Kiwis’s renewable energy boon

THE AMOUNT of New Zealand’s electricity generated from renewable resources hit a two-decade high, according to a government report. The quarterly energy report from the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment showed electricity from renewables at 88% of the total in the quarter ending December 2016.

It was the highest level of renewable electricity generation in 20 years and showed New Zealand was making the most of its ample renewable resources such as hydro, Energy and Resources Minister Judith Collins said in a statement.

The increase in renewable generation was partly driven by high rainfall over the December quarter.

“There was a 7% growth in hydro generation compared to the previous December quarter, with many hydro catchment areas experiencing higher than average rainfall over the period,” said Collins.

Continuing falls in coal and gas generation also had an impact. “The data shows that coal-fired generation declined by 64%, and gas-fired generation by 21%. This continued a longer-term trend that meant greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 35% compared to the previous December quarter,” she said.

The report also showed a fall in electricity consumption across all sectors, down 3% year on year. “Most of this decrease is due to lower electricity consumption within the agriculture sector, with increased rainfall likely to have resulted in less demand for irrigation,” Collins said. – Xinhua