Watts in the wind : prospects for the development of wind power in New Zealand

Abstract

The dependence of contemporary industrialised societies on the intensive use of energy means that the integrated management of energy resources must underpin any hopes of a sustainable future. The ultimate goals of such an integrated approach must be to use all energy resources as efficiently as possible and in the long-term switch to the exclusive use of renewable sources of energy. New Zealand is relatively well endowed with renewable energy resources and is therefore one of the few countries that can switch relatively smoothly to the generation of 100 percent of its electricity from renewable resources. Hydropower has traditionally been the predominant source of electricity in New Zealand and the geographical and climatic reasons for this also provide a considerable wind power resource. However, to date the adoption of wind power in New Zealand has been insignificant on an international scale and as a proportion of the nation's electricity supply.

This study offers a description of the development of wind turbine technology over the past 30 years with an analysis of the opportunities and barriers that have made affected its varying international adoption. Such barriers include the market price of electricity, the political favour given to established generating methods and the legal planning framework within which such energy developments must fit. It also discusses the criteria that need to be met for its increased adoption in New Zealand, assuming that wind power, as part of an integrated energy approach, can make an environmentally, economically and socially viable contribution to the diverse, secure and reliable supply of electricity in New Zealand. Overall it considers that New Zealand looks well poised to meet future national energy demands with wind power, especially in the medium to long-term future.