Carbon News 10/11/14: Mighty River to push EVs

How Mighty River is switching on to the new economy


Generator Mighty River Power is claiming a stake in the new economy, pushing for New Zealand’s car fleet to go electric and indicating that it will move into the water business. The company is expected to shortly announce joint ventures with companies operating large vehicle fleets and car-parking businesses. Chief executive Fraser Whineray has set the scene by telling the annual shareholders’ meeting that New Zealand has a “stunning opportunity” to adopt electric vehicles on a large scale.

Carbon units traffic slows to 3m trickle


Just 3.4 million carbon units passed through the New Zealand Emissions Units Register last month.

Trustpower’s Aussie wind farm breezes along


The second stage of Kiwi company Trustpower’s project to build South Australia’s largest wind farm has been launched, ahead of time and under budget.

Climate change will send pollen count soaring


Scientists have identified a new hazard that will arrive as a result of climate change: a huge increase in hay fever and pollen allergies.

Election rout blow to US climate change role


The role of the United States in confronting the global climate crisis has been cast into serious doubt after an election that stacked the deck in Congress in favour of fossil fuel industries.

Environment another casualty of war, says UN


The environment has long been a “silent casualty of war, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday as he warned that the fast-changing dynamic of conflict required solutions to support peace and sustainable development.

On the web: news from the world of carbon

  • Why the climate movement needs to get confrontational
  • Govt bid to strip Tasmanian forests of world heritage cover ‘disappointing’
  • The world’s 10 biggest tidal power projects
  • Energy storage slam dunk: Graphene + carbon canotubes + li-ion EV batteries
  • NASA rolls out enhanced, mobile-friendly climate site

India wants to double coal production


The man responsible for maintaining India’s power supply says he wants the country’s coal production to double within the next five years.

Why warnings on climate spark aggressive denials


If you don’t like the message on climate change, it seems that the answer is to shoot the messenger.

Big business sounds water warning bells


Two-thirds of the world’s largest companies are reporting exposure to water risks, some of which have potential to limit growth, says the Carbon Disclosure Project.

EU plans power supergrid to boost renewables


An electricity supergrid is being planned to connect all 28 European Union countries and provide them with insurance against power blackouts.

Why Australia’s entire power sector should support target


There’s been much talk about how uncertainty over the future of Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) is affecting the renewable energy industry.

US drought shows why the price of water should rise


Last January, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a State of Emergency following projections of severe drought.

Social acceptance new key for today’s miners


A licence to dig is no longer enough for today’s mining and extractive companies. Stakeholder approval is progressively becoming a “must have” for mining companies around the globe — a requirement these companies widely acknowledge through what’s known as a “social licence to operate”.

NZUS close at $4.35


Carbon ended the week as it started, quietly and this will most likely continue, OMFinancial reports.

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25 thoughts on “Carbon News 10/11/14: Mighty River to push EVs”

    1. Actually I know that Skoda is a great modern car.
      But the old jokes lasted longer than the old cars.

      Q: Why does a Skoda have electrically heated rear window?
      A: So your hands don’t get cold when you are pushing it.

      Q. What do you call a Skoda with a sun roof?
      A. A skip

  3. I noticed two shiny new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEVs in the Mighty River Power carpark this evening. They don’t seem to be plugging them in overnight as yet though.

    2. Undoubtedly. I might suggest to them that they set up some free public charging sites for publicity like Tesla does in the US.
      We switched to Mercury Energy, which is owned by MRP, under the promise of a 30% rebate for night usage. Apparently though, because we have a second meter for ripple control run by Vector, they can’t determine night usage. What they are going to do instead is give us the rebate when the car is plugged in, which they can tell by the change in power usage. I am sceptical about this, as the car only draws 10 Amps, how do they know its not the oven or the night store heater?

  4. So, andy, can you explain exactly what it is that you find so risible about Bergmann’s Rule? It’s a pretty well established concept in ecology, first described in 1847, but obviously you have some sort of difficulty with it.

    1. I have difficulty with a concept called Bergmann’s rule. Yes I do. I had to look it up, sounds fascinating. Remind me again how this is relevant to the discussion of EVs?

      1. Nothing to do with EVs. This is an open thread, so I just wanted to work out why you had a problem with the notion of species adapting to climate change. You seemed to find the notion of “shrinking goats” very amusing. I just wondered if this was just part of your general contempt for science, or if you actually had some genuine reasons why Bergmann’s Rule should not apply in response to climate change. Do share.

        1. As I said, I had never heard of Bergmans Law, so took the time to investigate

          The shrinking goats are a very interesting phenomenon, we have Chamois in The South Canterbury hills which would form an ideal study set for the team from Durham University to compare with their data from Italy. I also know a professional hunting guide who knows where to look for Chamois, so we could form a great team to create some world leading research.

          Maybe I should write to the Durham team to suggest this

          1. Hmm, given that there are two n’s in Bergmann, and it’s a rule, not a law, I suspect you didn’t do much of a deep dive in your “investigation”. What a shame that your hostility to the notion of climate change prevents you from actually thinking about things. A few hours of research on this might open your eyes to the fact that real world effects of climate change are already becoming visible. But no, you prefer to keep your head firmly in your bucket of sand.

            1. I didn’t do much of an investigation, I read the wiki page and got a rough idea

              Is there a problem? At least I looked

            2. Just noting that this is typical of your M.O. – somebody posts something that doesn’t fit your beliefs, so you sneer at it without thinking about the issue.

            3. No, I take shrinking goats very seriously indeed.

              Note that it was me that brought up the topic of the goats in the first place.

            4. Your use of the phrase “shrinking goats” is evidence of how seriously you take this, i.e. not at all. No one is suggesting that individual goats are getting smaller, but rather than the mean size of the goats is reducing. This much would have been clear if you had actually read the papers Bill linked to.

              You love to give the impression that you are a defender of science, bravely exposing bogus science, but the reality is you are fundamentally anti-science.

            6. Anyway, having established that the term “shrinking goats” does not imply a trend at the individual level of the population, and it is a term used in reputable science publications, I intend to make no further mention of this topic of limited appeal,especially on an apparently “open thread” about carbon news and electric vehicles.

              Unless of course, someone at Durham University is reading this and would like to make a research proposal to come to NZ in which case I would be delighted to assist in study of aforesaid animals

    1. “To reach that goal, Mr. Xi pledged that so-called clean energy sources, like solar power and windmills, would account for 20 percent of China’s total energy production by 2030.”

      Too bad they haven’t talked to andy and B L. These Chinese don’t have a clue! /sarc

      1. Yeah, nah… Andy, the Republicans will be too busy rigging the US electoral system to notice:

        Really, it’s remarkable that some of the most dynamic and audacious thinking coming out of the GOP these days is focused on figuring out ways to keep Democrats from voting, or robbing those voters of their influence. They are positively crackling with ideas when it comes to voter suppression. And who can blame them?

        A party that successfully rigs the system to make it impossible for the other side to win doesn’t have to worry too much about demographic shifts, and it relieves the pressure to come up with healthcare policy or immigration reform proposals.

        They can just campaign on tax cuts and be confident that the Democrats’ votes don’t mean as much as theirs do.

        http://www.salon.com/2014/11/11/rig_the_vote_the_right_resurrects_a_shady_plan_to_skew_2016_in_the_gops_favor/

      2. Yes you are correct Andy.

        The Republicans are rubbing their hands with glee. They will torpedo the EPA, Wind Energy, Solar Energy, Energy Efficiency Legislation, and most other Environmental protection measures.

        Being “conservative” has no meaning in terms of conserving the ecosystem that supports life on earth, “conservative” means to them to conserve the privileges and power that wealth bestows to the few at the cost of the rest of the planet.

        Many of them believe the Earth is about 6000 years old and that Scientists are basically communists and their views corrupt (ak. after tax money for research). Caring for the greater good of the planet and future generations is socialist thinking in the Republican book and therefore circumspect and persons known to think this way are on the list of enemies of the Republican engine.

        The agreement with China is not worth the paper its written on in the Republican mind as China is an enemy of the Republican engine (as any force that is growing up to challenge American superiority) and only good to produce cheap and non durable consumer goods to be hocked off though the wealthiest families in the US (Walmart) to the masses.

        So yes, a reasoned and foresighted strategy of the USA going forward towards saving the Human race from its own excesses through mechanisms such as the agreement with China is unlikely at the moment. Such was peace in Europe in 1938.

        Also this shall pass. In the end the hardships served up by climate change over the next decades will eventually pull the rug from under the dumb and dumber brigade. Sad we have to wait for this and pay the price.

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