AI models could spot volcanic eruptions earlier – and new research says the lives saved make the occasional false alarm worth the price.
- Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Canterbury
Supercritical geothermal is worth exploring and drilling might soon be technically feasible. But its value will be limited if wind and solar energy costs continue to fall.
New Zealand’s government will likely model its carbon capture legislation on Australia and the EU, which means operators are responsible for leaks for a time after a carbon disposal site is closed.
The Emissions Trading Scheme would have been a better tool to reshape the energy market and cut emissions than an outright ban – and most new exploration had largely dried up already.
If New Zealand decided to use green hydrogen to decarbonise industries such as fertiliser and methanol production, it would need to triple the installed capacity of renewable power plants.
New Zealand’s natural gas supply is forecast to drop by half within six years. The flow-on effects of scarcity will include rising costs, but this could shift demand to other energy sources.
Most technologies for CO₂ removal are expensive. But New Zealand could be doing this cheaper than other countries, taking advantage of existing geothermal and forestry industries.
To develop a hydrogen economy at the scale of Aotearoa’s climate ambitions would require about a quarter of the country’s current energy use and swallow enormous amounts of water.
Our research shows NZ’s potential to burn forestry waste and capture the emissions in geothermal wells. But we’ll need new partnerships between power generators, manufacturers and the forestry sector.
Before the deadly eruption of Whakaari White Island in December 2019, pressure and a tremor built up in a pattern seen in other volcanoes. It could help scientists develop an early-warning system.
One of the lessons we must take from the Whakaari tragedy is the cumulative nature of risk. Repeated visits to the volcanic island by tour guides placed them near unacceptable risk limits.
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