Gregory's Server“New Zealand achieved 91 per cent renewable electricity generation in the June 2023 quarter”.
That’s pretty damn good. 100 per cent might be tough in the short term, but this is promising.
 4 comments
@vik We can produce a lot more renewable electricity, so the first part is not insurmountable although there are problems when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining in the right amounts at the right time. When you say “exporting the problems” what are you thinking of?  @billbennett We can't make enough for future needs with the plant we have right now, and investment in capacity is sorely lacking. Plus making it is one thing, transmitting it to where it is needed is another kettle of worms. By "exporting the problems" I mean: Producing energy-intensive products which used to be made here overseas and then importing them. @vik Apparently there is no shortage of potential investment (I’ve been researching this), there is a lack of suitable projects, that’s partly due to consenting processes that give objectors a veto. The transition is tricky, but not insurmountable. I’ve been talking to industry leaders who advocate NZ lobbying to win energy-intensive projects from overseas on the grounds that our energy is (or will be) cleaner than everyone else’s. |
@billbennett The problem comes as we accelerate decarbonizing, and need to replace that energy with electricity. Or export the problems to somewhere cheap and dirty, which is more likely if there is no incentive for investment at this end.