This column is archived at: https://aardvark.co.nz/daily/2018/0622.shtml
A joule saved is worth two joules generated... isn't it?
Surely, our best strategy would be to:
a) become more energy efficient (reduce our consumption of electricity)
b) harness energy sources which (although cyclic) are 100% reliable -- such as tidal.
Would these two strategies not be a whole lot more effective than littering the landscape with an endless sea of wind-turbines and scarring acres of countryside with masses of PVAs which only work for a fraction of the day (and when demand is lowest)?
And how can the greenies on one hand demand more renewables (such as wind turbines) whilst on the other hand, oppose such schemes because of their effect on wildlife and the environment?
What would NZ be like today if the task of getting resource consent to build a major hydro scheme was as bad in the 1900s as it is in the 21st century?