Topic: NZ can lead world in renewable energy

Re: NZ can lead world in renewable energy 

Renewable energy is great but using less is better and cheaper.
The potential to reduce excessive power usage in New Zealand is huge.
Homes
Insulation and windows
Efficient heating

Commercial
Better insulation and windows to reduce a/c
More windows for natural light
No more open shop doors while a/c is running
Less lighting in the night especially if not necessary for security.
and much more....

At the moment leading the world in this sector is a very very remote possibility for New Zealand

Re: NZ can lead world in renewable energy 

'sceptic' correction - carbon is the fourth most common element by mass.

Re: NZ can lead world in renewable energy 

Quote from article on rising CO2 issues with the oceans:

"
Remember Silent Spring? It was in 1962 that Rachel Carson's book alerted the world to the problems of the insecticide DDT in the food chain. Birds of prey were particularly vulnerable, with their eggshells becoming so thin they could no longer contain growing embryos. The threat of springtime with no birdsong catapulted the world into a new awareness of ecology and conservation.

Forty-seven years on, a new threat is looming, this time in the sea. Once again the busy rhythm of people is causing an ecological crisis. Not as complicated as modelling global warming, not as simple as banning a pesticide, our newest planetary drama is called ocean acidification. It happens because of the connections between air, water, and shells.

We know that human activities, particularly the burning of coal, oil, petrol and wood, have for the past 200 years increased the amount of carbon dioxide, or CO2, in the atmosphere. While these molecules float around in the air, they act like a blanket keeping Earth warm and eventually changing the whole climate. The warming effects of CO2 have been less than they could have been, however, because about a third of CO2 from the air gets mopped up by the oceans.

What's good for global climate change, however, is bad for the sea. When you add CO2 to sea water, it becomes more acid. And that means that the carbonate ion, CO3, gets scarcer. That might seem like no big deal, but many marine plants and animals use carbonate, along with calcium, for constructing protection and structure.

Clams, snails, urchins, corals, some algae, and many plankton all use calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to build their shells.
"

Matt

Re: NZ can lead world in renewable energy 

Full article:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/2407463/Spectre-of-seas-without-shells

Matt

Re: NZ can lead world in renewable energy 

We wont if the solar installers allow panels to be mounted where shadows fall on them. See bottom of the PV array photo.

Re: NZ can lead world in renewable energy 

Hello Matt,

Associate Professor Abigail M Smith, a geochemist in the Marine Science Department at the University of Otago, has told you the truth but only part of the truth.
She omitted to mention that by far the majority of CO2 entering our oceans is given out by 1000’s of undersea volcanoes sited along the junctions of the tectonic plates.
Humans driving SUVs do not contribute to that massive adsorption.

Go back a few million years and see what happened when the oceans were far more acidic than they could ever be from the tiny contribution of man made CO2. A good reference book is ‘heaven+earth’ by Professor Ian Plimer who no longer needs a government grant to study these effect – he already knows.

I would prefer that Ms Smith use my government grant funds, to study economic methods to mine the unusual rare nodules ejected up around these undersea vents.

‘sceptic’ - Rex

Re: NZ can lead world in renewable energy 

Here is something you may find interesting, Al Gore and big business are about to make billions from carbon tax trading, note none of this money will actually be used to reduce any atmospheric carbon, my conclusion this whole business in cap and trade in carbon credits will turn out to be a huge scam and benefit no one - except big business.

http://www.foxnews.com/search-results/m/22207436/gore-s-cash-cow.htm

Mike S

Re: NZ can lead world in renewable energy 

Hello Mike,
Here is a little additional information on Al Gore:

He was a Director of Lehmann Brothers bank (until they went bankrupt last year) – this bank had positioned itself to take over the word’s carbon trading with vast sums of money derived from ‘clipping each carbon trading ticket’.

He has so far made 55 million from his film and book – there are vast sums of money to be made from being an ‘ecologist carbon saver’.

Just look at all the current advertising claims, and proliferation of web sites claiming ‘carbon saving’, carbon investments’ ‘carbon management’’ carbon calculation’ ‘carbon capture’ Etc.

NOT ONE OF THEM MENTIONS REDUCING WORLD WIDE POLLUTION.

As for Al Gore, I strongly regret paying him anything for his book - ‘An inconvenient truth’.
I found no full truth at all, but many half truths, exaggerations, unfounded claims, misused science and at least one straight out provable lie.
Rex

Re: NZ can lead world in renewable energy 

I dont believe I could ever generate a surplus of electricity and sell it back but I have reduced my electricity usage. I bought a solar hot water system. I am saving electricity now. I have to leave the hot water electricity supply and meter connected in case I need it. That meter costs me money each month. I have a 20 tube solar.