Thanks Ani for articulating clearly why I was seething after reading the Chipster's comments. There's also questions about where all this lovely electricity comes from and at what cost, as well as the whole-of-life energy footprint of carbon vehicles, on which the car buying public globally shows rapidly diminishing interest.
Brett! The same Brett Sangster we've seen around Wellington corporates over the last few decades? We have met once or twice but I don't expect you'd remember.
Anyway. I suggest you read more widely. Did you see that in Australian solar penetration means retailers are being told by the govt to offer 3 hours a day of free power at peak sunshine time because they can't use it all? Yeah I know - storage - but it does answer your where does all the power come from concern. Every single day the planet receives more power from the sun than the entire human project uses in a year. Just roll that around in your head for a minute.
And I think you meant to say electric vehicles with your whole-of-life comment?
Anyway, no one goes on the internet looking to change their mind. We all basically defend our own beliefs - usually by highlighting what we think are well reasoned arguments, and disregarding anything that suggests something else. ICE advocates always want to make perfect the enemy of good - because they think they are aleady perfect, and the 'Chipster' will always be your patsy.
Chippocrite is virtue signalling. On his parliamentary salary he can afford to go electric. Tell that to the average family or individuals who don't earn anything like he has been and still does and who are struggling to pay their bills, feed and clothe their kids and in many cases pay outrageous rents or mortgages. Like the pigs in Orwell's animal farm, living high on the hog (pardon the pun) or in this case on us, the taxpayer. Take a look at the super they all get too. 20% contribution from the govt from namely we the taxpayers and we get 3% contribution. Disgraceful.
Minor point but you missed that when you go to induction cook tops, you usually need to upgrade your cooking pots. We also live in an area where we only get 1900 hours of sunshine per annum. And the neighbours shelter belt will shade our house in winter for half of those winter hours and there arent a lot of them to start with. So we would probably need twice the amount of panels to guarantee we could hold enough charge to run our electric cook top. But at least we have a wood burner and it can boil water although we cant pump it without electricity. Not really the win he thinks it is when you look seriously at the problems individuals have. But I guess I dont count.
We have the pots already but got a quote for the new wiring from the switch Bd to the hob location was about $2000 before we bought the hob about another $2500 to 3500 . We didn't go ahead but bought a single induction plug in hob and that does the same job. The gas hob is still there but not used.
I have seen and read Hipkins comments - and even without your brilliant breakdown I was infuriated because of my awareness of his salary. I have a niece and a sister that have “electrified” neither have mortgages both households earn well clear of the average salaries of Kiwis- my niece owned two new Teslas… the inability to appreciate the cost to us working class plebs is astounding!
Thanks again Ani for articulating this so well. Note: you didn’t mention the environmental cost - rare minerals - silver etc - nor $billions of cost changing to national grid to accommodate the particular challenges of feeding solar into it and distribution- nor the cost of replacement panels and batteries - it goes on and on. Whilst admirable to dream of solar it is utopian. Our grid is already suffering from the increase in electric car charging at peak demand. The health cost of sitting on huge emf emitting batteries…
Agree with Ani’s article and your response. Rare earth minerals are called that for a reason, and funnily enough poor nations provide them and the labour with no chance of owning a Tesla or whatever themselves.
For those who can afford to generate their own electricity, as well as buy that e-car and all the nice appliances, go for it.
But don’t look down on the rest of us, and please don’t pretend you are ‘saving the planet’ because you are not.
Hipkins is an irritating little git and esy to ignore but the deeper issues about true sustainability of electric vehicles, batteries etc are far more challenging. It is very much a western luxury paid for by the suffering of third world miners and environment. And there are frightening details starting to come out about toxic residues from solar panels, potentially serious issues for anyone who harvests rainwater for domestic consumption, as is common in much of rural NZ. Windmills are well known to kill every bird they see, and then have serious end-of-life disposal issues. None if it is as good as the advocates suggest.
I asked a friend once about solar. He is an electrician with nearly 40 years experience. He said it is rare to find a sparky with a solar PV system (solar water much more common). If the guys who can legally install these panels and batteries at discount cost are not doing so it should make us all question what it is they know that we don't. His answer is that the economics do not stack up, and that grid electricity is cheaper in the long term.
Chippie is obviously unaware that many car makers are reassessing their EV range. Ford is dropping it after making huge losses and others are following. EV's may be goo as a run-around for Mum in town but for any serious motoring they are useless. EV's are a gimmick and will be consigned to history.
Agree. I’ve always said that a vehicle of any description can stand on its merits - if it is suitable and affordable people will buy it. The Model-T Ford and VW Beetle (for example) each had their day.
No matter what appears on the market, there will be associated construction costs, starting with mined raw materials, then energy and so on.
Chloe said something similar when ranting against importing LNG. Solar panels with batteries on homes were the suggested alternative. Media didn't even ask the obvious. Take the car out of the equation and you're still looking near $20K for solar on the house with battery storage. I'm sure I have a spare $20K somewhere, I'll check my trouser pockets and behind the couch cushions.
Wow! I just saw a headline for The Listener "Simon Wilson’s City Desk: Solar power is the world’s cheapest source of energy, so why aren’t we using it?"
Thanks Ani - this is investigative journalism at its best - drilling down under the hyperbole to really examine the claims. Good to know he still has a beach house and diesel powered vehicle ( perhaps for towing some other expensive item?). All the more reason we don’t want him managing the country’s finances.
Well done, Ani, I too have a solar install and battery, all except the EV. Iwas able to do it myself, and it cost me 22K. It will repay itself; however, today it is a southerly, so the wetback is heating the hot water, as solar is not here, the house heating is also a log fire supplied, not a solar heat pump or battery. With all of that, we will achieve a power bill under $200, made up of 60% spurious charges and 40% off-peak energy per month, largely due to the battery's arbitrage ability to shift the time of use. We cannot function without the grid connection, so like it or not, the grid must assume we are a regular connection capacity, so the country's infrastructure calculation is unchanged.
With the price of power going up another 10% in a few weeks having an all electric house like Hipkins is suggesting you need to be on a politician salary. We have some of the most expensive power in the world there days.
Thanks Ani for articulating clearly why I was seething after reading the Chipster's comments. There's also questions about where all this lovely electricity comes from and at what cost, as well as the whole-of-life energy footprint of carbon vehicles, on which the car buying public globally shows rapidly diminishing interest.
A mate sent me a cartoon - a garage with an EV up on a hoist. The mechanic says to the owner “Your car just needs a new battery, that’ll be $15,000”.
Owner is depicted collapsed on the floor.
Brett! The same Brett Sangster we've seen around Wellington corporates over the last few decades? We have met once or twice but I don't expect you'd remember.
Anyway. I suggest you read more widely. Did you see that in Australian solar penetration means retailers are being told by the govt to offer 3 hours a day of free power at peak sunshine time because they can't use it all? Yeah I know - storage - but it does answer your where does all the power come from concern. Every single day the planet receives more power from the sun than the entire human project uses in a year. Just roll that around in your head for a minute.
And I think you meant to say electric vehicles with your whole-of-life comment?
Anyway, no one goes on the internet looking to change their mind. We all basically defend our own beliefs - usually by highlighting what we think are well reasoned arguments, and disregarding anything that suggests something else. ICE advocates always want to make perfect the enemy of good - because they think they are aleady perfect, and the 'Chipster' will always be your patsy.
Chippocrite is virtue signalling. On his parliamentary salary he can afford to go electric. Tell that to the average family or individuals who don't earn anything like he has been and still does and who are struggling to pay their bills, feed and clothe their kids and in many cases pay outrageous rents or mortgages. Like the pigs in Orwell's animal farm, living high on the hog (pardon the pun) or in this case on us, the taxpayer. Take a look at the super they all get too. 20% contribution from the govt from namely we the taxpayers and we get 3% contribution. Disgraceful.
condolences re your name...
Minor point but you missed that when you go to induction cook tops, you usually need to upgrade your cooking pots. We also live in an area where we only get 1900 hours of sunshine per annum. And the neighbours shelter belt will shade our house in winter for half of those winter hours and there arent a lot of them to start with. So we would probably need twice the amount of panels to guarantee we could hold enough charge to run our electric cook top. But at least we have a wood burner and it can boil water although we cant pump it without electricity. Not really the win he thinks it is when you look seriously at the problems individuals have. But I guess I dont count.
We have the pots already but got a quote for the new wiring from the switch Bd to the hob location was about $2000 before we bought the hob about another $2500 to 3500 . We didn't go ahead but bought a single induction plug in hob and that does the same job. The gas hob is still there but not used.
Typical socialist. Everything's easy when someone else is paying. I'm surprised he knows what the sun is as he's got his head so far up his ass.
He’s a toser and a weasel.
Thank you Ani, Hipkins is very hypocritical and of course the MSM will not hold him to account.
ZOMG - this was not on my radar but your take down is INCREDIBLE!! I’m seeeeething!! Get him Ani!!
I have seen and read Hipkins comments - and even without your brilliant breakdown I was infuriated because of my awareness of his salary. I have a niece and a sister that have “electrified” neither have mortgages both households earn well clear of the average salaries of Kiwis- my niece owned two new Teslas… the inability to appreciate the cost to us working class plebs is astounding!
Thanks again Ani for articulating this so well. Note: you didn’t mention the environmental cost - rare minerals - silver etc - nor $billions of cost changing to national grid to accommodate the particular challenges of feeding solar into it and distribution- nor the cost of replacement panels and batteries - it goes on and on. Whilst admirable to dream of solar it is utopian. Our grid is already suffering from the increase in electric car charging at peak demand. The health cost of sitting on huge emf emitting batteries…
Sigh…
Agree with Ani’s article and your response. Rare earth minerals are called that for a reason, and funnily enough poor nations provide them and the labour with no chance of owning a Tesla or whatever themselves.
For those who can afford to generate their own electricity, as well as buy that e-car and all the nice appliances, go for it.
But don’t look down on the rest of us, and please don’t pretend you are ‘saving the planet’ because you are not.
Exactly 👍
Hipkins is an irritating little git and esy to ignore but the deeper issues about true sustainability of electric vehicles, batteries etc are far more challenging. It is very much a western luxury paid for by the suffering of third world miners and environment. And there are frightening details starting to come out about toxic residues from solar panels, potentially serious issues for anyone who harvests rainwater for domestic consumption, as is common in much of rural NZ. Windmills are well known to kill every bird they see, and then have serious end-of-life disposal issues. None if it is as good as the advocates suggest.
I asked a friend once about solar. He is an electrician with nearly 40 years experience. He said it is rare to find a sparky with a solar PV system (solar water much more common). If the guys who can legally install these panels and batteries at discount cost are not doing so it should make us all question what it is they know that we don't. His answer is that the economics do not stack up, and that grid electricity is cheaper in the long term.
Chippie is obviously unaware that many car makers are reassessing their EV range. Ford is dropping it after making huge losses and others are following. EV's may be goo as a run-around for Mum in town but for any serious motoring they are useless. EV's are a gimmick and will be consigned to history.
Agree. I’ve always said that a vehicle of any description can stand on its merits - if it is suitable and affordable people will buy it. The Model-T Ford and VW Beetle (for example) each had their day.
No matter what appears on the market, there will be associated construction costs, starting with mined raw materials, then energy and so on.
hi everyone , Hipkins is a wanker.
Chloe said something similar when ranting against importing LNG. Solar panels with batteries on homes were the suggested alternative. Media didn't even ask the obvious. Take the car out of the equation and you're still looking near $20K for solar on the house with battery storage. I'm sure I have a spare $20K somewhere, I'll check my trouser pockets and behind the couch cushions.
You nailed it Ani .
Wow! I just saw a headline for The Listener "Simon Wilson’s City Desk: Solar power is the world’s cheapest source of energy, so why aren’t we using it?"
Is he really that idiotic?
YES! I can say from personal experience, that he's talking BS (as usual)
Thanks Ani - this is investigative journalism at its best - drilling down under the hyperbole to really examine the claims. Good to know he still has a beach house and diesel powered vehicle ( perhaps for towing some other expensive item?). All the more reason we don’t want him managing the country’s finances.
Well done, Ani, I too have a solar install and battery, all except the EV. Iwas able to do it myself, and it cost me 22K. It will repay itself; however, today it is a southerly, so the wetback is heating the hot water, as solar is not here, the house heating is also a log fire supplied, not a solar heat pump or battery. With all of that, we will achieve a power bill under $200, made up of 60% spurious charges and 40% off-peak energy per month, largely due to the battery's arbitrage ability to shift the time of use. We cannot function without the grid connection, so like it or not, the grid must assume we are a regular connection capacity, so the country's infrastructure calculation is unchanged.
Thanx Ani,
With the price of power going up another 10% in a few weeks having an all electric house like Hipkins is suggesting you need to be on a politician salary. We have some of the most expensive power in the world there days.