Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2019 Water ` it's constantly shaping the magnificent landscapes of Aotearoa, like here at Lady Bowen Falls, where our tallest permanent waterfall drops 160m into Milford Sound. We have an abundance of water in New Zealand, and our geography allows us to harness and produce energy. But how does this fit in with our future? Come with me, as we explore how we are uniquely placed to produce electricity by using the power of water. Humans are roughly 60% water. If you lose just 1%, you feel thirsty. Lose 10%, and you start to risk death. So it's vital to our survival, and it's vital for our country too. Electricity production depends on keeping our vast quantities of water topped up, and it all starts way up here. When I'm in the powder and I'm just immersed in the scenery on the mountain, I just become part of the outdoors, and I just love it. I just love that feeling of feeling the powder on my shins, skiing. Snow may only fall to sea level once or twice a year, but on our many mountaintops, it's there almost year-round. We are super lucky to get the snow that we get in New Zealand, especially down in the South Island. When the snow comes, we get those deep powder days, and it's super fun to be out there. Janina relies on those fresh snow dumps to carve out a career, but for the rest of us, the powder's more beneficial when it melts. That's because more than half of our country's electricity is generated by hydro. (BOAT ENGINE REVS) Well, that snow melt trickles down into rivers and lakes like this, and for many a year, guys like this have been harvesting that water, turning it into power, and whoosh! Off we go. Every action has an opposite reaction. As the water pushes out the back, the hull pushes forward and propels itself forward. The 3.4kw power that we have in each jet unit, that has enough to shift 352L of water a second. The power of water. (ENGINE HUMS) And in a quiet corner of one of the most beautiful parts of Aotearoa, that water is quite literally being turned into electricity. Meridian Energy's Manapouri Power Station is the biggest in the country, located deep in the pristine Fiordland National Park. Beginning at the West Arm of Lake Manapouri, it sits 200m underground, and stretches all the way to Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound. I think our ability to produce renewable energy into the 21st century, in the volumes we can, is going to be one of New Zealand's strategic advantages. I think it presents real opportunities for us. It is a big part of New Zealand hanging off this little site here, tucked away in the middle of nowhere. We're generating around 800MW today. That's enough energy to power around 550,000 New Zealand households. When building a hydro station, there are two main things to think about ` how much water you can trap, and how much rain there is. It seems we're always complaining about the rain. But how much do we really get? Here in Milford Sound, it's a lot. The mean annual rainfall here is 6,800mm. It rains 182 days a year. It's the wettest inhabited place in New Zealand, and one of the wettest in the world. But with that high rainfall that we get in these areas, we're able to transfer a lot of that into 100% renewable electricity for New Zealand. Manapouri Power Station supplies a big chunk of the South Island's electricity, and that was the plan when construction began back in 1964. It took 1800 workers eight years to complete. I was only 21, and just a few days out of my apprenticeship when I went into Deep Cove. Very hostile place to work in. It rained and rained, and when it wasn't raining, it was pouring, sorta. It's so remote that Pat and his mates had to live on the Wanganella ` a cruise ship docked in Doubtful Sound. I lived on the sea deck in room number` cabin number 219. It was amazing to be part of it, and I worked on both the tunnels. The person who had the idea of it in the first place, and the Kiwi can-do that made it work. Getting to Manapouri is like entering the lair of a villain in a James Bond movie. This is an amazing feat of engineering that set a precedent for hydro schemes around the globe. Yeah, I was involved in the second tailrace tunnel, which was the tunnel boring machine. I'm a fitter by trade, so I went on to the maintenance. Yeah, just rode that machine through the hill. It was a hell of an experience, really. The machine hall at West Arm is probably the most impressive thing I've ever come across, because you have to realise when you're in there, that was a mountain, a solid rock mountain, and they drilled a wee hole in and made it bigger and bigger and bigger. That's... It is amazing. It's unbelievable, really. So amazing that, if it had been built anywhere else in the world, we'd be marvelling at it. But Kiwis just let it get on with generating electricity. This rock is amazing. This is all the stuff they had to go through. Yeah. Wow. Pretty hard stuff, isn't it? Yeah. At Manapouri, water is taken from the lakes above and pushed down a vertical drop, using gravity to drive water through turbines that a generator then converts into electricity, and shoots into the National Grid. The Manapouri Power Station is quite a special asset. It's buried under the mountain. I think there's a large chunk of New Zealand that probably doesn't even know it exists. But the reality is we're there backing up New Zealand's power supply. We're a big chunk of it, and, um, yeah, without it, we'd certainly be left with a fairly big dent. But projects like Manapouri are big and expensive, and change the landscape. To install new hydro, you need to really... reshape the local environment to capture all that water and use it effectively to generate electricity. So new hydro in New Zealand is a really difficult prospect for most people to get their head around, because of the environmental impact. That's one reason the government isn't green-lighting any new dams. But it says hydro will still play an important part, as it looks to produce all our electricity using renewable resources by 2035. It's about building things around hydro, and also thinking about the way in which we use hydro. Some people have suggested, and I think it's one that we need to consider, of using the lakes more like batteries. So, rather than just continuously generating out of them, they'd actually use the lakes as how you manage your peaks and troughs. At the moment, it takes a lot of time and money to get the power generated here across our wild landscapes and into our homes. And as our population grows, and our climate changes, our electrical sector's only going to come under more pressure. Any planning that we do around our energy or our electricity system has to consider three things. One is about its affordability, the other is about security of supply ` making sure that we do have enough supply, so we're not going to get the blackouts ` and the third leg of that stool is considering the sustainability of it. But as we make a push towards renewables, we'll forever be at the mercy of Mother Nature to make sure the lights don't go out. Well, they're not going to be building any new dams any time soon, but with all this water, hydro plays such a big part in New Zealand's sustainable energy production. Moving forward, it's all about finding new technology to harness the natural elements to produce electricity using the power of weather. (GENTLE SYNTH MUSIC) * (UPBEAT PIANO MUSIC) Wind ` we've got plenty of it here in Aotearoa. In fact, some say we have more than our fair share. It's all because of where we are, so there's nothing we can do about it. We know we can harness it, but are we making the most of it? Is there a way we can produce more electricity by using the power of wind? It's all around us. We can definitely feel it, but we can't really see it. So I'm at the Auckland Gliding Club in the hope they can show me just how to find it. Right. We're starting to go. Gliders use what are known as thermals to stay up ` the warm air rising faster than the glider is descending. And this is the wind. We're up. We are gliding. Wow! But what actually is wind? Think of wind, really, as the air that is moving because of a pressure difference, or a difference between some heat and some cool. And because of that, because of the rotation of the Earth and a few more other atmospheric forces, you get that warming and cooling, and the air moving to different places. That creates the wind. Glider pilots also love the strong winds. So, on a day where you've got the big, lumpy cauliflower-type clouds, that's a good glider day. As for me, I'm just happy to make it back down. Wow. (SIGHS) That is absolutely amazing. And, of course, the powerful winds of Aotearoa are good for much more than gliding. I'm here at Meridian Energy's West Wind farm. It's a bit like an alien-like landscape with these stark white towers and spinning blades. But it's here where they're harnessing the wind with 62 wind turbines. It's a great sight as far as scenery and showcasing the technology, for sure. Yeah. New Zealand can produce some of the cheapest wind energy in the world, actually. We're really fortunate, and one of the key advantages that wind gives us over the hydro lakes is that we can build the wind generation closer to where it's used. That cuts down on transmission costs, meaning cheaper power for all of us. Right now, about 6% of our electricity is generated through wind. That's roughly enough to power all the homes in Dunedin and Tauranga. So the total site has an output of 140-oddMW. Um, that connects into the National Grid. As New Zealand looks to reduce its carbon emissions and keep up with electricity demands, wind is becoming increasingly crucial for our energy supply. Luckily, in certain parts of the country, there's no shortage. New Zealand is located right in the middle of the roaring 40s. Winds whip across the Southern Ocean. With nothing blocking its path, they smack right into us. And Wellington is in its own little wind corridor as well. This site catches the northerly and the southerly pretty well. Kind of where the turbines are strategically placed ensures that, yeah, they kinda get the most out of the wind. Not everyone's keen on having these giants in our collective backyard, and there's no escaping the fact that the turbines are massive ` 110m high, the blades 40m long. They generate electricity in winds between 15km/h and 110km/h. So let's put that into perspective. This is Auckland University's wind tunnel. (MACHINERY WHIRRS) So, this is 5m per second. It's just a good, honest breeze. When the wind speed doubles, its energy content increases by eight. So now, we're at 10m per second. This is really starting to pick up. It's a good moderate-to-strong breeze, and you really start to feel it. The tunnel's used for all sorts of aerodynamic modelling, including the design of wind turbines. If you look at the blade, it's got a very three-dimensional shape and form, and this kind of shape and form has been derived largely from decades of wind tunnel testing. And, while the efficiency of wind turbines is pretty high these days, we're still trying to tweak that and optimise it further. But let's show you the true power of wind. (WIND HOWLS) Oh, boy! (CHUCKLES) (MACHINERY REVS FASTER) SHOUTING: This is 20m per second ` around 75km/h. We've got a gale going here now. It's a strong one. I can barely stand up. But this is nothing compared to the winds down in Antarctica. As I found out when I visited for 1 News in 2015. This is the windiest place on Earth. It gets the full force of weather whipping around the South Pole. Well, the winds are blowing about 30 km/h, the temperature's about minus-6, so it makes it feel about minus-20. In darkness for six months of the year, there's a real need for electricity. So 10 years ago, Meridian built the world's southernmost wind farm. This wind farm would be rated up there with some of the world's best with the wind it gets ` a very good, consistent wind. It can produce 60% of the power needed to run Scott Base and the American McMurdo Base. Temperatures aren't likely to plunge that low at West Wind farm, but they do get some pretty strong gales. This technology was born out of Europe. A site like this really does perform at another level. Overseas, they reckon a wind turbine that's operating 25% of the time is worthwhile. In New Zealand, they're generating around 40% of the time, and we still have plenty of space left for development. One of the things that we haven't even scratched the surface of in New Zealand is offshore wind, and this is becoming really big in a number of Scandinavian countries and, of course, the Scottish are doing that in the North Sea as well. While offshore wind farming is big in Europe, it might not be so easy to do in Aotearoa, with our uneven seabed and often rough wild seas. But even so, wind and sea have a special relationship here. It's a special relationship that's shared by Ace, the kitesurfing dog, and her human, Mark. Yeah, basically whenever it's windy, I'm out there. My job requires just chasing the weather, and, yeah. If the wind's on, the waves are on, the conditions are good, we're always both out there. And they both love nothing more than the feeling they get from racing across the water. It's amazing. It's like, well, basically, it's a free energy, isn't it? Plentiful, renewable, and a big part of our future. The next 10 years is looking really positive for the wind industry. There's many other sites up and down the country that would make good wind farms. Wind has obviously been a really important addition to our renewable portfolio, and will continue to be through as we plan through to 2035. With those sorts of reassurances, it's becoming less about throwing caution to the wind and more about investing in the right mix of resources. It's the perfect combination of the elements for Mark and Ace to be having a great time. We've got the sun, we've got the water, and of course, they're driven along by the power of the wind. (GENTLE POP MUSIC) You're preapproved for a secure Gem car loan, and you're still winding the windows down by hand. You won't miss out when you find the car you want, with approval before you buy and a rate from 9.99% fixed per annum. You can do better with Gem, powered by Latitude. Apply today. VOICEOVER: Hey, Auckland, which of the Youi 40 ways to save would work best for where you live? Grey Lynn, close to the city, is where Ava lives, so number 1 of 40 - "Don't drive to work" - could be best for her. Do a car insurance quote at youi.co.nz. * (FUTURISTIC SYNTH MUSIC) The rising sun. In legend, Maui and his brothers caught Ra and tamed him. So now, we have the most powerful energy in the solar system in our hands. But does solar have a future in the Land of the Long White Cloud? Come with me as we meet Kiwis who are soaking up the rays, producing electricity using the power of the sun. (UPBEAT REGGAE MUSIC) Nelson. Locals here say this is the sunniest place in the country. It's really sunny. How sunny? It gets over 2400 hours of sunshine a year, and to put that into context, Dunedin would get around 1600, Auckland and Wellington, that would be around 2000. So this is a great place to catch the sun. And there are plenty of locals turning that sun into electricity. Being fully solar-powered is what Chloe van Dyke wants for her company, The Chia Sisters. So, yep. So this is where we hydrate the chia seeds. I think that the current business landscape isn't working with respect to sustainability in the future. I think businesses need to focus on having a positive impact on both their environments and their communities. Harnessing solar power here in Nelson, well, it made sense, and it's one tiny little step that we can do towards being a part of that solution. And so Chloe, a neuroscientist turned entrepreneur, is putting her money where her mouth is, starting with their bottling factory. So, these are the panels that we installed on to the factory, and they help us generate the power of the sun. So those panels there ` they give you all the power you need to run your business? Yeah. Well, up to 16kW/h ` that's on a sunny day ` which is twice as much as what we need during a production run. What the Chia Sisters don't use, they sell back to Meridian Energy. And while the sun powers their facility, it's also essential in growing the local produce that goes into their award-winning farm-based drinks. 'Bottled by the sun', quite literally. (CHUCKLES) The boysenberries are from the farm just down the road. But what if it's not sunny in sunny Nelson? Of course, the sun doesn't always co-operate, and in that situation, we can still draw power from the grid. It's just about a give and take. So we're not separate from the grid. We're connected. We can flow backwards and forwards. Using the power of the sun is nothing new. Anyone who's grown up camping in New Zealand knows the Kiwi classic ` the ol' solar shower. But still, after all these years, solar generation makes up only .1% of our total renewable energy. So can we make it work on a larger scale? (DOG BARKS) The economics of solar have tumbled over recent years. I mean, we're talking about 80% to 90% drops over the last 10 or so years in the costs around that. I believe solar is at the point where it doesn't require a large amount of government subsidy; that, actually, the return on investment and the payback for businesses is there now. And some of New Zealand's biggest are giving it a go. Yeah, so this particular array here at Northlands ` this is designed to take as much of the base load of the building as we can. So it really focuses on powering elevators, lights, heating. Solar powers about 10% of those key services. So, next time you're at Northlands mall, the lights making it look good could be powered by the sun. It works really well for businesses that are operating seven days a week, they're in locations that there's really good sunshine hours, potentially, they're paying quite high electricity prices. So those sorts of businesses ` things like retail stores and horticulturalists and manufacturing plants ` solar can match really nicely. So, it's becoming more accessible and more affordable for businesses. But what about when it comes to our homes, given electricity demand hits its peak at night? For me, that's one of the most important things when we go to a more intermittent system, that a renewable system is, is how do we store that energy for when the wind isn't blowing and the sun isn't shining? The answer could be electric vehicles, or, more specifically, how we use their batteries to store power. Storage changes everything. In particular, as the uptake of EVs goes through, more people come home and want to charge their cars, and the ability to discharge from your solar system into your car ` certainly cheaper than filling up at the pump. We only need to look at some of the oldest animals on the planet to see that storage is key. So, these Otago skinks ` they're pretty clever in the sense of how they use the warmth from the sun. That's right. You say 'clever', but they have the same organ as we do, and that is a brain, and then, tucked in the middle of that is the hypothalamus, and that is the set point, or rather, the gauge at which these animals will respond to whether they're too cold or too hot. That's right. Don't make the mistake of thinking this little fella's just lying around. There's a lot going on when you look at a skink that's sat still and doesn't seem to be actually doing very much. It's actually getting solar radiation from the sun directly, but also getting heat from the rock it's actually sitting on. So, if the Otago skink can process the sun's energy in winter, surely we can too, as we try to go 100% renewable by 2035. The sun's the most abundant energy source on this Earth. You know, it keeps coming up day after day, even after an All Black loss. If we can just find our ability to harness a fraction of it, we'd meet a lot of our energy needs in New Zealand, and around the world, actually. It will eventually run out, but with several billion years to go, I think we'll be OK. There's no doubt our electricity sector has begun its transformation. The shift to renewables will bring more cost-effective choices, giving consumers the power to take charge. So, as we end our journey, it seems more than anything like a new beginning, because, despite climate change, there's still plenty of water, wind and sun here in Aotearoa. And now, there's the technology to help us make the most of the limitless power of weather. (RELAXED ELECTRONIC MUSIC) Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.