The Power Crisis

[davereid]

The closest to a suitable sized reactor for New Zealand is the new Westinghouse 360 MW unit which is being developed now. All going well it well it will receive certification in 2010.[/url]

The catch with nuclear, is the fuss !

Why would you do battle with all the greenies, all the councils, all the NIMBYs and everyone else with an un-informed opinion just for 360MW ?

Everyone knows you only need a solar panel or a gadget stuck in Cook Strait and we will have plenty of electricity !

[Jantar]

Eh? Who is to blame?
Power companies?
Planning regulations?
The Guvvmint?
A simple lack of rain?
All of the above?
Jantar probably knows all the answers.

I can't say I know all the answers, but I can supply part of them.

Who is to blame? One man, Max Bradford. When he set about splitting up New Zealand's Power System, that was the start of the road to shortages. Certainly there were inefficiencies in the way the system used to run as a government department. It was beureaucratic, and top heavy with administration. Yet it worked well as far as forward planning went, and the plant was run in a sfae and complimentary manner. After the re-organisations and split up, the efficiency improvement was phenomenal, and resposibility for many operating decisions passed to those who understood their plant the best.

The downside was the design of the market. Because all generators get paid the cleared nodal price rather than their offer price there was no incentive for companies to offer generation at the true cost of production, and great disincentive to even own peaking or marginal plant. Hence so many stations de-commissioned in the past 16 years.

Demand has continued to grow at around 2.5% per annum, but new generation has not kept pace. And the new generation that has been built (Otahuhu B, TCC, Huntly E3P) is mainly base load plant and unable to be ramped like hydro.

The weather conditions this year have not helped. It has been a dry year, yet not excessively dry. We have had many years in the past with lower inflows, but not combined with lack of storage. This is a direct result of the market. As more wind generation comes online this situation we are seeing this year will only get worse.

[McDuck]

The weather conditions this year have not helped. It has been a dry year, yet not excessively dry. We have had many years in the past with lower inflows, but not combined with lack of storage. This is a direct result of the market. As more wind generation comes online this situation we are seeing this year will only get worse.

Altho hopfully there will be enough spreed to give the hydros a reliable brake to recharge.

[BOGAR]

Well, I've got gas hot water, gas stove and gas heating, so they can turn the power off for all I care

Saw the same thing on TV but without power the gas doesn't work. try it tonight when your home (hot water mainly). Your stove should still go but don't think the rest will.

[Usarka]

Please remember everyone that the word CRISIS being used is by the media only.

The government is confident that everything will be ok and this is a normal cyclical event.

The "Electricity Supply Industry" will be campaigning to people to conserve power shortly. During election year this has NOTHING to do with the governement.

Thank you.

[Flatcap]

Saw the same thing on TV but without power the gas doesn't work. try it tonight when your home (hot water mainly). Your stove should still go but don't think the rest will.

Depends how flash your heating is

However, they can't turn off my hot water (as they did during the last power crises) as I'm no longer connected to their ripple control. HA!

[Usarka]

Depends how flash your heating is

However, they can't turn off my hot water (as they did during the last power crises) as I'm no longer connected to their ripple control. HA!

When they turn off my hot water i heat it in the oven in a huge soup pot. Takes 4 times as much electrictity - haha that'll fuck em.

[Jantar]

Altho hopfully there will be enough spreed to give the hydros a reliable brake to recharge.

Sorry, but this is where the RMA doesn't allow wind and hydro to be the nice easy mix it should be. All three major river systems have stringent minimum flow requirements, so even if there was sufficient spread of wind generation, the hydros aren't permitted to reduce their water flow much at all. In the Clutha river the minimum winter flow was increased from 100 cumecs to 250 cumecs with the new resource consent. Hence a lack of stored water as we head into winter.

[Usarka]

Pardon my ignorance Jantar that's interesting - when was the increase to 250 cumecs?

Was this because of increased populations "downstream"?

Or just consultative and inclusive bollox that keeps things from progressing in this country?

[Jantar]

Pardon my ignorance Jantar that's interesting - when was the increase to 250 cumecs?

Was this because of increased populations "downstream"?

Or just consultative and inclusive bollox that keeps things from progressing in this country?

It took effect in June last year, and was just one of many new consent conditions imposed with the reconsenting process. At the same time the minimum flow from lake hawea was increased from 6 to 10 cumecs.

There are no increased downstream populations, just something that the Otago Regional Council, and Fish and Game wanted.

[Fooman]

There hasn't been any major generating capacity added in NZ since the Clyde Dam. The population has increased 50% since then, plus more electrical demand.
Is it any real surprise?
G

Clyde Dam: 432 MW, fully operational in 1992

Since then, off the top of my head (actually looking up some 2005 data plus the top of my head)

Thermal:
Edgecumbe: 10 MW installed 1996
Te Awmotu Co-gen: 27 MW installed 1996
Whareroa Co-gen: 70 MW installed 1997
Glenbrook co-gen" 74 MW installed 1998
Kinleith Co-gen: 40 MW installed 1998
Southdown 1&2: 123 MW installed 1998
Kapuni Co-gen: 20 MW installed 1998
Taranaki Combined Cycle: 377 MW, installed 1998
Otahuhu B: 404 MW, installed 1999
Te Rapa Co-gen: 45 MW, installed 1999
Whirinaki peaking : 155 MW installed 2004
Huntly Unit 6: 50 MW installed 2004
Pan Pac Cogen: 13 MW installed 2005
Huntly Unit 5 (E3P): 385 MW, installed 2007
Southdown 3: additional 47MW installed 2007


Geothermal:
Poihipi: 55 MW, installed 1997
Ngawha: 11 MW installed 1998
Rotokawa: 42 MW installed 1999
Mokai: 68 MW, installed 2000
Wairakei Binary: 14 MW installed 2005

Hydro:
Manapouri Tailrace Project: additional 170 MW, completed 2002ish

Wind
Te Apiti: 91 MW, installed 2004
Taraua: 68 MW, installed 2004

I'm probably missing a couple of wind/geothermal. There are also reasonable amounts of generation in the process of installation, e.g. Stratford peaking, wind farms, some more geothermal etc.

Cheers,
FM

[Tank]

At the end of the day - being more responsible with electricity (Energy efficient bulbs - turning off lights, wrap on the water cylinder etc) dosnt actually do any harm, and it saves you money.

My power bill is iro $350 per month.

We have noticed changing bulbs to energy efficient and turning off lights etc has dropped this about $60 - one assumes that the savings are actually greater because our bill normally goes up in winter.


btw - its a newish home so fully insulated, but we normally have the curtains open for the view. Closing them at night has made a HUGE difference for retaining heat (DUH) - so we only need to heat the main floor for 30 mins and its toasty and stays that way for the night (that probably accounted for a lot of our winter increases).


Now before you start bashing me for being a greeny - Id rather stick my dick in the blades of a waste disposal unit before buying a hybrid car.

[Usarka]

Now before you start bashing me for being a greeny

At $350 a month I'd hardly call you a greenie

[Dilligaf]

At $350 a month I'd hardly call you a greenie

Hear hear. Crikey $350!!!

[Forest]

Thats a point.....
Mayebe we could hook a couple of them mothers into the national grid.

Don't laugh - but during the last nationwide power crisis there was serious discussion about docking the Cook Strait ferries and connecting their generators directly into the National Grid.