"As a nation we need to really start thinking about the potential for bioenergy crops as they can be a stimulus for the economic growth that the government is seeking."
Bioenergy Association of NZ Executive Director Brian Cox describes the potentials for the production of bioenergy from various crops that are grown in New Zealand under the title,
"Land and forest owners should look beyond the log"
Mr Cox describes the 'soft' approach to fuels that seems to have far greater potential and integrity than proposals from 'sexy coal' Brownlee and his extraction-fixated National Party 'fans of mining' MPs.
He talks about wood gasifying and the need to grasp the science behind it, then use the process to its best potential. That is, don't waste the opportunity for waste.
The article is worth reading and for those who are looking to develop their own renewable, independent sources of energy, following up on a scale that suits.
12 comments:
Every time someone mentions mining, gasification should be mentioned. Positive attraction etc
Solid Energy could largely drop coal and become a clean energy company, as could Genesis Energy. Imagine if Meridian Energy wasn't the odd one out.
As well as Energy, our forests could be used for old woodland crafts, and as an educational tool for our youth. New Zealand could reforest and build a greener and stronger economy, rather than selling logs to Japan and Coal to China.
Christchurch the garden city could also re-build as a green manufacturing hub for New Zealand, putting our engineers skills to use. This would allow for the technology to develop and then be transported to rural communities so they could set up localised low carbon economies, powered by clean energy.
Imagine if the Conservation Director General was in charge of the Treasury, rather than the Energy minister (Gerry 'sexycoal' Brownlee in charge of Conservation. Indeed "Land and forest owners should look beyond the log"
New Zealand should realise that the green (forests) is our real green, conservation is the core of our economy, be it in terms of heritage, economics, or ecology. I look forward to hearing more about an attractive rather than an extractive economy.
Clean energy not steam energy, Now must be the time for fresh thinking...
Bioneer - that's very giood strategy.
Anonymous - would you consider standing for Benvolent Dictator (you could have all Gerry's powers and I sense you'd do well by us!
You're ideas are excellent!
I was preparing to be disappointed by that article (eg monocropping for biodeisel), but was pleasantly surprised. Coppicing willows sounds very interesting (and might prevent councils and DOC from spraying them!). I also like his small scale thinking - getting groups of orchardists together to process plant material locally.
His time frames seem out given peak oil, but maybe he's trying not to scare the horses.
My main concern is that too many farmers will go for the easy options and we'll lose more wild and reforesting land to monocrops.
I've been discussing the idea of diverse plantings of tree crops throughout the region - riparian and otherwise, where the primary reason might be river management or carbon sequestration or fodder crops then harvesting those same for gasifying, charcoal making, fodder etc - multi-purpose and replenishable. He's full of such ideas as are some of the staff. There's a great future in such tree crops in Southland, I predict, especially suitable willow species.
Wood gasifying is the one to focus on now. What's petrol tonight? $2.59 ltre?
Expensive enough for us yet, is it?
I argued today, in the Chamber, that these cycle trails that are springing up everywhere are a little pointless, given that the roads themselves will soon be safe to ride on, what with the cars being left parked at home with empty fuel tanks, the way they are likely to be in the not too distant future :-
..with the CEO, I meant to say...
I argued today, in the Chamber, that these cycle trails that are springing up everywhere are a little pointless,
No Robert! they are not pointless.
Many of them enable a community to appreciate a better connection to the environment around them. Cycle/walkways are incredibly important in helping shift the values of a community towards a more sustainable future. The idea is what I call an "eco gradient" I am developing it as an integral part of my business with excellent results so far.
"He's full of such ideas as are some of the staff. "
That's inspiring!
Yes wildcrafty, and unsettling for certain types of thinker that don't vibrate that way :-)
(Watch this space).
Shunda - yes, what you say is true and valuable, in fact I'm on the team developing the Riverton Cycleway, however, looking at the process and the cost involved, I'm thinking that it would be better to look at the existing roads in terms of cycling, given that there will be fewer cars using them and they are already there. If streets in towns were made safer for biking, more people would use them (make hemet-wearing optional :-) and the same for roads that link towns. The final step would be to 'naturalize' the corridors with plantings, hedgerows of native and food producing trees and shrubs, vines and herbs so that it would be like cycling through my garden, writ large!
In the meantime, I suppose, we continue with our cycleways, and why not, they're a great thing, but not the only way to do it. Imho.
Today's Southland Times reported from the ES chamber that ,
"Cr Robert Guyton suggested that they need not do anything about the Lumsden route - and he also highlighted rising fuel costs.
"I just wonder about the Lumsden to Invercargill, in a few years time you could just ride down the highway. There will be no cars."
Not just bikes, but horses!
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