FAQs
What about other forms of renewable energy?
This website focuses on campaigning on wind power, as it is
the maturest renewable technology, can deliver large amounts
of electricity at a relatively low cost and because it needs
more public support to be successful. But other renewable
energy sources are important as well.
The majority of our electricity, some 60-70%, is generated
by hydro systems which means that we already have a high percentage
of renewable electricity in the national grid. Existing hydro
dams should be maintained but the development of new medium
and large scale hydro schemes is an inappropriate energy source
due to the widespread environmental impacts from these developments,
including flooding of riparian and surrounding land and dramatic
impacts on river flows and the riverine ecology downstream
from the dam.
- Between 23-30% of electricity generation is gas or coal-fired
- these carbon dioxide emitting fuels are major contributors
to climate change and must be replaced by positive, clean and
renewable energy sources. Besides our great wind resources
our renewable energy-mix could include:
- Solar power - including solar hot water heaters.
- Geothermal - provided it is sited ecologically
sensitively, not in areas of conservation value and the development
managed to protect the environmental qualities of the aquifer.
In the year ended June 2004 Geothermal energy (steam from
under the ground) contributed already 6.2% of the total electricity
generation.
- Small scale hydro - provided it is sited ecologically
sensitively, not in areas of conservation value and the development
managed to protect the environmental qualities of the river
system.
- Biomass generation - Woody biomass currently provides
about five percent (35PJ) of New Zealand's primary energy
supply.
- Future renewable energy sources include wave and
tidal power.
- Furthermore energy efficiency and conservation are
vital. We need to reduce the demand for energy and stop demand
growth by learning to use energy wisely.
In 2001 the Government released the National Energy Efficiency
and Conservation Strategy (NEECS) setting out two main targets
for New Zealand's energy future:
- to reach 20% improvement to energy efficiency
- and to increase renewable energy supplies to an
additional 25 - 55 PJ by 2012
A step in the right direction has obviously been made but
there is still a lack of legislative mechanisms needed to implement
the targets.
For more information about policies concerning wind energy
have a look at the Greenpeace Report "Winds
of Change"
Further information about other renewables can be found in
the links section of this site.
Notes
www.stats.govt.nz/
www.eeca.govt.nz/programmes/renewable/whatarethey/bioenergy.aspx
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