Masters Thesis Abstract: Dave Krolick
GIS based assessment of physical and economic potential for sustainable energy use: a Canterbury, New Zealand case study.
There has recently been an increase in the level of uncertainty regarding the future supply of electricity in New Zealand. For the bulk of New Zealanders it has been caused by the threat of blackouts created by drought, which has led to decreased hydro storage-lake levels. Rural property owners have more cause for concern. The 1992 electricity act, Part 6, Section 64, has created a situation in which some ranchers, farmers and small communities could be faced with huge fee increases if they want to continue using grid power because power suppliers will not be required to continue supplying power to customers with uneconomical line connections. Small-scale renewable energy technologies may have the potential to give landowners and small communities the means to create their own electricity, and hence free them from having to pay supplementary fees to power companies.
This research attempts to determine which renewable energy technologies -photovoltaic solar cells, wind turbines and pico-scale hydroelectric power generators - are appropriate for Canterbury. This is done through the spatial and temporal analysis of topographic, climatic and economic data. Physical potential is assessed by modelling climatic inputs, both seasonal and yearly, and analysing topographic data for each energy system. Results will provide ordinal level predictions of their energy generating capacity. Economic potential will be modelled by comparing renewable energy technologies potential costs to the cost of purchasing unsubsidised grid electricity, which is based on line maintenance fees and site distance from the main power grid, and the cost of operating petrol and diesel generators. Preliminary results show that all west and north facing slopes in Canterbury have high potential for solar energy use, the Canterbury Gorges and the Banks Peninsula have a high potential for wind energy use and that most of mountainous west Canterbury has high potential for hydropower use.