New Zealanders favour renewable energy growth

4.00pm

New Zealanders "overwhelmingly" support wind energy and hydro electricity, an Electricity Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) study released today says.

Wind power came out top in the EECA-commissioned survey of attitudes towards electricity generation options carried out by UMR.

About 82 per cent of respondents approved or strongly approved of wind power.

Hydro power generation had 79 per cent approval, while geothermal scored 67 per cent.

NZPA understood that the study did not outline how much each form of energy production cost.

When people were asked if they supported a wind farm being built in their local area support dropped to 60 per cent.

Eighteen per cent opposed a wind farm in their area, Energy Minister Pete Hodgson said.

Nine per cent did not want them even if they could not see or hear them.

Wind power was set to grow from around 40 megawatts to 160MW in the year to next April, Mr Hodgson said.

Growth was in part due to the government Projects to Reduce Emissions programme, under which six proposed wind farms were being awarded carbon credits.

The programme awards credits that reduce greenhouse gas emissions that would not otherwise go ahead.

Carbon credits, or emission units, are internationally tradeable and add to the financial value of a project that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"New Zealand has an abundant wind resource capable of producing about 20 per cent of (its) electricity needs," Mr Hodgson said.

"The perceived main problem with wind, that it is unreliable, is not an issue in New Zealand.

"Wind and hydro are ideal complementary renewable power sources because when the wind does not blow we effectively have electricity stored in our hydro lakes."

- NZPA