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Ideally under free market and free thinking (logical) conditions, each country will have an optimum mix of different power generation plants to provide a reliable electricity supply at the cheapest overall cost.

Such a system mix may vary with time, the important factors influencing the outcome being new local resource discoveries, the relative technological advances in power generation, and the Government Energy Policy which has control and ability to intervene (i.e., the ability to stuff things up and usually do).

Furthermore, the present mix achieved by the UK, France and Japan involving predominantly nuclear, gas and coal plants has no relevance to New Zealand. Similarly, the New Zealand experience with 70% renewable energy (predominantly hydro schemes, some geothermal, gas and the Huntly coal-fired plant) has no relevance to other countries. Each country has its own unique energy resources, or lack of them, and should develop their own situation to best economic advantage, unfettered by irrelevant influences.

My interpretation of the topic meaning is that if New Zealand can achieve electricity generation from 70% renewable energy resources, which by some is thought to be admirable, then so can other countries, implying (a la Greenpeace) that carbon-based fuels should be phased out so as to move to a de-carbonized "Utopia". This is purely a nonsense proposition promoted by Greenpeace and other loony left groups who wish to impose their non-scientific eco-religion on the world.

I object to the New Zealand power situation being used in this devious and deceptive way and to the gullible acceptance of these non-scientific and religious views by the present Labour Government of Prime Minister Helen Clark.

A major problem of having a high percentage of electricity supply being generated from renewable resources is that the supply, in the short term (weeks), and the medium term (years), is dependent on the weather! Murphy's Law tends to operate in that peak demand will often coincide with minimal supply! This may result in power blackouts.

For example, in times of drought hydrodams may fall to low capacity, wind farms don't operate with no wind or too high a wind velocity, solar panels need the sun. Renewable energy is just not reliable enough and needs a backup of conventional power generation plants (coal, gas or nuclear) which are "weather proof". It would be foolish for any country to have more than 50% of its electricity supply derived from renewable energy resources.

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