govt confirms it is dumping 'hugely wasteful' Lake Onslow battery project

The $16 billion pumped hydro scheme had been championed by the former Labour government.

www.rnz.co.nz

Funny how Megan Woods is "unsure how NZ can store electricity" without the Onslow Battery, yet, under the previous fast track program, as the Minister of Energy, she fast tracked the storage battery in Northland in early 2023. As Prime Minister at the time, Hipkins would have been aware of the BESS project Woods approved also.... as, mostly likely, would have all cabinet ministers. Yet, neither Woods or Hipkins, according to the RNZ article, weren't aware of any other alternatives less than 12 months of approving the Northland BESS.

Onslow addressed only one power supply issue... how to generate hydro power over a dry period to the southern hydro lakes.... it DIDN'T address the supply of renewable energy from wind or solar.... only things like BESS systems can do that.

The other problem with a hydro battery like Onslow is they are a very inefficient way to produce power... to act as a battery, gravity moves water down from a higher reservoir to a lower one through turbines to create power.... but, as the water levels in the upper reservoir goes down, it needs to be replaced, and this happens by pumping the water from the lower reservoir to the higher one.... so, a large of the electricity that's produced isn't put into the power grid but is used to recycle/pump the water to the higher lake.

Economically, large hydro batteries make far more sense in countries which doesn't have the geological advantages NZ has. BESS systems, in possibly fusion reactors in the future, makes more economic sense.

Also, consider this. Theres around 1.6 million houses in NZ. If half of those were given a grant to receive a solar system with batteries of the $16 billion that was going to be spent on the Onslow project, that's a grant of $20,000 for houses to become relatively self-sufficient in terms of their power needs. How many renters do you think would like to be able to save $3,000-5,000 per year?

In some ways it's a pity National have scrapped the Onslow Battery.... it would have been a nice sized asset to have sold off

 

[MaybeTop8]

Funny how Megan Woods is "unsure how NZ can store electricity" without the Onslow Battery, yet, under the previous fast track program, as the Minister of Energy, she fast tracked the storage battery in Northland in early 2023. As Prime Minister at the time, Hipkins would have been aware of the BESS project Woods approved also.... as, mostly likely, would have all cabinet ministers. Yet, neither Woods or Hipkins, according to the RNZ article, weren't aware of any other alternatives less than 12 months of approving the Northland BESS.

Onslow addressed only one power supply issue... how to generate hydro power over a dry period to the southern hydro lakes.... it DIDN'T address the supply of renewable energy from wind or solar.... only things like BESS systems can do that.

The other problem with a hydro battery like Onslow is they are a very inefficient way to produce power... to act as a battery, gravity moves water down from a higher reservoir to a lower one through turbines to create power.... but, as the water levels in the upper reservoir goes down, it needs to be replaced, and this happens by pumping the water from the lower reservoir to the higher one.... so, a large of the electricity that's produced isn't put into the power grid but is used to recycle/pump the water to the higher lake.

Economically, large hydro batteries make far more sense in countries which doesn't have the geological advantages NZ has. BESS systems, in possibly fusion reactors in the future, makes more economic sense.

Also, consider this. Theres around 1.6 million houses in NZ. If half of those were given a grant to receive a solar system with batteries of the $16 billion that was going to be spent on the Onslow project, that's a grant of $20,000 for houses to become relatively self-sufficient in terms of their power needs. How many renters do you think would like to be able to save $3,000-5,000 per year?

In some ways it's a pity National have scrapped the Onslow Battery.... it would have been a nice sized asset to have sold off

You would agree there has been hideous underinvestment by successive governments, and the industry on the whole?

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Where NZ has fallen behind a lot of other countries isn't that we haven't change enough from fossil fuel supplied generation to renewable or that we did it too fast.... our problem is that we haven't provided enough storage capacity yet in the form of battery storage so we're still reliant on gas and coal to make up the shortfall when required.... meaning our wholesale prices are still rising.

Its not possible to run on battery storage, so coal or gas will always be required. You need some ability to generate on demand. Genesis spent millions of fuel costs to cover lower hydro.

Overall, power from renewables is now cheaper than coal or gas because the cost of the batteries to store the power is around 85% less than it was in 2010.... but we've rushed too quickly into adopting renewables (such as solar and wind) without the storage capacity. So when we have had to generate power through coal and/or gas, it's cost us more.

Solar/wind has always been cheaper to generate, its not cheaper to store, firm and distribute which is the issue. Its still not cheaper stored in a battery unless you ignore a 25% capacity factor and firming costs

View attachment 14506

We currently have only one commercial BESS (a 100MW Battery Energy Storage System) run by Meridian completed and commissioned in Ruakākā Energy Park, Northland attached to a solar farm which received fast track approval under the COVID approval scheme.

Where are these figures from? An annual report? Never seen LNG come in cheaper than coal especially in regards to either CCGP / peaker plants.

Love it or hate it, the current governments fast track schemes means that five more battery schemes will receive approval far faster than under the old RMA... Mercury is planning a BESS near the Whakamaru Hydro station in the Waikato, Contact is currently building a grid-scale battery to supply NZ Steel at Glenbrook from wind and solar generation, Contact have also received consent for a 100 kW BESS in Stratford and CentrePort has applied for 500 kW BESS for the Wellington Port and rail system.

Adding complexity to a system has never reduced a systems costs.

Napkin math to get NZ to wind/solar/hydro is $100B, would take until 2060 and add 25c/ kwh to energy bills.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Also, consider this. Theres around 1.6 million houses in NZ. If half of those were given a grant to receive a solar system with batteries of the $16 billion that was going to be spent on the Onslow project, that's a grant of $20,000 for houses to become relatively self-sufficient in terms of their power needs. How many renters do you think would like to be able to save $3,000-5,000 per year?

This is a terrible idea. Your network revenue craters but still needs opex, so daily use charges skyrocket. Only way to avoid that would be to dismantle the grid and everyone buy diesel generators, but how is that good for the environment?

What about new builds? Are they allocated new funds or are they frozen out?

 

[Noitall]

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

On the edge of a recession according to this. Did we even come out of it? I’m sure tariffs have had a bearing but this governments inability to look inward at its own performance is really rubbing voters the wrong way I think

 

[MaybeTop8]

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

On the edge of a recession according to this. Did we even come out of it? I’m sure tariffs have had a bearing but this governments inability to look inward at its own performance is really rubbing voters the wrong way I think

Imagine the howls on here if Labour was in power

 

[Noitall]

Imagine the howls on here if Labour was in power

Very close election coming up I think

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Rearview mirror June GDP data following an upwardly revised & better than expected rearview mirror March quarter, flat across 6 months. September quarter will look better, NZ is through the worst of it & starting to see a bit of growth out there… and that’s before the additional rate cuts & mortgage holders coming off higher fixed rates. Things will look positively rosey by this time next year.

 

[Rick O’Shay]

Imagine the howls on here if Labour was in power

TBH I thought they still were
Seems like it

 

[MaybeTop8]

TBH I thought they still were
Seems like it

Just the right sorry Rick

 

[Noitall]

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

Winston on the train simulator to avoid hi viz

 

[MaybeTop8]

The government doesn't like it up 'em

Dylan Reeve (@dylanreeve.com)

This author has chosen to make their posts visible only to people who are signed in.

bsky.app

 

[Rick O’Shay]

Just the right sorry Rick

Hard to tell these days mate

 

[MaybeTop8]

National and this coalition have truly fucked this country right now

Former finance minister Sir Roger Douglas calls for Finance Minister Nicola Willis to resign

Former Finance Minister Sir Roger Douglas and Auckland University's Robert MacCulloch say Willis is 'sending New Zealand bankrupt'.

www.rnz.co.nz

View: https://bsky.app/profile/paullecomtephoto.nz/post/3lz3glpq4ks2q

 

[MaybeTop8]

Economy contracts sharply as GDP falls 0.9% in June quarter

Figures for the three months to June show the books moving backwards.

www.rnz.co.nz

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

$9 billion dollars a year in interest alone on the debt from the last govt. is a lot of money we no longer have to spend in the economy…

 

[MaybeTop8]

$9 billion dollars a year in interest alone on the debt from the last govt. is a lot of money we no longer have to spend in the economy…

Bad news Wiz. Apart from the fact you're quoting thin air. This government has borrowed much more.

And it's a sad day for you lot when I'm quoting the Taxpayers Union

Government’s Borrowing Binge Piles onto Trillion-Dollar National Debt

Championing Value For Money From Every Tax Dollar

www.taxpayers.org.nz

Eeewww. I need a shower after doing that.

 

[MaybeTop8]

This sounds about right, err.....correct.

 

[Worried2Death]

This sounds about right, err.....correct.

View attachment 14515

View attachment 14516

Isn't that the way it's always done in adversarial party politics? It's all so tiresome comrade.

 

[MaybeTop8]

Isn't that the way it's always done in adversarial party politics? It's all so tiresome comrade.

View attachment 14518

Julie Andrews isn't left