New Zealand: Energy
UK tidal project could spark global revolution
24 Feb 2017
Ambitious plans have been drawn up for a network of “tidal lagoons” around the UK coast that could provide up to a quarter of the country’s electricity – and there is potential to roll out the technology in many parts of the world.
This is what 4 million solar panels look like from space
24 Feb 2017
On the Tibetan Plateau in eastern China, four million solar panels silently soak up the sun as part of the Longyangxia Dam Solar Park. It’s the largest solar farm in the world, spreading over 10 square miles of the high desert landscape.
The age of the giant battery is almost upon us
23 Feb 2017
The idea that giant batteries might someday revolutionise electrical grids has long enthralled clean-power advocates and environmentalists. Now it’s attracting bankers with the money to make it happen.
Govt could end up in court over energy plan, warns campaigner
21 Feb 2017
The Government risks court action over its latest energy efficiency strategy, says energy campaigner Jeanette Fitzsimons.
How India subsidises electricity only for the rich
21 Feb 2017
While more than 20 per cent of India’s population has no access to electricity, the richest 40 per cent of the population gets highly subsidised power.
Small businesses dragging the energy chain
20 Feb 2017
New Zealand’s small businesses are lagging behind in adopting energy efficiency measures that could save them significant amounts of money – even though most say that their energy costs are significant, a new study shows.
How your life could change without fossil fuels
17 Feb 2017
Here is a vision of the future in a warming world without fossil fuels:
US marks record year for solar power
17 Feb 2017
The US solar market last year nearly doubled its annual record, installing 14,626MW of solar PV, representing a whopping 95 per cent growth increase over 2015.
Stop fossil fuels subsidies, say major investors
16 Feb 2017
A group of investors and insurers who manage $US2.8 trillion have called on the G20 to end public funding for coal, oil and gas by 2020.
Pressure group takes coal case to court
15 Feb 2017
Development of a new open-cast coal mine near Westport is being challenged in court.
Cafe chain converts waste coffee into renewable fuel
15 Feb 2017
Cafe chain Caffè Nero has revealed how it recycles coffee grounds from 122 of its London stores to make low-carbon fuel.
Methane emissions higher than feared, say scientists
10 Feb 2017
Global methane emissions from oil production between 1980 and 2012 were far higher than previously thought – in some cases, as much as double the amount previously estimated, according to a new scientific study.
EU must end coal by 2030 to meet Paris goals
10 Feb 2017
To hold global warming below 2deg, the 28-state EU bloc needs to smash dependence on coalby the end of next decade.
Miners again free to flatten mountaintops
7 Feb 2017
Blowing up mountaintops to strip them of coal just got easier, as Congressional lawmakers killed a freshly issued Obama administration rule that protected streams from mining waste.
Wind turbines again head for the home straight
3 Feb 2017
A new type of small wind turbine for home electricity generation, intended to match the popularity and potential of solar power, is being developed in Europe.
Authority set to hear solar panel 'tax' case
2 Feb 2017
The action of Hawke’s Bay lines company Unison Network in imposing a “tax” on customers who also use electricity from solar panels is to go before the Electricity Authority.
Energy leaders to hear the word from grid godfather
2 Feb 2017
The man known as the Godfather of the Smart Grid is coming to New Zealand.
Hydropower can be more environmentally friendly
2 Feb 2017
Hydropower provides 85 per cent of the world’s renewable electricity, but comes with a hefty environmental price tag.
EU hails clean energy 'year of delivery'
2 Feb 2017
The European Union is on track to meet its renewable energy, energy efficiency, and greenhouse gas emission targets for 2020 following a 'year of delivery' across the renewables sector.
Small-scale hydro makes a big difference
1 Feb 2017
It’s hard to appreciate the difference electricity makes to your life, unless you’ve ever had to live entirely without it.
Tesla batteries give California grid a boost
1 Feb 2017
Just off a freeway in Southern California, 396 refrigerator-size stacks of Tesla batteries, encased in white metal, have been hastily erected with a new mission: to suck up electricity from the grid during the day and feed it back into the system as needed, especially in the evening.
Government's new-energy action does little, says report
31 Jan 2017
The Government’s National Policy Statement on Renewable Electricity has had little impact on the consenting process for renewable energy projects, a review has found.
Giant US coal-fired power plant might close
31 Jan 2017
The largest coal-fired power plant in the West of the US could close later this year, a major symbolic blow to the future of coal as the backbone of America’s electric power grid.
EDS slams meaningless energy efficiency plans
27 Jan 2017
The Government is being told its latest plan to improve energy efficiency in New Zealand is misleading and brings its efforts on climate change into disrepute.
China builds world's biggest solar farm
26 Jan 2017
High on the Tibetan plateau, a giant poster of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, guards the entrance to one of the greatest monuments to Beijing’s quest to become a clean energy colossus.
UAE to spend billions on clean energy
26 Jan 2017
The United Arab Emirates has announced plans to invest $US163 billion in clean energy sources by 2050.
POWER CUTS: Our electricity is producing fewer emissions
25 Jan 2017
The emissions intensity of New Zealand’s electricity dropped to almost record lows at the end of last year.
Exxon predicts 25% rise in energy demand
25 Jan 2017
The world’s biggest oil conglomerate says it expects global energy demand to increase by a quarter in the next 23 years.
Electric vehicles drive to overtake biofuels
25 Jan 2017
By 2040, the number of electric cars in the world could have reached 715 million, says the International Energy Agency.
Scotland pulls out all stops to hit 66% target
25 Jan 2017
Scotland is seeking to dramatically cut its reliance on fossil fuels for cars, energy and homes after setting a radical target to cut total climate emissions by 66 per cent within 15 years.
Congo peatland packs massive amount of carbon
24 Jan 2017
Scientists have discovered the world’s largest tropical peatland in the remote Congo swamps, estimated to store the equivalent of three year’s worth of the world’s total fossil fuel emissions.
Queensland gets serious about waste-to-fuel
19 Dec 2016
The emerging biofuel industry is casting the net wide to find solutions to two environmental problems: reducing waste and increasing fuel production.
Green buildings make you work smarter and sleep sounder
19 Dec 2016
People working in green buildings think better in the office and sleep better when they get home, a new study has revealed.
California adopts energy rules for computers
19 Dec 2016
The California Energy Commission has passed sweeping energy-efficiency standards for computers and monitors in an effort to reduce power costs.
Solar nearly level with wind in developing world
16 Dec 2016
Solar is now on a par with wind energy and will soon become the cheapest form of energy in developing nations, says a new report.
New emissions reduction plan business as usual
15 Dec 2016
The Government’s plan to cut the emissions intensity from industrial heat generation by 1 per cent a year is just business as usual, and will do little to achieve New Zealand’s Paris Agreement commitment.
Now it's Caseley to head energy authority
15 Dec 2016
Andrew Caseley is to head the government’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, after the person who got the job turned it down.
One answer could be to build more highways
15 Dec 2016
Many innovations aimed at reducing carbon dioxide have been put forward. Now, a California entrepreneur is proposing a more practical solution.
Energy industry welcomes national strategy plan
14 Dec 2016
A proposed national strategy to convert industrial heat processes to renewable energy is being welcomed by the sector.
Govt targets industrial sector in new energy strategy
13 Dec 2016
The Government has unveiled plans to cut the emissions intensity of the country’s industrial sector by 1 per cent a year.
Gates and the world's wealthy backing $1b energy fund
13 Dec 2016
Bill Gates and more than a dozen of the world’s wealthiest individuals have revealed a new $1 billion investment fund to foster major advances in clean-energy production.
Fossil fuel divestment funds double to $5 trillion in a year
13 Dec 2016
The value of investment funds committed to selling off fossil fuel assets has jumped to $5.2 trillion, doubling in just over a year.
Google to be 100% powered by renewables from next year
7 Dec 2016
Google’s data centres and the offices for its 60,000 staff will be powered entirely by renewable energy from next year, in what the company has called a “landmark moment”.
Batteries not the cheapest way to store energy
6 Dec 2016
Since Tesla unveiled its Powerwall, politicians, commentators and industry have hyped storage – and particularly batteries – as the solution for getting more renewable energy into electricity grids and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
How NZ could become biofutures powerhouse
5 Dec 2016
New Zealand could easily become a Queensland-style biofutures superpower, local industry leaders say.
FUSION FUTURE: A time of transition and potential
5 Dec 2016
For centuries, humans have dreamed of harnessing the power of the sun to energise our lives here on Earth.
US oil exports skyrocket despite climate pacts
5 Dec 2016
Seven years ago, the US exported its crude oil to just one country — Canada. This year, 22 countries received American crude oil, marking a more than 1000 per cent increase in US oil exports since 2009.
World’s largest solar plant opens in India
5 Dec 2016
The world’s largest solar plant has been unveiled by the Adani Group in Kamuthi, Tamil Nadu, in the south of India.
China to lead way in growth of solar market
2 Dec 2016
The global solar photovoltaic market is likely to grow to nearly 300 gigawatts this year.
Engineers turn old tyres into quality oil and fuel
1 Dec 2016
Old tyres can be completely recycled into low-emission diesel engine oil, says a team of engineers.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
Fed Farmers ‘ready to go into battle’ over methane target
21 May 2025
Federated Farmers say they will never accept a 24% methane reduction target, and they are prepared to go into battle with the government over the issue.
Carbon price too low to fund carbon capture
20 May 2025
The government’s climate target to 2030 is at risk, after revelations that a carbon capture project which the government was relying on to deliver one third of its carbon reductions, might not go ahead.
While govt ‘refreshes’ fund for low carbon trucks, are transport emissions set to accelerate?
Wed 28 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has announced it is updating the Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund, however cuts to funds to decarbonise transport in last week’s budget, and potential changes to road user charges, could stall transport emissions reductions.
Council delays forestry plan as national rules remain unclear
21 May 2025
Tairāwhiti’s forestry reforms are facing fresh delays, with Gisborne District Council now tying its plan changes to national direction that remains uncertain.
Kiwi cleantech companies on the world stage
27 May 2025
Six New Zealand 'cleantech' companies were in Singapore earlier this month, along with a venture capital firm and the MacDiarmid Institute, to meet investors and multinational partners.
