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| Thread ID: 57195 | 2005-04-26 03:03:00 | Nuclear Power in NZ | Strommer (42) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 349026 | 2005-04-27 10:54:00 | Couldn't agree more, Somebody. We could have had wind turbines out at Baring Head, across from Wellington years ago, but there was a loony lobby group that objected, not that they could have seen or heard them. The big problem with wind turbines is the fluctuating power and the problem of locking onto the national grid frequency. It is easy, relatively speaking, to hold constant 50Hz with steam or water turbines. Very difficult with wind power if a substantial amount of power is being generated. That is why it would be advantageous to carry out feasibility studies into using wind power for combined water turbine/pumped storage systems, even though there is an efficiency loss in pumping the water to a storage dam. Then for diesel, we could be growing acres of rape plants or sunflowers to produce vegetable diesel oil. Better that than growing lots of useless pines for export which only return a pittance. Or, produce methanol from the pines, and burn that in gas turbine "peak lopping" type generator sets. The charcoal from the pines we could use as "smokeless fuel" in smog prone areas like CHCH. Then again, tunnels could be bored through Ruapehu, cold water in one end, super heated steam out the other :thumbs: |
Terry Porritt (14) | ||
| 349027 | 2005-04-27 11:09:00 | Some very clean points have been made . At the end of the day, indeed, one can't keep everybody happy . So, I guess the majority wins . What does that mean . . . More power or Less power? Nuclear or no Nuclear? I'm very, very, very, very interested to see how this election turns out . Hopefully the world won't end before October . |
Aurealis_ (7897) | ||
| 349028 | 2005-04-27 11:11:00 | ... could be growing acres of rape plants or sunflowers to produce ... Better fix that up eh? |
Aurealis_ (7897) | ||
| 349029 | 2005-04-27 11:13:00 | Let us not forget a keen bunch who are all for tidal power... | TonyF (246) | ||
| 349030 | 2005-04-27 11:19:00 | Let us not forget a keen bunch who are all for tidal power... Unfortunately Tony, we don't get big enough tide differentials between high and low water in New Zealand to make it work properly. We only get averagely 2-3 metres, whereas for tidal power to be effective over 5 metres is prefered. |
Terry Porritt (14) | ||
| 349031 | 2005-04-27 11:30:00 | Those who said electric water heating usually accounts for 30-40% of the household power account are right. Old fridges and freezers can be other high users of electricity....keep those seals maintained or replace them. We could all reduce what we use, but most of us just take it for granted and use it without even thinking. But, even if we all made reductions, that would not solve the problem of future generation needed to supply our needs. The word "nuclear" immediately conjures up scary thoughts of Chernobyl etc, and sometimes both sides of the picture are never given. If electricity was something we have only just heard of, you can imagine the scare tactics that would be used describing only the worst effects of it. That's my five cents worth, anyway. Marnie |
Marnie (4574) | ||
| 349032 | 2005-04-27 12:05:00 | Unfortunately Tony, we don't get big enough tide differentials between high and low water in New Zealand to make it work properly. We only get averagely 2-3 metres, whereas for tidal power to be effective over 5 metres is prefered.But we do get massive regular tidal currents between the islands!!!!!!! | personthingy (1670) | ||
| 349033 | 2005-04-27 20:52:00 | But we do get massive regular tidal currents between the islands!!!!!!! Not that massive for power generation, it is energy density that is needed to drive Kaplan type turbines. Otherwise a huge installation would be needed. The turbines (or other type of energy converters) also need to be protected from storm damage, so devices out in the open sea are not very practical. The right shape in bay or estuary is needed where the tidal effects can be magnified to produce say 10 metre tides. |
Terry Porritt (14) | ||
| 349034 | 2005-04-27 22:58:00 | The problem is ongoing maintenance for any equipment exposed to the sea - rust and corrosion have been the major barriers stopping the use of tidal generation being widespread. Sooner or later NZ will have to go nuclear. There are over 400 nuclear power stations in the world at the moment - and since their development there have only been 3 accidents - and that was during the early development years. Nowadays nuclear stations are safe, with the majority of stations having reactors which will shut themselves down in the event of approaching a meltdown - not an electronic or mechanical control, but an inheriant design feature of the core itself. The amount of nuclear fuel required to meet NZ's needs is tiny, and with modern transport ships we can ship the waste offshore to countries which have the facilities to process the waste into usable materials. I think the likelyhood of NZers approving a nuclear power plant anywhere in the near future is very unlikely. We will have to find some other clean, green method of power generation which doesn't involve burning fuels, to meet the country's power needs. At the moment, wind power seems to be the best option, and the technology has been developed very well to supply a constant stream of electricity to the national grid - obvioiusly fluctuating with wind strength. With enough turbines located at various strategic locations around NZ, it would solve our power problems for the next few decades to come. |
somebody (208) | ||
| 349035 | 2005-04-27 23:11:00 | Those who said electric water heating usually accounts for 30-40% of the household power account are right. If we gave most households (with good sunshine) a interest free loan of $2,000-$3,000 to have their own solar water heater and mandated it on all new houses and state houses in those area, we could save a lot of power over time. This would surely delay the power crises. |
KiwiTT_NZ (233) | ||
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