A sustainable energy future for New Zealand

✍ Scribed by Ralph E.H. Sims

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 459 KB
• Volume: 9
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0960-1481
• DOI: 10.1016/0960-1481(96)88460-6

✦ Synopsis

New Zealand has the potential to become thejrst country to be totally dependent on renewable energy sources. Already hydra power supplies 7009 of the total electricity demand and geothermal a further 5%. The challenge is to phase out the remaining 25% thermal power generation and to provide suflcient liquid transportfielsjFom the biomass resources.

The natural gasjelds currently supply over 309% of total energy demand but the reserves are very limited. Windfming is a feasible alternative using wood-jredpower generation and landfili gas plants to meet peak demands.

There is land available for energy crop production and the climate enables all year round growth such that high crop yields of 20 oven dry tonnes/ha/year appear feasible. In addition the solar radiation of 1 kW/& wiN enable solar thermaI andphotovoltaics to make a significant contribution.

Currently there are no government incentives fw renewable energy under the pee market economy but a sustainable energvfuture is feasible in the long term.