New generation

Your editorial of March 19 (‘‘Switching on the power of preparation’’) covered some very interesting and relevant points.

I’m happy to report that New Zealand will be able to generate all the electricity we need — and more — in a supremely nonpolluting and non-environmentally degrading way.

We won’t have to dam any more rivers, or create eyesores on our skylines with wind generators; lucky old us, we have an inexhaustible source of energy smack in the middle of our country. A tidal flow of 2 knots has the energy of a 120kmh wind. Modular turbogenerators moored in the tidal race alongside French Pass can harvest many, many megawatts daily, with slack water periods to be covered by hydro output.

Electric vehicles’ widespread introduction can obviously be a big hit to the oil giants — who are obviously smart enough to monopolise electric power production unless our government heads them off — and of course tax revenue. This second loss of revenue is in part because electric propulsion only requires about a third of the energy swallowed per tonne/km by the internal combustion engine; yes, two thirds of our vehicles fuel only serves to heat the surroundings via exhaust, cooling systems etc. And that’s with a well-designed, well maintained unit.

Commercial and domestic buildings fitted with solar power collectors out to be encouraged by government; this decentralised production makes communities less vulnerable to power outages.

Shame the power companies regard DIY generation with a jaundiced eye, paying peanuts for what excess goes into the grid.

What coal was for the 19th century, and oil for the 20th, electricity will be obviously be for this century. I can scarcely believe our luck in possessing so many sources of clean, non-harmful energy as we are blessed with.

Incidentally I could not believe the news that our rail mandarins are set on doing away with electric action in favour of mainline diesel; well, no, to be honest I could. Duh!

BILL HOLVEY

Blenheim. March 26. agains New Zealand, along with the Aussies’ claim that they invented the pavlova, and that the great racehorse Phar Lap was theirs, just to mention a couple of many Australian claims to shame.

I have always been of the opinion that while Kiwis flock to England due to their heritage. Australians, may I suggest, visit England mainly to revisit the scene of the crime.

So what’s new? It is in their genes. They now have another country in South Africa to which they can visit for the same purposes.

GRAEME W PERCY

Blenheim, March 26.