Politics 🗳️ NZ Politics

[miket12]

Can't read this (yet, it's paywalled but free in a few days), the lede says it all. Appalling we're paying so much, this is due mostly to neoliberal driven privatisation. This government will ignore this failure for ordinary New Zealanders and seek to push for further privatisation.

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Minister foreshadows 'fundamental' power market reform

Exclusive new research shows NZ households spent $800m more on energy in 2024 than in 2022, as the Govt considers a total overhaul of the power market.

newsroom.co.nz

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.

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.



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.

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.

 

[MaybeTop8]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

 

[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?