Inlet Power for the People

On a bleak cold day with hail, rain and even distant snow on the Rimutakas, one is grateful for gas fired heating and electric lights to keep one warm and able to work, recreate and think about life.

How much longer though will we have these luxuries we take for granted across New Zealand ? There is lots of "hot air" from Parliament about the need to build new infrastructure but few people there who really comprehend how it is that either SOEs or Commercial energy companies actually go about planning for and considering major new capital investments. Having had that role for many years in the oil refining industry I know it is complex but ultimately based on the risk adjusted rate of return on capital. For assets with 50+ years of life taking a punt on what the market conditions are 30-50 years away is quite daunting but it must be done with some certainty to assure shareholders it is the right way to go. No one can have that certainty in New Zealand because of the splintered structure of our electrical supply industry and the foreign ownership of most oil and gas companies.

So what could we do to get more localised production and distribution ? Out here on the inlet we have major water movements most of the day through a narrow channel- I'd like to put a reverse action turbine there and generate power for the Paremata peninsula. If we formed a Community Electrical Company and sold power at no cost to our shareholders we would appear not to infringe current regulations, though no doubt this greedy Government would soon find a way of taxing us for our ingenuity! Supplement this by a grid of small 10kW turbines on our roofs and some high efficiency solar panels we may well be self sufficient within 10 years.

Ah but the other trouble will be RMA and the dreaded PCC whose plans no doubt prohibit self sufficiency- well the answer to that is we shall form an independent state (with Maori) on the inlet and declare ourselves free of all local legislation. Its similar to Pirate Radio's approach of 30 years ago and look how that has bloomed since.

So who's coming to join me ?