Technology

The world relies heavily on oil, coal, and natural gas for its energy. Fossil fuels are non-renewable and use finite resources that will eventually run out, or become too expensive or too environmentally damaging to retrieve. The good news is that we are learning more about the many types of renewable energy resources such as wind, wave and solar energy which are constantly replenished and won’t run out.

Solar radiation is an abundant energy source which is free, non-polluting, and renewable.

Light from the sun can reach us with an intensity of more than 1,000 watts for every square metre. As the earth's major source of energy it has been used since the birth of our planet to heat and light us. Since the 1980s there have been technologies to harness solar energy for power production. These use photovoltaic panels, and then utilise pumps, and fans to convert sunlight into electricity.  Passive use of sunlight to warm water and buildings goes back much further in human history and is now aided by energy smart design and technology.

Energy supply and demand for New Zealand in 2010 is summarised as an energy balance in the following table:

This table shows the dominance of fossil fuels, particularly oil – almost all of which is used for transport. The table also shows the large amount of energy converted into electricity for final consumption.

New Zealand’s location in the South Pacific and surrounded by tempestuous tides indicates wave and current power should be an important part of our energy future.  At present no energy from these sources is a real option for Christchurch but this is an ever-changing area of research and within a decade there may be developments benefiting us.
There have been science and research efforts looking at generating electricity from waves in Lyttelton and at the head of Banks’ Peninsula.
Crown Research Institutes IRL and NIWA placed a research wave converter in Lyttelton Harbour as part of a four year project.  Wave power from this project and others is likely to be ten years away.

Work by ECAN and the University of Canterbury, CRIs IRL and NIWA have identified the best opportunities.

There are a range of energy sources available to Christchurch; there are primary and secondary energy sources, and renewable and non-renewable energy sources.  Primary energy is energy used directly, like burning coal or wood, while secondary sources are most forms of electricity such as where water energy is used to drive turbines creating electric power.

Biogas is a renewable and increasingly important energy source created from biological matter and harvested from sewerage systems and landfill sites.

Capturing the natural gas emited from the breakdown of the organic material keeps the gas from the local environment and provides a potent source of energy.

Tri-generation is a system that produces electricity, cooling and heat from one primary energy source, all at the same time. The Council building received a 6 Green Star Office Design rating, the highest score ever achieved by a completed New Zealand building.