The Daily Blog Open Mic – Friday – 6th December 2019

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Announce protest actions, general chit chat or give your opinion on issues we haven’t covered for the day.

Moderation rules are more lenient for this section, but try and play nicely.

EDITORS NOTE: – By the way, here’s a list of shit that will get your comment dumped. Sexist language, homophobic language, racist language, anti-muslim hate, transphobic language, Chemtrails, 9/11 truthers, climate deniers, anti-fluoride fanatics, anti-vaxxer lunatics and ANYONE that links to fucking infowar.

7 COMMENTS

    • Neat, he can help the victims of rape, gunshot and meth addiction being perpetuated by his PR-enabled cartoon gang family.

      • Or the hope is, that there is another way for family of gang members to use what they know and change their lives and others for the better.

        Not only would it be incredibly hard to become a doctor with a gang background, they also will probably have a much greater understanding of a wider community in poverty or addiction or crime, and therefore better able to mitigate health risks and create change.

        One of the issues is that I notice with all the woke and political commentators it is clear they have little understanding of poverty, housing, transport, business, education, health or criminal behaviour, which is why most of their policies do not work and they rely on the ‘advisors’ who tend to be just as clueless or on the take from lobbyists or donors (oftenposing as do-gooders).

  1. NZ immigration is corrupt, stupid and broken, especially allowing so many aged migrants that will require a lot more health care and qualify for super in 10 years!

    Even in a ‘real’ marriage, the criteria is broken because so many marriages break up with in a few years, it is a crazy criteria in the first place to have the rest of the country have to support everyone’s private spouses through our taxes and infrastructure based on people’s love interests – because marriages don’t exactly last and then the Ponzi continues when people bring in more spouses and relatives!

    It should take 20 years (aka only approx 1/5 of a person’s lifetime) to gain permanent residency in NZ and citizenship!

    Nobody coming into NZ should be voting within a year or accessing social welfare within 2 years, super in 10 years and free health and education straight away!

    ‘I’m on it bro’: Messages show Kris Faafoi offering help to friend Jason Kerrison over immigration case

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/12/i-m-on-it-bro-messages-show-kris-faafoi-offering-help-to-friend-jason-kerrison-over-immigration-case.html

    The government is creating massive strain for the next generation of taxpayers in NZ through stupid immigration decisions. Think about brain drain accelerating when younger folks realise that their taxes ain’t going to be going to help them, but someones love interest from across the globe that has contributed nothing to NZ!

    The amount of senior Asian NZer’s is expected to be more than the number of aged Maori and Pacific Islander’s combined within a decade!

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12281479

    Once into NZ, -age is no barrier, this 79 yo migrant got lonely in NZ, so got on social media and was married in 11 days (got $10k from the incoming spouse) and our pathetic rules could not stop the rest of the country having to pay for the folly. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/376220/10k-11-days-and-one-failed-deportation

    The immigration criteria should not be subjective and proving it is a genuine relationship, it should be based on whether the new spouse is going to be a burden on others in NZ and on the NZ system going forward 25+ years, and spouses should not qualify for any social welfare or free health and education for 20 years and have their residence removed if the marriage fails – nor should extra relatives be piggy backing off the process. Anybody coming to NZ should be on their own merits!

    Also applies to people working here on temp visas, because Jobseeker up 11%… and it is crazy that migrants on low wages qualify for welfare, when they are being used as slave labour normally by rich multinational employers, who could pay more, but don’t need to, as our government pays their wages for them through welfare within a few years.

    No wonder the health care spend per person is declining in NZ! More people seem to equal less money spent per person, and money also being spend on new hospitals in ‘hot spots’ not actual health care for people, while rural areas are having their services like maternity removed.

  2. THE CASE FOR RAIL TO REDUCE CLIMATE CHANGE EMISSIONS AND SAVE OUR PLANET.

    Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre Incorporated (CEAC) Est’ 2001.
    PO Box 474. Napier. Email; clean.air@xtra.co.nz
    Protecting our environment & health.
    In association with other Community Groups, NHTCF and all Government Agencies since 2001.
    • Health and wellbeing.
    • East Coast Transport Project.

    5th December 2019.
    At CEAC- Our Xmas wish list. http://transporttalk.co.nz/news/heavy-vehicle-evs-benefit-11-6m-funding

    Electric buses and trucks are getting a boost as part of the Government’s latest round of funding.

    Our Megan Woods is doing a great job promoting the use of electric powered vehicles, so this is now our time to advance the plan to follow global plans to use electric rail/trains also so we out the case below in current literature to support rail electric power motivation.

    Sorry if it is a long read but take Xmas to digest the literature please and compliments to the season also to all.

    Energy and resources minister Megan Woods has announced an investment of $4.3 million matched by $7.3 million from the private sector in the latest round of Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund.
    “Thirty one exciting new low emissions transport projects will share over $11 million of funding to help more Kiwis make use of new transport technology,” Woods says.
    “This round of funding focuses on innovative projects that expand the use and possibilities of electric vehicles and other low emissions technology in the transport space. It’s about making new technology available to help Kiwis get around, lower our carbon emissions and contribute to our economy.

    We at CEAC want to see many more rail lines converted to ‘electric powered locomotives’ and when other fuels become available; eg; hydrogen, and biofuels.

    But we say we need to see rail funding under the same quote; “innovative projects that expand the use and possibilities of all electric vehicles” un-quote.
    We lay out the current global research and plans for the future use of our electric rail locomotives also to combat the growing threat from electric powered truck which still use plastic tyres that emit toxic particulates into our environment and our bodies.

    Tyre dust is now to be a proven contribution to the cause of glacial ice melting globally while rail does not produce any emissions of plastic particles during operation and enhance less emissions of total transport emissions of plastic microparticles due to only using steel wheels on a steel track.

    At CEAC- We want to see many more rail lines converted to ‘electric powered locomotives’ and when other fuels become available; eg; hydrogen, and biofuels.

    https://www.smartrailworld.com/7-global-rail-projects-harnessing-the-power-of-solar-energy
    8 global rail projects harnessing the power of solar energy.
    Posted by Emily O’Dowd on Nov 3, 2016

    Quote; “We already know that travelling by train is better for the planet than going by petroleum-powered car. And with climate change becoming more important in both infrastructure planning and passenger perceptions, train travel has a renewed relevance. One of the most exciting areas of potential for rail is solar energy – which absorbs the sun’s rays as a source of energy for generating electricity or heating. In 2015, 1.05% of the world’s energy was produced by solar panels. But the International Energy Agency has recognised that solar energy does have the capability to be the largest provider of electricity by 2050. The cost of manufacture and installation of solar panels has fallen consistently and a number of government are supporting their proliferation with grants subsidies. Solar power could completely replace fossil fuels for trains, not to mention powering stations and trackside technologies. So today we look at seven projects from around the world that are always harnessing the power of the sun.”

    For example; http://byronbaytrain.com.au/ Australia has the first solar powered train small but has the potential for massive expansion.

    Rail in Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EV-E301_series

    Switzerland considers solar powered trains
    Quote; “In related solar train news, the Swiss South Eastern Railway AG (SOB) has commissioned a feasibility study from Swiss CMT AG, with the aim of reducing its energy requirements and operating costs.
    It found that solar PV is “well-suited” for installation on the roofs train stations, hall roofs, and the soundproofed walls along railway lines.”

    Swiss consider solar powered rail and have found it best to place the solar panels above the lines as the efficiency is far more energy efficient.
    While in Germany is now using electric powered by solar energy for passenger rail has begun. https://www.smartrailworld.com/solar-panelled-tracks-renewable-plan-support-the-world-future-energy-demands

    Solar-panelled tracks: a renewable plan that could support the world’s future energy demands.
    Posted by Dave Songer on Sep 18, 2018

    “We believe that trains and rails will be 100% powered by solar energy and batteries in the near future.”

    An ambitious trial is due to take place in 2019 that will use the humble rail track to house solar panels which, if successful, could provide a renewable helping hand to the world’s energy needs. Beginning trials in Germany and then moving throughout Europe to the UK, Italy and France, the organisation behind the photovoltaic technology hopes that the system – which can be attached to railway sleepers without requiring alterations – can be rolled out across the world too.

    Bankset Energy Corporation said that should they reach their target it would become the largest solar installation ever undertaken in the world, capable of delivering gigawatts of green energy back into the grid and into people’s homes. The solar panels made of silicone and aluminium are designed to clip over existing railway sleepers and can produce 200 Mw of electricity for every 1,000km of track, according to the renewable energy investor. When that is completed in 2019, crossing Germany, France, UK and Switzerland, Bankset intends to follow that with a network of panels in “Italy, Australia, USA, China, Japan and a further 165 countries”.

    Providing details of the system, Bankset said that development of the technology began in 2013 with the backing of a €10 million funding package from Bankset and European, US and Chinese partners. A further round of investment is expected to raise €300 million.

    The renewable energy programme, which would use the generated electricity to power areas that include overhead power lines for trains and nearby business and consumer residences, would also presumably provide a welcome boost for the growing numbers of electric vehicles popular with consumers and businesses.

    The Bankset Group chairman, Patrick Buri, said that the new sleeper compatible system has been designed to work with the concrete, wood and steel sleepers that make up many of the world’s rail networks. “In the last 10 years many new sleepers models have been suggested, but only wood, steel and concrete are suitable to rail ballast. The Bankset energy system works with existing sleepers, transforming an old fashion product into a cutting edge energy system. A carbon fibre sleeper is also under development.”

    “We are building a new grid and able to penetrate the market directly to the consumers bypassing the expensive cost at delivering electricity via national and local grids. We believe that trains and rails will be 100% powered by solar energy and batteries in the near future,” added Buri.
    Testing the rail for security and compliance issues, TUV Rails GmbH, the inspection and rail testing company approved the Bankset system that it said was “a new era for the solar industry and rails industry”.

    In the US 10 cities use electric trains now.

    In proposal’s already made California plans are for solar passenger trains also; using solar panels above the track canopies where possible.
    https://understandsolar.com/solar-powered-trains-future-of-public-transportation/
    California renewable energy policy expert Tam Hunt has founded a new start-up to solar power trains.
    Quote;”
    Solar Trains proposes constructing a solar canopy over miles of train track, enough to solar-power the nation’s electric train systems.
    About ten cities in the US have electric train systems. These include BART in California, and the NY Subway system (most of the NYC Subway is actually above ground once it leaves Manhattan).
    Electric rail is super sustainable already, but hardly a fast-evolving technology. Beginning as a visionary concept based on Jules Verne’s science fiction idea of a future in 1911, BART ultimately only began to be developed in 1946.
    The idea is to put the solar panels on canopies above, rather than on the trains themselves, and the train would travel under the canopies

    Solar power could entirely replace fossil fuels for trains, and would catapult the already high-efficiency of trains. EVs now on the roads like Tesla’s Model S, the Chevy Volt, or the Nissan Leaf are 2.5 to 3 times more efficient than an equivalent horsepower in an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) powered car.
    Electric trains ramp up efficiency to an amazing level, at 2.5 times more efficient than an EV
    “Electric trains are so efficient that a single 300-watt solar panel (about 4×6 feet) can provide up to 7,000 miles of an individual’s commuting miles per year, or 5 to 20 miles per day. The national average, based on National Transportation Database data on the efficiency of the various U.S. electric train systems, is about 4,000 miles per year for each 300-watt solar panel.”
    With 1 megawatt (million watts) of solar canopy installed along each mile of train tracks, electric trains would provide 2 million passenger-miles of train travel.
    And a 3 megawatt-long solar canopy, which is perfectly doable, just wider, could supply 6 million passenger-miles of travel.
    The potential of solar canopies to cut fossil energy use is enormous. The total US train system takes a staggering 45 GW of electricity. Depending on which state they are going through, a lot of dirty energy powers today’s trains.
    Electric trains are an astoundingly efficient way to move large numbers of people, especially along much-travelled urban corridors like NY to Washington.
    Hunt’s calculations indicate just how much more efficient electric trains are, compared even to EVs, the most efficient method of transport. As an example, Hunt compared solar powering electric trains to solar powering his small Fiat500e EV.
    He could put one 300 watts solar panel on the roof of his small EV. But that would only power about 4.5 miles per day of driving. But put the same 300 watts panel on a solar canopy above a train track to power the train and it would supply 4,000 passenger-miles a year.
    There is enough space in the existing rail infrastructure — on train stations and near train tracks — for enough solar panels to provide all of the electric train’s power demand.

    Image credit: Tam Hunt
    Solar as canopies above the trains could supply approximately half the power needed by the Bay Area-wide BART system
    Hunt has calculated what is feasible for the existing BART system in the Bay Area.
    In the case of BART the electric propulsion is supplied by a 1,000-volt DC connection in the third rail, and each rail car has a 150 HP motor above each axle, for four per car, for a total of 600 HP in each rail car.
    “With fairly conservative assumptions about how much solar could be installed over or near existing BART above-ground tracks, we calculate that 51% of BART’s total power needs could be met,” he said.
    He gave another example, of a smaller system in a region with a far lower insolation: in Illinois. Chicago’s electric train system, and one of the most used in the US, would be able to be 100% solar-powered, by his calculations.
    The Metra Electric line, serving Chicago, is 31 miles long. Even if only 18 of its 31 miles were covered in solar, at 1 megawatt per mile, these panels could supply all of the Metra Electric’s power needs each year. Un-quote.
    So we need to fund rail passenger and freight also using these quote; “new transport technology,” Woods says. Un-quote.

    http://transporttalk.co.nz/news/heavy-vehicle-evs-benefit-11-6m-funding

    Megan Woods

    Heavy EVs to benefit from $11.6m funding
    Nigel Moffiet January 22, 2019 News No Comments

    Electric buses and trucks are getting a boost as part of the Government’s latest round of funding.
    Energy and resources minister Megan Woods has announced an investment of $4.3 million matched by $7.3 million from the private sector in the latest round of Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund.
    “Thirty one exciting new low emissions transport projects will share over $11 million of funding to help more Kiwis make use of new transport technology,” Woods says.
    “This round of funding focuses on innovative projects that expand the use and possibilities of electric vehicles and other low emissions technology in the transport space. It’s about making new technology available to help Kiwis get around, lower our carbon emissions and contribute to our economy.
    “From 100% electric campervans for tourists to hydrogen fuel cell powered buses at the Ports of Auckland to solar panel charged electric vehicles and trial of smart chargers in people’s homes, we’re backing new technologies that will make a difference.
    “We’re also funding a further 34 new public charging spaces for electric vehicles right around New Zealand, including several at South Island tourism hot-spots. This is about creating a truly national infrastructure of EV charging so that all major trips around our country are available to EV users.
    “This is by far the biggest round of new projects delivered by the fund. Each previous round has given the green light to between 14 and 18 projects. In total, the fund has committed $17.2 million in government funding to 93 projects. This is matched by over $45 million applicant funding.
    “Transport is responsible for about 18% of New Zealand’s total greenhouse gas emissions, so one of the most effective ways for us to help tackle climate change is to transition our fossil-fuelled transport fleet to run on clean, renewable energy sources. By helping to roll out that technology to more people than ever, today’s announcement helps more Kiwis cut their transport emissions,” Woods says.
    Electric buses and trucks to benefit from the fund:
    Foodstuffs New Zealand $379,600
    Foodstuffs South Island will add four 100% electric trucks to its existing fleet on delivery routes primarily in Canterbury. There will be two 6-tonne and two 11-tonne trucks using a standard Isuzu ‘glider’ cab and chassis fitted with batteries, motor and additional electrics. This will demonstrate to the Foodstuffs business and wider public the environmental and financial benefits of transitioning to low carbon transport options.
    Alsco NZ $50,126
    Alsco will invest in an electric vehicle freighter as part of an electric vehicle feasibility trial for Alsco’s long haul commercial fleet. The freighter will run daily on the Rotorua/Tauranga and Rotorua/Taupo routes – approximately 286km a day. This will be the first intercity heavy electric vehicle trial in New Zealand. Alsco will take steps to manage the new technology, allowing an hour’s charging at each depot and altered driver hours. The trial will run from July 2019 – July 2020.
    TR Group $350,000
    TR Group will purchase three curtainsider freight trucks and make them available for hire to the general freight market. Appropriate charging infrastructure will be installed at its Auckland yard and TR Group will work with customers to build their own. The vehicles will be promoted in the general freight market, enabling the logistics sector to try the technology first-hand at low risk. TR Group will also support development of maintenance resources for the trucks.
    Ports of Auckland Ltd $250,000
    As part of its hydrogen fuel demonstration project, Ports of Auckland together with its partners (Auckland Transport, Auckland Council and KiwiRail) will procure hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (EECA funding goes toward one bus and up to three cars) that will be used and tested as part of the wider hydrogen demonstration project in Auckland. The project is reliant on the completion of Ports of Auckland’s separately-funded hydrogen plant project, which is expected to be completed in December 2019. The project will be undertaken in collaboration with project partners with each party testing the viability of the fuel cell vehicles for their needs.
    PPCS $178,550
    PPCS will buy a 10 m3 electric rubbish truck to service Wellington City Council for 40 housing sites, covering 3,000-4,000 residences. Replacing a diesel truck, this will be the first fully electric rubbish truck in Wellington. PPCS sees the electric truck as a major step towards their target of replacing 70% of their fleet of 60 vehicles by 2025, based in locations from Whangarei to Christchurch.
    ContainerCo (NZL) Ltd $99,700
    ContainerCo will introduce an electric heavy vehicle to its logistics terminals in Auckland and Tauranga to move shipping containers to port, rail and customers. These routes operate through dense urban areas during the day with peak traffic. By introducing electric heavy vehicles into this section of the supply chain, ContainerCo could convert a significant percentage of the container movements in Auckland and Tauranga to electric, reducing noise and emissions.
    About The Author

    Nigel Moffiet
    Nigel Moffiet joined TransportTalk as editor in 2017. He has a strong interest in the transport industry and brings nearly 10 years of journalism experience. Before taking the helm at TransportTalk, he was with Fairfax Media covering everything from local government, education, housing and the environment.

    http://evtalk.co.nz/evs-pass-18000/

    EVs pass 18,000
    Geoff Dobson December 4, 2019 News No Comments

    Electric vehicle registrations hit 18,186 in November – up 554 on the previous month.

    That’s more than 2000 past the 16,000 EV target set for the end of this year to achieve 64,000 EVs on our roads by the end of 2021.

    But the rate of increase is insufficient to reach the 20,000 milestone by December 31.

    Used light pure electrics lead the charge with 9987 registrations up 253 on October’s 9734 recorded by the Ministry of Transport.

    New light pure electrics come in at 3698 – 145 up on October’s 3553.

    That figure may well be boosted early next year by more expected Tesla Model 3 deliveries, the Model 3 leading the list in that category for November with 52 sales.

    For the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) category, new light PHEVs lead the way with 2844 registrations in November, up 82 on the previous month’s 2762.
    Used light PHEVs reached 1488 – 68 more than October’s 1420 registrations.

    Heavy EVs continue their slow climb, up six on October to 169 registrations in November.

  3. The immigration case looks on par with Claire Curren’s interference so that precedent has surely been set? So maybe Kris could step down and take up a real public service volunteer role, an assistant in an Op Shop (or offer a teary apology and carry on like Nick Smith did after Bronwyn’s interference)?

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