Okay, New Zealand isn't perfect

The list of wonderful things about New Zealand seems almost infinite. As most of you know, if you get me talking about New Zealand, I might never stop. A select few tease me that I think of New Zealand as the land of nothing bad. It's probably true. The worst thing I've ever encountered here is sand flies, which I can easily fend off with some good insect repellent. But, on this trip, my fourth trip here, I suppose my perspective is a bit different. Working as a visiting researcher, looking at energy issues, forces me to confront some of the, let's say, challenges, of the country. Here are a few things that I've learned over the past two days:

1. Although New Zealand looks pristine, New Zealand still mines for and burns coal, an extremely dirty fossil fuel. The high smoke stack right outside the engineering building at the University of Canterbury is for the coal-fired boiler, which heats water that is distributed throughout the building via pipes to heat the building.

2. Many residents in Christchurch use some type of wood burning stove to heat their home. The amount of oxygen available to the fire (set by the damper position) is often not sufficient for complete combustion and thus large plumes of smoke exit the chimney. A clear signal! The good thing is that it's still possible to drink hot chocolate and eat Tim Tams around a nice cozy fire without the resulting smoke and air pollution! Just need to have the damper properly adjusted! (Sorry, this sounds like a public service announcement).

3. The result of (1) and (2) is that the air pollution in Christchurch is pretty bad, especially in the winter when wood burners and fire places are in high use. The temperature inversions often present in the winter exacerbate the problem, as they keep pollutants from rising and escaping. But this air pollution does help create the beautiful reddish-orange sunsets in Christchurch that I love. Catch 22.

4. Unlike many countries, energy is not the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand. In fact, 49% of NZ GHG emissions are from the agricultural sector, of which 2/3 of that is designated "enteric fermentation." Look that one up! Hint: Emissions from livestock. As NZ begins to tackle emissions standards and formulate strategies, this is a key area they will need to address. Tricky business! It's not quite as simple as installing a control device on a power plant to control emissions.

5. Last interesting fact, if you made it this far.... In California, the peak demand on the electrical grid usually occurs in the late afternoon on a hot summer day due to the high A/C load. The peak in NZ, however, occurs in the winter, two times per day. With short days in the winter and lots of electrical heating, the first peak occurs in the morning when people wake up and turn on their electrical heaters or heat pumps. The second, slightly larger peak occurs in the evening when people get home from work and turn the lights on (it's already dark) and the heaters on (it's cold). Very few homes in NZ have piped natural gas for heating and/or cooking. Thus, while both California and NZ are facing constraints on the grid, the issues and solutions are in stark contrast.

While NZ faces some environmental challenges, it is and will likely always be amazingly beautiful and filled with adventure that is unique and inspiring. Come check it out!