Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Done like a dinner

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  • Hebe, in reply to James Green,

    a $700 heat exchanger under their shower would be about as effective as solar hot water.

    Gosh; I have never heard of that; thank you.

    I am also very keen on the floor-vented fridge cupboard I have seen in some permaculture publications.

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to George Darroch,

    Why are we arguing climate change here?

    because we are tolerating people wasting our time

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    We'd be much better off with renewable, reasonably priced electricity for the whole country than any new-tech scheme (has anyone suggested hydrogen electrolysis yet?).

    Someone suggested carbon fibre manufacture on Danyl's post. I'd like to hear more about the economics of that. But we either use this rare opportunity strategically, or we do not. Is spreading the extra energy around the existing users the best we can do?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Farmer Green, in reply to Sacha,

    If it means that we never dam another river , would that outcome be not good enough?

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Farmer Green,

    compared with what? let's see the other options over the next 75 years

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Farmer Green, in reply to Sacha,

    Well power demand is not going to shrink is it? If demand grows over the 75 years to the point where the 15% of our current use( by Comalco) is absorbed by the increased demand then no new generation is needed. We don’t have to use it in the meantime. The water has other uses. Like keeping our rivers full.

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report Reply

  • Farmer Green, in reply to Sacha,

    Yes clearly there is no choice but to adapt. There will be no global treaty on emissions ; the carbon markets are a failure; and China is going to burn all the coal it can get. End of story; the science is now irrelevant. Whether or not it is desirable or necessary, or futile, there will be no attempt to influence climate

    FG would quite enjoy another summer like the past one, but the odds are against it happening very often in the present climate . Two or three wet cool ( say rain every week) summers to build up feed reserves again would be ideal. Then a repeat of last summer. Nice.
    Who found the past summer unbearable?

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __, in reply to Farmer Green,

    So you want us to adapt to something you claim isn't happening? Huh?

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • Farmer Green, in reply to Lilith __,

    You haven’t been keeping up at all. FG has made no such statement. Climate is always changing. Farmers have always adapted. You can too.
    What changes have you made since 1999?

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Grevers, in reply to Sacha,

    Is spreading the extra energy around the existing users the best we can do?

    It buys us time. Time to make the adjustments in lifestyle (individual and collective) that will reduce our per capita energy use to levels that are long-term sustainable. Time to figure out what happens with industry, hospitals etc. when the gas runs out (Maui is essentially gone, Pohokura will be gone by 2025). Of course in an environment where the energy companies have no incentive to incentivise conservation of the resource, it's difficult for this adjustment to happen.

    If campaigns like EnergyStar were really working, It wouldn't be possible to buy appliances with only 1.5 or 2 stars, because the demand for them would have collapsed. And there's no need for appliance efficiency to happen only at the high end of the market, given that some of the best R&D into both energy efficiency and small scale power production is happening in the manufacturing base: India and China - which have very real incentives for conserving power, given that if you overload the system, it falls over.

    There's nothing like living $100,000+ away from the grid to give you focus on what is important :-)

    New Plymouth • Since Jul 2011 • 143 posts Report Reply

  • Farmer Green, in reply to Richard Grevers,

    It is primarily water that we are talking about. Spreading it amongst ALL the existing users is not a bad idea. Using it ALL for electricity that we don’t currently need seems a little wasteful.

    What does your last sentence mean?

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __, in reply to Farmer Green,

    You haven’t been keeping up at all. FG has made no such statement. Climate is always changing. Farmers have always adapted. You can too.
    What changes have you made since 1999?

    You don't believe that anthropogenic climate change is real. In this you differ from accepted science, and when this is pointed out to you, you change the subject.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Richard Grevers,

    Is spreading the extra energy around the existing users the best we can do?

    It buys us time. Time to make the adjustments in lifestyle (individual and collective) that will reduce our per capita energy use to levels that are long-term sustainable.

    I heard 3rd hand that switching our entire transport fleet to electric cars would barely affect our electricity use as a country - certainly that's something that could be a good use of spare capacity, although apparently not much of it.

    Energy star does make a difference, if you can afford the choice. We chose our new fridge in part based on the fact it had the best star rating (also the vege drawer could hold a whole spring onion!) - but we had the luxury of being able to make that choice. One and two star appliances are cheaper because production costrs are cheaper. Essentially the manufacturer is passing the cost on to the consumer and the country - why do we allow them to do that?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Farmer Green, in reply to Lilith __,

    You’re putting words in my mouth; don’t bother. Science is not about belief anyway : it’s about knowledge. "Accepted science" changes with new knowledge.
    I’ve adapted to the very obvious change in 1999 when the PDO switched from warm to cool. The period from 1975 -1998 was very different (for those for whom climate is critical).
    It was very obvious that many, especially new , farmers failed to notice what was happening and the past summer was a real wake up call. A summer like the last one would have been considered pretty good during the 1975 -1999 period when el Nino and drought were predominating. Coming ,as it did , after 10 wet summers it caught out those with no memory , high debt, low or non-existent profitability, and dependent on bought-in feed.
    Change the subject? Yeah right. Climate is not something theoretical ; it’s always there ; proximate; and always changing. Perhaps you haven’t noticed , or it makes no difference to you.

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __, in reply to Farmer Green,

    You’re putting words in my mouth; don’t bother. Science is not about belief anyway : it’s about knowledge.
    Change the subject? Yeah right. Climate is not something theoretical ; it’s always there ; proximate; and always changing. Perhaps you haven’t noticed , or it makes no difference to you.

    Do you personally believe that anthropogenic climate change is happening? Yes or no?
    And there's no need to be nasty.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • James Green, in reply to Hebe,

    The Christchurch City council did this thermal mapping of the city that enable you to assess roughly how well your property holds the heat. Though it’s difficult to tell if it is a cold house or a very well insulated house; still it is a start.

    That is very cool. I'm particularly interested in a more micro version of that. For example, in our house, I'm pretty sure our living room loses most of its heat through a particular area where an extension is attached. I'm not sure exactly which part of it is the problem (or if it all is), and given that each bit would be expensive to refit in an insulated way, I'd like to know which bits are the problem. And I feel like for a lot of people with older houses this would be useful for trying to spot heat leaks. If you have a ceiling with downlights and no crawl space above, but also a large area of glazing, being able to determine whether which order in which you should attack possible solutions (e.g. remove downlights, re-line ceiling, heavy curtains, double glaze etc.) would seem really useful.

    Limerick, Ireland • Since Nov 2006 • 703 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Farmer Green,

    It is primarily water that we are talking about.

    No, we're talking about an expensive facility that turns it into electricity. But I'm interested to hear evidence that using dammed Manapouri water for other things is more valuable for the nation and the region.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Hebe, in reply to James Green,

    Try the cheap plastic double-glazing kits for a few weeks and you will figure out if it is the windows. The kits need to go on before the condensation season starts. If you have no crawl space in the ceiling, it is likely to be losing a lot of heat, especially with old downlights. If the extension has aluminium windows, consider the acrylic sheet/magnetic strip style of double glazing, which with some googling and creativity you can do relatively cheaply. The strip is sold here for $300 a roll -- in the US it is $US40.

    The everyday detail of energy efficiency interests me way more than the big picture and politics of it.

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report Reply

  • Farmer Green, in reply to Lilith __,

    And there’s no need to be nasty.

    Just calling you on the false accusation; it is in no way nasty, but you may not enjoy it much.
    All organisms alter their environment. It is therefore impossible that the sum total of humanity and everything that it does will not have an effect, however imperceptible , or swamped by natural variation. The question is , does it matter? It is inevitable, that is certain.

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report Reply

  • David Hood,

    Science is not about belief anyway : it’s about knowledge.

    The thing is, your posting links on climate change have been ones that consistently misuse the science and misinterpret the conclusions. And these have not been in a random pattern but a pretty consistent direction, which to any reader suggests the causes for the pattern are systematic as the pattern is systematic.

    Your drawing on the IPCC quote is a classic example of this. I won't even ask you to read the entire report. If you read just the entire paragraph the quote came from, and cannot understand how it does not support your argument, I will happily explain it to you.

    But what normally happens is that, rather than discuss the links you post in more detail, you post another link of questionable scientific understanding, which people take to mean you are not actually open to scientific understanding.

    Dunedin • Since May 2007 • 1445 posts Report Reply

  • Farmer Green, in reply to Sacha,

    What has Manapouri got to do with it? It probably owes us nothing by now , and we could use it for electricity and spill water from dams elsewhere . There are more than a few rivers that could have used more flow this past summer.

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report Reply

  • Farmer Green, in reply to David Hood,

    Really ? How many links?
    The scientific process proceeds point by point with resolution of differing viewpoints. Why can both sides not be argued? Who else here will argue the negative? FG’s interest is purely academic now that he has his exemption from the ETS and has been invited to de-register completely.
    Climate science is full of uncertainty; that is why it is interesting. In 50 years we may know exactly how it works, but it’s a long shot at present. Do you claim to know already?

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __, in reply to Farmer Green,

    Just calling you on the false accusation; it is in no way nasty, but you may not enjoy it much.

    How is my accusation false?

    All organisms alter their environment. It is therefore impossible that the sum total of humanity and everything that it does will not have an effect, however imperceptible , or swamped by natural variation. The question is , does it matter? It is inevitable, that is certain.

    These are weasel words. If you can't answer a simple and pivotal yes or no question, I don't know how you expect the rest of us to discuss more complex issues with you.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • ChrisW,

    Why are we arguing climate change here?

    Emma has the answer, well dissected - Tink, Tink.

    Gisborne • Since Apr 2009 • 851 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Grevers, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    I heard 3rd hand that switching our entire transport fleet to electric cars would barely affect our electricity use as a country - certainly that's something that could be a good use of spare capacity, although apparently not much of it.

    I believe there are still storage issues: Apparently a national fleet using lead-acid batteries (aside from the inefficiency of using half the energy to move the storage around) would have a significant side effect in terms of lead pollution levels. Li-Ion seems to have some safety issues (overheating) as well as expense. Other alternatives include compressed air (which can be compressed by electricity), e.g. the work of MDI, who have also designed kitset factories so that vehicles can be manufactured locally.

    New Plymouth • Since Jul 2011 • 143 posts Report Reply

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