Kimberley O'Sullivan: University of Otago Senior Research Fellow on the increase use of coal and gas and the need for additional solar panels

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

The use of coal and gas to generate energy has increased sharply due to falling hydro lake levels.

Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment data from April to June shows that coal produced 883 gigawatt hours of electricity.

That's a more than a 500% increase on the same time last year, and it’s the first time since 2021 that coal produced more electricity than wind.

Low hydro lake levels mean electricity generated from renewable sources dropped to 81% of total generation, an 8.6% drop compared to same time last year.

Otago University Senior Research Fellow Kimberley O’Sullivan told Ryan Bridge that while we do have to go somewhere, it’s time to stop looking underground for the solution to our problems.

She said that we need to get smarter about the things such as housing, and we could solve a lot of problems by increasing insultation and making homes more energy efficient, as well as adding solar panels.

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