New Zealand: Energy
Natural gas will last bit more than a decade
21 May 2018
Officials have confirmed that at the rate we're using it, New Zealand has about 10 and a half years’ worth of natural gas reserves.
Warming planet faces a cooling crisis
17 May 2018
As climate change warms the Earth, one significant concern is the cooling crisis, the quest for energy-hungry artificial ways to keep ourselves cool.
New steel plant will emit only water vapour
15 May 2018
A pilot plant being built in Sweden will produce steel using hydrogen from renewable electricity. The only emissions will be water vapour.
New technology could slash aluminium emissions
14 May 2018
Technology has been unveiled that could drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions from aluminium production, in a development that could transform the way one of the world’s most common materials is made.
Natural gas not the solution, claims new report
10 May 2018
Natural gas is not a transition fuel to a low-carbon economy – and the Government should go further than just banning all new offshore exploration licences, a new report says.
Renewables employing 10 million people
10 May 2018
More than 10 million people are working in the renewable energy industry. In 2017 alone, the sector added more than 500,000 jobs globally.
Small land area, big rewards from solar panels
8 May 2018
Covering 0.06 per cent of New Zealand’s land with solar panels would provide enough power for the country’s total energy needs, a new study says.
War on coal making money for mineowners
3 May 2018
The world’s war on coal is making its biggest producers a lot richer, at least for now.
Waste food could fuel emissions cuts. says report
17 Apr 2018
New Zealand could slice thousands of tonnes off its greenhouse gas emissions by turning industrial food waste into fertiliser and energy, says a new report.
What will we do with all those dead solar panels?
17 Apr 2018
As solar power booms, businesses are exploring ways to ensure valuable components don’t end up in landfills.
Government acts to block offshore exploration
12 Apr 2018
The drive to decarbonise New Zealand’s energy production has taken a step forward with the Government’s announcement that there will be no new offshore oil exploration.
Shell's climate push fails to cut emissions
12 Apr 2018
Royal Dutch Shell is demonstrating how tough it is for a massive, 100-year-old oil company to become a friend to the climate.
Solar and wind could replace fossils within 20 years
10 Apr 2018
Solar photovoltaic and wind power are rapidly getting cheaper and more abundant – so much so that they are on track to entirely supplant fossil fuels worldwide within two decades.
Solar geoengineering ‘still too uncertain’
10 Apr 2018
The world must urgently agree controls on solar geoengineering to weigh up its possible risks and benefits before deciding to go ahead, one expert says.
Shell knew dangers in the 1980s, company papers show
6 Apr 2018
Internal company documents uncovered by a Dutch news organization show that Shell had a deep understanding, dating at least to the 1980s, of the science and risks of global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions.
GREECE'S DIRTY SECRET: Life in a 625 square mile coal mine
26 Mar 2018
Mining for lignite (brown coal) in Greece is a huge industry. But for the people who live near the mines - one of them covers 625 square miles - the industry has huge impacts.
The real reasons we’re not building clean energy
20 Mar 2018
At this rate, it’s going to take nearly 400 years to transform the energy system.
NUCLEAR FUSION: Don't hold your breath
16 Mar 2018
One of the cliches of nuclear power research is that a commercial fusion reactor is only ever a few decades away – and always will be.
RAIN OR SHINE: New solar cell captures energy from raindrops
15 Mar 2018
A solar panel that can generate electricity from falling raindrops has been invented, enabling power to flow even when skies cloud over or the sun has set.
How protons can power our future energy needs
14 Mar 2018
As the world embraces inherently variable renewable energy sources to tackle climate change, we will need a truly gargantuan amount of electrical energy storage.
Nuclear fusion on brink of being realised, say scientists
12 Mar 2018
The dream of nuclear fusion is on the brink of being realised, according to a major new US initiative that says it will put fusion power on the grid within 15 years.
Is sustainable investing a better way to go?
7 Mar 2018
Sustainable investing might be a better way to tackle climate change than switching to renewable energy.
What's next for getting energy from the sun?
2 Mar 2018
The fall in costs that has driven solar’s rapid growth is slowing - but scientists are exploring the next generation of materials that can harness more energy from the sun.
Nuclear waste mountains just keep on growing
2 Mar 2018
Some politicians still claim atomic energy is the answer to climate change while leaving the problem of nuclear waste to our descendants.
Z aims for A-plus in transition to new energy
28 Feb 2018
Mike Bennetts is determined his company, Z Energy, will not have a Kodak moment.
Biofuels need backing of the nation, says Scion
27 Feb 2018
New Zealand could run its heavy vehicles on locally produced low-carbon biofuels – but only if the country decides collectively to act.
OPINION: Biofuels not easy, but worth the effort
27 Feb 2018
Biofuels, liquid and gaseous, will have a role to play in moving towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions by around mid-century in both New Zealand and globally, says Professor Ralph Sims.
Floating windfarms are proving a smash hit
23 Feb 2018
Floating windfarms are likely to be the next large-scale development in renewable energy.
Plastic bans will dent oil demand growth, says BP
22 Feb 2018
International bans on single-use plastic items such as carrier bags will dent growth in oil demand over the next two decades, according to BP.
Minister offers money for good emissions moves
21 Feb 2018
Got a good idea to cut greenhouse gas emissions in your business or in the transport sector? The Government wants to give you money.
Energy producers want mandatory disclosure
15 Feb 2018
European energy producers are calling for mandatory disclosure to customers of information about where their electricity comes from.
China will show the way with solar power
15 Feb 2018
China will be the first major country in which solar energy gives fossil fuels a run for its money, says Lloyds Register.
Lack of women in energy ‘holding back the fight’
13 Feb 2018
The lack of women in energy companies is holding back the sector’s efforts to tackle climate change, a leading industry watcher has warned.
BP aims to invest more in clean energy
9 Feb 2018
BP has declared it is looking to acquire more green energy firms, as the British oil giant pledged to set carbon targets for its operations.
We'll soon feel the effects of China's market
8 Feb 2018
China’s new carbon market will have a profound impact on electricity companies, says Standard & Poors.
After an oil-soaked past, Saudi wants to let the sunshine in
8 Feb 2018
Oil kingdom Saudi Arabia is trying to tie its future to another natural resource it has in abundance: sunlight.
Sweden setting up first fossil-free steel plant
5 Feb 2018
A new Swedish venture is working to establish a first-of-its-kind pilot steel plant to be fuelled with hydrogen.
One way to save energy is to stay at home
5 Feb 2018
Americans spent nearly eight more days at home in 2012 compared with2003 - with the result that they consumed less energy.
Time to put the kettle on as solar power scheme tees off
30 Jan 2018
Aucklanders buying and selling solar-generated electricity to each other have shared enough power to make five million cups of tea, says peer-to-peer energy company P2 Power.
TAKE FIVE: Renewable energy projects are out to impress
30 Jan 2018
As renewable energy is no longer considered a niche technology, countries and energy companies have embarked on a race to impress the world with majestic clean energy projects of all kinds.
Localised heating warms cities without fossil fuels
25 Jan 2018
Heating homes and offices without adding to the dangers of climate change is a major challenge for many cities, but re-imagined district heating is now offering an answer.
IT'S A GAS: Cook dinner on energy from food you dumped
23 Jan 2018
In an age of worrying climate change and looming fossil energy decline, home-produced biogas is an extremely promising technology whose time has come.
Shell doubles up on green spending and vows change
29 Nov 2017
Shell has doubled its spending on clean power and bowed to shareholder pressure by promising to halve the carbon footprint of the energy it sells by 2050.
Green bonds reach $100 billion milestone
27 Nov 2017
The latest Climate Bonds Initiative analysis shows that green bond issuances in 2017 have reached the significant $100 billion benchmark.
Mexico about to generate world's cheapest solar power
22 Nov 2017
Mexico is on track to generate the world’s cheapest solar power — with prices as low as 1.77c a kilowatt hour.
We're prisoners of the old way, says solar flight pioneer
17 Nov 2017
The visionary innovator who flew 40,000km in a solar-fuelled plane has urged companies to pursue revolutionary ideas as the only way to fight climate change.
The allure (and perils) of hydropower
17 Nov 2017
Damming rivers may seem like a clean and easy solution for energy-hungry countries. But the devil is in the details.
It's high time for a global agreement on minerals
16 Nov 2017
The Paris Agreement has created a global framework for managing carbon, but nothing similar exists for minerals.
Mining giant about to go coal-free
13 Nov 2017
Just five years ago it would have been almost unthinkable that one of the world’s biggest mining companies would not dig any coal. It’s now likely to become a reality.
‘War on coal’ goes global with $50m fund
13 Nov 2017
A billionaire’s campaign has seen half of US coal plants close in six years. Now he is targeting Europe and beyond to fight climate change and air pollution.
Green building council calls for clean energy policies
Mon 18 May 2026
The New Zealand Green Building Council has released its 2026 election manifesto calling for policies to reduce energy waste in buildings, lower household and business energy costs, and improve New Zealand’s energy security.
Greens condemn planned coal mine next to protected wetland
4 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party says a new plan for a coal mine and fertiliser plant next to an internationally significant wetland is “ecological vandalism and climate denial.”
Climate pollution static but NZ still on track for first emissions budget, says MfE
17 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is still on track to meet its first emissions budget, according to the Ministry for the Environment, despite the pace of emissions reductions slowing to a standstill.
NZ at risk of falling behind on EV transition
Fri 22 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An EV lobby group is warning that New Zealand is at a crossroads on transport electrification, with inconsistent policy settings and lagging charging infrastructure slowing uptake, while global adoption accelerates and fuel price shocks renew interest in electric vehicles.
Govt presses ahead with forestry rule changes despite opposition
14 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is pushing ahead with changes to commercial forestry rules despite most submitters opposing the proposals, with critics warning the reforms will weaken councils’ ability to manage erosion and forestry slash risks in vulnerable regions such as Tairāwhiti.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
