Fine example of google selection. One can find whatever one wants to progress a perspective.
While one can find lots of ideas and plans to recycle anything, not to mention advances in technology, what is hard to find are real mass market commercial opportunities.
Reusing EV batteries for domestic storage is but one example.
tygertung,
Dec 22, 2:46am
Sure, the hydro plants will need maintenance, but the dams last for hundreds of years, and the fuel is free.
Hydrocarbon power plants will also need the same maintenance, but the fuel costs a lot of money and has much higher emissions.
tygertung,
Dec 22, 2:49am
Bung freight on trains.
Solar farms are not required as you can just bung solar panels on roof tops of houses. Plenty of unused space there.
s_nz,
Dec 22, 2:52am
Um, no.
The report summary I posted was commissioned by the EECA, and undertaken (and peer reviewed) by independent consultants, comparing the live cycle environmental impact of EV's to other vehicles in a NZ context.
The link you provided appears to be from a company focused on producing battery free IOT devices. Hardly a impartial source to take information from. Neither is it NZ specific, or vehicle specific.
Nobody is saying that batteries are good environmentally, just that they are less bad than continuing to burn petrol & diesel in our city commuting cars.
tony9,
Dec 22, 3:06am
If only. The dams actually require a lot of maintenance and some last for decades only. For example Waitaki dam has had steel rods inserted through it and grouted into bed rock as other examples of that type of dam have fallen over. All leak to some extent and in many that leakage causes erosion.
There is also a lot of plant embedded in the dam (spill gates, head gates, penstocks) which all wear and need rebuilding.
No direct cost is attached to the water, but keeping it available takes a surprising amount of staff and civil works.
harm_less,
Dec 22, 4:36am
Agreed. Incentivising rooftop (or ground mounted) domestic PV not only reduces the need for developing additional large scale generation but also transmission lines as the electricity will be consumed locally, including for EV charging.
sw20,
Dec 22, 4:38am
You will have to get the roofing manufacturers on board first.
Bung solar panels on a new roof and wave goodbye to any warranty.
tony9,
Dec 22, 4:53am
A square metre of solar panel can generate up to 200 Watts for a few hours a day. An average domestic dwelling in NZ uses 20-50 KwHr a day. And roughly half the roof faces south. And there are more and more multi story dwellings or appartments in NZ.
Do the math, I don't see it as the answer for most going forward, even with battery storage.
apollo11,
Dec 22, 6:10am
We could fit 15kw of panels on our N/NW facing roof but the economics just aren't there yet. But who knows what power prices are going to do, they never seem to go down.
intrade,
Dec 22, 6:38am
you got to be a bit careful with sandy monroe because i think i seen someone say praises for the cheapest electric car. well my ultra dark pigmented naigbour in taumarunui has had that car i seen it she asked me if i could re attach the rear view mirror. i said no lol there was 2 inches boog and a self expanding rivet in the boog lol. Thats A real fact about that cheapest electric car. ps that car was discussed on here while for sale on tradme i just could not post that she was my naigbour back then. the problem i have is i don't store all things always as to where i got the information from i store the important bits only . Got to keep room for what matters in the quantum computer. a-k-a brain
harm_less,
Dec 22, 7:41am
Your maths is pretty questionable to start with. We use around 700kWh/month including running and charging a Nissan Leaf. That's ~23kWh/day.
On our previous property we had 6kW of ground mounted PV which generated around 7,500kWh/year but as we were exporting much of that we got the Leaf to better make use of our generation. Even then we struggled to use 50% of our own generation. The 'secret'of making PV pay is to use as much as possible of your own generation as once it is exported to the grid it loses around 75% of its value.
Presently storage by way of batteries is not economically viable but will become so as battery prices reduce. Another option is to store the energy generated as hot water by way of a 'power diverter' system which can result in close to 90% of your generation being 'kept'. This is what we are looking at currently as we again invest in a PV installation, again ground mounted.
harm_less,
Dec 22, 7:46am
15kW of PV takes you above the 10kW limit that most power companies will accept as a domestic grid tied installation for export purposes. Over 10kW puts your generation onto the commercial pricing market where export pricing is far more volatile.
tygertung,
Dec 22, 7:31pm
We only use about 500 KW/h in our family of four in Christchurch in a 180 or 200 m2 square house from the early 80s with electric heating and hot water.
Consider that each house has a pretty large north facing area on the roof.
The energy generated could be stored in the hot water cylinder. You could have a circuit which only puts as much energy as being generated into the cylinder so you are not taking anything from the grid during day rate.
bill-robinson,
Dec 23, 6:22pm
steam powered tv what next?
gazzat22,
Dec 23, 8:14pm
But in your Christmas to all message you state you are going in your "Trusty Teranno"! ?
ronaldo8,
Dec 23, 8:38pm
By design, the mainstream models are marketed to the mainstream which they have deemed to be people that don't want anything that stands out etc, I.E. mediocre in appearance. And they are right, they are very successful. The prius for instance, the very pinnacle of bland meh. I drove a camry for a while, almost felt like i had to put on a pair of walk socks and sandals just to get in it. But it was consistent in its completley average nature. Boring sells, its more a reflection of the state of humanity inmho, Toyota happen to be a company with their eyes open in that regard
sw20,
Dec 23, 10:04pm
New Yaris GR-Four is awesome. Carbon roofed 4wd turbo hatchback for $50k. The proper handbrake even decouples the rear drive so you can do awesome handbrake turns.
elect70,
Dec 24, 1:51am
Seems sloar H/W systems have lost favour , with all PV power being pushed today . I put1 on my place 22 years ago & still works fine & save nearly 40% of power bill its well & truly paid for itself .Will PV last that long ? .
apollo11,
Dec 24, 2:06am
PV is normally guaranteed for 15-20 years (to 80% residual efficiency).
gazzat22,
Dec 24, 4:26am
Practise what you Preach comes to mind.!
gazzat22,
Dec 24, 4:47am
You constantly and repeatedly push EV,s and Denigrate anything that but you take a Fossil fueled on Holiday so its obvious who,s comprehension is Off. and its not mine.
3tomany,
Dec 24, 5:02am
I have not once dissagreed with the less bad part of EV vehicles. Less bad though is as good as farting against thunder.
tygertung,
Dec 24, 5:04am
No need for black and white thinking. Noone is perfect all the time, and there is no need to not do the right thing if you can't be perfect.
Did you miss the "anyone else" part of my post? There's a rather large hard rock lithium just out of Perth, I've worked there. It ain't so green.
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