New Zealand: Energy
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.
China pushes to dig more coal
1 Dec 2016
In recent weeks, China has reiterated its plans to push forward on climate action. Despite this, the country is scrambling to mine and burn more coal.
Households cut emissions by 11%, says report
30 Nov 2016
The average New Zealand household’s emissions fell 11 per cent between 2006 and 2012, new research shows.
Trump can't stop rising use of fossil fuels
30 Nov 2016
Climate policies will keep chipping away at fossil fuels’ role as the mainstay of global energy use, despite Donald Trump’s appointment as United States president in 2017, according to a new report by The Economist Intelligence Unit.
Switch to new power puts pressure on boilers
30 Nov 2016
A push for renewable generation is affecting demand for boilers, turbines and generators, a new report shows.
First solar panel roads to be built next year
29 Nov 2016
Rugged solar panels, capable of withstanding the weight of an 18-wheeler truck, are now being trial-built into road surfaces.
Finland plans to ban coal by 2030
29 Nov 2016
Finland has announced its plans to phase out the use of coal for electricity generation by 2030.
Europe felling protected forests for biofuel supply
25 Nov 2016
Protected forests are being indiscriminately felled across Europe to meet the EU’s renewable energy targets, according to new report.
California aims to generate energy from traffic jams
23 Nov 2016
The California Energy Commission has announced plans to attempt to utilise energy generated from standstill traffic.
Solar company wins innovation award
22 Nov 2016
An energy service that combines battery storage and rooftop solar without any equipment costs for Kiwi homeowners has won a green award for innovation.
Canada sets 2030 deadline to get out of coal
22 Nov 2016
Canada could be coal-free by the end of next decade under plans outlined by environment minister Catherine McKenna.
Scientists take big step toward safely burying carbon dioxide
22 Nov 2016
Scientists for the first time have injected carbon dioxide into ancient lava flows and watched it solidify, demonstrating that capturing carbon dioxide and safely storing it underground might be a realistic way to cut greenhouse gases.
PV power could save nation tonnes of emissions
21 Nov 2016
New Zealand could save up to 815,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year by converting 18 per cent of households to photovoltaic solar power, a new study says.
Obama puts Arctic Ocean off limits for drilling
21 Nov 2016
Barack Obama’s administration has ruled out drilling for oil and gas in the pristine Arctic Ocean, throwing up a last-ditch barrier to the pro-fossil fuels agenda of incoming president Donald Trump.
Texas oil find biggest in US history
18 Nov 2016
THE US Geological Survey says a deposit in West Texas is the largest continuous oil and gas field ever discovered in the United States.
Fossil fuel emissions have stalled for third year
15 Nov 2016
For the third year in a row, global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry have barely grown, while the global economy has continued to grow strongly.
Britain's last coal power plants to close by 2025
11 Nov 2016
The last coal power station in Britain will be forced to close in 2025, the government said as it laid out its plan to phase-out the polluting fossil fuel.
Cloud cameras warn of dips in solar power
10 Nov 2016
A new way to tackle the much-maligned unpredictability of solar energy is being deployed at a solar farm opening in Western Australia – cloud-tracking cameras.
Wind and solar combo could be the way to go
9 Nov 2016
By combining intermittent renewable energy sources through hybrid projects, developers are taking advantage of the strengths of each.
We can’t bet on renewable energy to save the world
9 Nov 2016
The Paris climate agreement has now officially come into force most people have hailed it as a huge success and a significant milestone in our quest to limit the effects of global climate change.
Mercedes-Benz enters US energy storage market
7 Nov 2016
Mercedes-Benz is launching a new company to sell stationary storage of all sizes to the US market.
New energy strategy on way, says minister
3 Nov 2016
The Government's new energy strategy is about to be released and is likely to contain aspirational targets to convert the heat and transport sectors to renewable energy sources.
PAY DAY: Bioenergy switch brings in business
3 Nov 2016
An eight-year investment in bioenergy is finally paying off with customers for an Invercargill laundry company.
Big Oil joins climate push with clean-energy fund
3 Nov 2016
Top oil companies including Saudi Aramco and Shell are joining forces to create an investment fund to develop technologies to promote renewable energy.
Offshore wind could swell 650% by 2030
3 Nov 2016
Offshore wind capacity could grow by more than 650 per cent in the next 15 years, according to new research.
Subsidy crunch cuts funding for Asia clean energy
3 Nov 2016
THE GREEN-ENERGY industry is starting to feel the impact of an efficiency drive sweeping Asia, where governments from China to Japan are scaling back subsidies to constrain a boom in installations.
You can't do it alone, bioenergy body hears
2 Nov 2016
No country has made the move to low-carbon bioenergy without strong governmental support, the New Zealand Bioenergy Association has been told.
Companies using yeast to wean us off fossil fuels
2 Nov 2016
For more than a century, oil has ruled the chemical landscape. But some companies are betting that yeast might be able to push petroleum to the side.
Musk muscles in on old-style domestic energy systems
1 Nov 2016
Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk has unveiled the latest elements of his plan to lead a global push to 100 per cent renewable energy -- a solar roof shingle and the second generation of his home battery storage offerings.
Iceland turning up the heat on thermal energy production
1 Nov 2016
Iceland is about to tap into water as hot as lava. Several kilometres below ground, a drilling rig named Thor will soon penetrate the area around a magma chamber, where molten rock from the inner Earth heats up water that has seeped through the seafloor.
Electric floor sparks power from footfalls
31 Oct 2016
US scientists have found a new way to generate energy at home: the tribo-electric floor. Tread on it and it will convert the kinetic energy of a footstep into a current of electricity.
Scientist calls for crackdown on methane gas leaks
28 Oct 2016
A leading authority on the effects of methane in the atmosphere has called for a new drive to cut gas leaks from pipelines and wells.
Half of added electricity capacity was renewable in 2015
27 Oct 2016
According to the International Energy Agency, 50 per cent of global net electricity generation capacity added in 2015 was renewable.
Paris withdraws plans for carbon tax on coal
27 Oct 2016
Pressure from the miners’ and energy workers’ union CGT has forced the French government to back down on extending the carbon tax to coal-fired power stations.
Renewables poised for rapid growth worldwide
26 Oct 2016
About 500,000 solar panels are installed each day worldwide. In China, two wind turbines are built every hour.
Adelaide blackout draws attention to battery storage
26 Oct 2016
Battery storage is still many years away from preventing massive blackouts such as the one that hit South Australia last month, according to a senior utility figure.
India’s solar power set to outshine coal
26 Oct 2016
India wants to provide its entire population with electricity and lift millions out of poverty, but in order to prevent the world overheating it also needs to switch away from fossil fuels.
Local govt bill 'completely misses the point,' passes first reading
Fri 18 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s bill making changes to the Local Government Act to "refocus" councils on their core functions passed its first reading in Parliament last night, with critics saying it will set back climate resilience.
Expert rejects farmers call to ditch green investment framework
Thu 17 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Scrapping a proposed 'green' finance taxonomy before work on it is even finished would risk New Zealand being left behind in the transition to more sustainable systems, according to an expert.
Mangroves' overlooked climate role
30 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s mangrove forests are pulling tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year, yet their climate benefits remain unrecognised in national emissions reporting.
How flying can be a climate solution
16 Jun 2025
By Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan - Planetary Ecology | How can aviation contribute to tackling climate change when no practicable technology-based solutions are on the horizon?
Foresters seek time; end to using ETS as a land use tool
Wed 16 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Production and carbon forestry owners have begged the environment select committee to at least give the sector more time to come up with workable rules for legislation intended to cap forest planting on farmland.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
