[edshuck]

I am a subscriber to an emergency alerting service. The service tells us when the refineries are pumping toxins into the air, clear the air days (when the inversion layers trap the automobile exhaust), floods, fires, earthquakes, etc. AND the brownout and blackout. The last two came in when Shrub took COMMAND!!!!

Here is the test alert preparing us for the summer:

From: PG&E

THIS IS A TEST At 12:00 CAISO declared a Stage 3 Emergency and
requested PG&E to begin rotating outages 12:00 through 16:00
effecting: Sub-blocks 3E thru 3F Sub-block 4A thru 4H Sub-block 5A thru 5G Sub-block 6A. Due to the dynamic nature of the electric utility system, this forecast is subject to change. THIS IS A TEST

For more information contact:
jfh0@pge.com - CTCC - PG&E

EDIS-05-12-04 1211 PDT

This has been the primary result of deregulation of the power companies. And yes, YOU MAY FEEL SMUG, I DO NOT HOLD IT AGAINST YOU.

:grr;

[edshuck]

Do you have outages in New Zealand?

[~crkd~]

Nah we don't

The only time we have powercuts is when something goes amok at the power stations.

But... blackouts are a real possibility in the future here, unless they sort out their damn priorities! They as in the govt.... we have heaps of coal, enough to last a few years, but they're refusing to use it because it pollutes the air.... something like that anyways, even though we have the stations already to burn up the coal for power.

Wouldn't be suprised if a few did sway towards nuclear power, even though most are against it because of the clean, green NZ image.

But yeh, who knows.....

[edshuck]

That is cool. I am glad to hear that power difficulties are rare.

We created (with a bit of help) the mess we are in. We deregulated.

A few years back, electrical power was cheap and plentiful. And the generators in the state served the state first and could sell only surplus, while maintaining a reserve.

Texas power companies were NOT allowed to buy and sell in Californian by executive order of Bill Clinton.

Then we deregulated and the power generators were a bit more profitable, being able to sell out of state.

Then Bush became president and after the corination and before the ball, he rescinded the order of Clinton. Absolute truth!

2001 was the summer of the Texas power companies in California. Buying and selling power within the same company and shutting down generators to force the price up. Enron, Williams and others and yes our own PG&E milked us.

PG&E moved a billion dollars to its parent corporation while declaring bankrupcy the same day.

And the watchdogs had been sent to their kennel.

Too much is bad and none is bad. Somewhere in the middle so both sides are alive and well for us.

[edshuck]

What type of power plants

Hydro, fossil fuel, solar. nuke?

Here we have some of each.

This is a favorite.

http://rhlx01.rz.fht-esslingen.de/pr...owertower.html

[Penny]

Our problems in the last couple of years where there were large campaigns urging all NZers to save 10% of their power to aviod blackouts were largly to do with the lack of water in the hydro lakes.

I understand that this will also be an issue in future years. I also believe (from reading in the paper) we will also have an issue with the gas power unless they can find some more gas reserves to use. I had not heard anything about us not using our coal reserves. We also have huge coal reserves down south that are not touched.

I think there are so many more natual options NZ could investigate and implement before needing to go to Nuclear power. There are several issues with Nuclear power, one is our clean green image, the others are how do we dispose of our waste, and also what will that do to our anti nuclear stance to other companies, currently we wont let them truck their waste through our waters.

I think that blackouts in the future will be caused by the natural project being stopped/hindered by the people of NZ making it difficult for these projects to go ahead. Project Aqua for instance, and several wind farm options.

Genesis are trying to build a wind farm up on the Awhitu Penusula, and have difficulties with the locals not wanting it and making an awfully large fuss about the noise etc. I recently visited a wind farm in the south west australia, we were right beside it and the noise was nothing.

These are the same people who will be complaining when we have to have blackouts that nothing has been done to increase the generation!

I reckon we could do quite will with all our natural resources. The research and technology to avoid some of the side effects that previously stopped these options being implemented now can be overcome I am sure.

[Penny]

We have Gas, Coal, Hydro, Wind, geothermal(is that the same as gas??)generation in NZ.

If you are ever in NZ, go for a visit to Taupo and see the Aratiatia rapids. It is a hydro reserve and at certain times of the day they open the dam and let the water out, its pretty amazing to watch, this river that has a trickle of water going to full blown rapids.

And also at taupo are the geothermal power generation, you can drive all the way up through it its interesting.

So anyway if you are interested heres a couple of links...

http://www.mightyriverpower.co.nz/lakes_power_stations/
http://www.coalnz.com/nzcoal-nz.htm
http://www.mycontact.co.nz/view?page...ingelectricity
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydispl...ection=general
http://www.meridianenergy.co.nz/aboutus/powerstations/

oh yeah I work for a power company here and so I get interested in this stuff. Dunno why. My job isn't exactly related to all of this, but I end up hearing allot about it I spose.

We had this other power station at Meremere that is no longer used (it is now partially demolished) But there was talk of them turning it into a power station that is powered by buring rubbish. I am not sure of all the logistics of how it would work, but I thought it was a very interesting concept. I understand all the plans fell through but I thought it sounded like a good idea.

[edshuck]

I left out the geothermal.

A few years ago I visited the Geysers, to do a security analysis of the telephone system. Kind of an anti phreaker thing.

http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/FaultMaps/123-39.htm

http://www.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/

shows a highly seismic area around Clearlake. That is the Geysers.

We have big time wind farms. Check out the financials before hanging your hat on them.

Over in the East bay is a major wind farm and the one on the Tehatchapi (sp) mountains is massive.

These are not the windmills of the past. The pitch of the blades, the efficiency of storage, conversion, all very well done.

The design variance is fantastic. One is a single shaft with the hub in the middle. one is a 3 blade affair. One looks like an egg beater. All are cutting edge.

[edshuck]

Local farmer using methane to generate electrical power.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...GJG6LG3R15.DTL

[Penny]

That is interesting! The Methane, some people here might be interested to see it. Next time I have to answer the telephones in a storm I will tell the Dairy farmers they should do that instead of ringing me and moaning!

I showed my friend who is really interested in all this power stuff the solar tower, his comment was "imagine the sun tan you'd get at the top"

haha.

[Darkling]

Originally Posted by edshuck

Local farmer using methane to generate electrical power.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...GJG6LG3R15.DTL

Alright, real wind power.

Fart Power!!!




(Well, it's the closest I could find)