Guest Work • Dec 28, 2016 •
When Tony Bromley heads to the hills in January he’s taking along a bag of party balloons and some cardboard coffee cups to help him with some complex measurements involving power lines along the National Grid. The NIWA atmospheric technician is aiming “to define the sag”. “Power lines expand with heat and the more power that goes down the line … Read More
Guest Work • Dec 01, 2016 •
By Stewart Prager, Princeton University and Michael C. Zarnstorff, Princeton University For centuries, humans have dreamed of harnessing the power of the sun to energize our lives here on Earth. But we want to go beyond collecting solar energy, and one day generate our own from a mini-sun. If we’re able to solve an extremely … Read More
Guest Work • Oct 30, 2016 •
By Pete Rowley, University of Portsmouth Iceland is about to tap into water as hot as lava. Several kilometres below ground, a drilling rig named Thor will soon penetrate the area around a magma chamber, where molten rock from the inner Earth heats up water that has seeped through the seafloor. This water – up to 1,000°C and … Read More
![Featured image: 30 ways to sabotage the introduction of solar power [SPOILER – we’ve tried them all!]](https://sciblogs.co.nz/app/uploads/2016/08/Solar-Panels-000073384421_Small-e1471212981316.jpg)
Peter Griffin • Aug 15, 2016 •
by George Jones If for some reason someone wished to delay the introduction of solar panels into New Zealand, here are some ideas on how to do it. 1. Insist that the electrical industry eliminate any incentives that might inadvertently have been imposed in the past. Make sure that the Electricity Authority stamps out these incentives where it can, … Read More
Guest Work • May 05, 2016 •
By Tara P. Dhakal, Binghamton University, State University of New York Global demand for energy is increasing by the hour as developing countries move toward industrialization. Experts estimate that by the year 2050, worldwide demand for electricity may reach 30 terawatts (TW). For perspective, one terawatt is roughly equal to the power of 1.3 billion horses. Energy … Read More
Seamus Hogan • Oct 22, 2013 •
A couple of years ago, a visitor to our department here at Canterbury told me how sometimes in Texas, windfarms are able to generate so much electricity that the price of electricity goes negative. This recent article in the Economist (HT: Tyler at Marginal Revolution), gives a similar example from Europe. In both cases, I find this … Read More
Peter Griffin • Sep 02, 2013 •
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpn33EunGSM Sciblog’s Editor’s Picks Infectious Thoughts: Botulism or not? Building Blogs of Science: Brain Hype Stick: Callaghan Innovation’s own goal? Waiology: Managing New Zealand’s whitebait species … Read More
Seamus Hogan • Aug 09, 2013 •
Matt and Paul have both covered the subsidy to Rio Tinto that facilitated a new contract between RT and Meridian Power. There is not a lot to say about the actual policy; Matt's "Urg" pretty much sums it up. But a few points about the politics of this ... Read More
Paul Walker • May 23, 2013 •
This piece from the Adam Smith Institute website should act as a warning to countries wanting to reregulate their energy markets. Stephen Littlechild, Professor emeritus at the University of Birmingham, fellow of Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge and a top regulator from 1983 to 1998, explains how politicians and regulators have, by misunderstanding … Read More
Seamus Hogan • May 07, 2013 •
As I noted last year, the University of Canterbury administration has this year increased the price of an annual parking permit threefold from (roughly) $100 to $300. This raises the price from what was a subsidised rate to something they calculate as being approximately marginal cost. Needless to say, this is something that the Economics department … Read More