New Zealand: Energy
Rich investors call on G20 leaders to ratify Paris
25 Aug 2016
A group of 130 institutions that control $13 trillion of investments have called on G20 nations to ratify the Paris Agreement this year and accelerate investment in clean energy and forced disclosure of climate-related financial risk.
It's official, King Coal has been dethroned
24 Aug 2016
This is the worst year in decades for US coal. During the first six months of 2016, US coal production was down a staggering 28 per cent compared to 2015, and down 33 per cent compared to 2014.
Energy breakthrough could save billions
24 Aug 2016
Engineers have developed a new way to separate chemicals that could drastically cut the energy required to make fuels or synthetic polymers.
Musk wants to build entire roofs of solar panels
23 Aug 2016
A new venture spearheaded by Elon Musk will create house roofs made entirely of solar panels, in a sweeping expansion of Tesla’s clean energy ambitions.
Sugarcane waste takes on new powers
23 Aug 2016
Sugarcane waste is to be turned into power in new biomass plants in the Philippines.
Are our computers chewing up the power supply?
22 Aug 2016
Switch off your computer, dust off your old typewriter, sharpen all the pencils you can find, lay in stocks of postage stamps − and that’s just the start.
Welcome to the world of the community solar farm
18 Aug 2016
A growing number of consumers are buying into community solar farms that allow renters and apartment dwellers to access renewable energy produced on neighborhood plots.
Nordic countries could inspire EU bioenergy
18 Aug 2016
The experience of sustainable forestry management in Sweden and the other Nordic countries could serve as an inspiration for the EU when it draws up sustainability criteria for biomass.
Renewables up 70% in G20 countries
17 Aug 2016
New figures have shown that renewable energy generation in the world’s 20 major economies has increased by 70 per cent in the past five years.
LA switches on to virtual power plants
17 Aug 2016
Los Angeles area utilities are starting to turn to the new concept of “virtual power plants”.
UK to build largest offshore wind farm
17 Aug 2016
The giant Hornsea Project Two wind farm off the coast of Yorkshire is on track to become the world's largest offshore wind project.
Fonterra manager wins energy plaudits
15 Aug 2016
Fonterra energy manager Linda Thompson has been named Young Energy Professional of the Year 2016 at the Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards.
Wind covers Scotland's electricity needs for a day
12 Aug 2016
High winds recently boosted renewable energy output to provide 106 per cent of Scotland’s electricity needs for a day.
Swiss pioneer new way of storing energy
11 Aug 2016
A pilot project is developing a new system that stores electricity in the form of compressed air in the Swiss Alps.
Renewable electricity hits 90% mark
10 Aug 2016
New Zealand has hit its target of 90 per cent renewable electricity production this year.
RIGS TO REEFS: Should we leave oil platforms alone?
10 Aug 2016
The global offshore oil and gas industry has installed a wide variety of infrastructure throughout our oceans, including tens of thousands of wells, thousands of platforms and many thousands of kilometres of seabed pipelines.
Christchurch office wins 5-star rating
9 Aug 2016
Insurance company IAG and property investor Goodman have been awarded a 5-star NABERSNZ whole-building rating for their Christchurch office.
Can Tesla go from sexy cars to clean energy?
9 Aug 2016
Elon Musk, who tapped into branding magic at Tesla Motors when he built electric cars that are stylish and drive fast, is now looking to get into the bigger and less-sexy realm of sustainable energy, solar power and batteries.
Giant Amazon dam fails environment test
8 Aug 2016
Plans to build a giant hydroelectric dam in the heart of the Amazon rainforest have been halted by Brazil’s environmental protection agency because of mounting concerns about the fate of indigenous communities and wildlife living in the area.
New York eyes 50% renewable energy by 2030
3 Aug 2016
New York state will aim to generate half its power from renewable sources by the year 2030, an ambitious plan that will rely on big subsidies to nuclear power plants.
Britain's nuclear white elephant stumbles
1 Aug 2016
Celebrations by the nuclear industry planned for today have been cancelled following the shock decision by Britain to put the world’s largest electricity project on hold.
State fracking controls don't exist, study finds
1 Aug 2016
Most local authorities in the United States are setting no controls on the impacts of fracking on communities, a new study says.
Fossil fuel workers to retrain in clean energy
1 Aug 2016
Scottish workers leaving the increasingly embattled oil and gas sector are being offered the chance to retrain for work in clean energy industries, under a new training scheme funded by the Scottish Government.
Call me Mercury, says Mighty River
29 Jul 2016
Mighty River Power says a rebranding campaign launched today reflects New Zealand’s future in clean energy.
A short history of nuclear fission ...
29 Jul 2016
An Italian physicist, Enrico Fermi, was the first to achieve it but just recently nuclear fission’s popularity has been decreasing.
Renewables overtake coal in UK power generation
29 Jul 2016
Biomass, wind and other clean sources produced a quarter of UK electricity last year, government figures show, as plant closures reduced coal’s share to 22 per cent.
Denmark targets 100% renewable electricity by 2050
29 Jul 2016
Currently, 40 per cent of Denmark’s electricity comes from wind, and the country’s target is to reach 50 per cent by 2020 and 100 per cent renewables by 2050.
Big emitters face landmark human rights case
28 Jul 2016
The world’s largest oil, coal, cement and mining companies have been given 45 days to respond to a complaint that their greenhouse gas emissions have violated the human rights of millions of people living in the Phillippines.
Z gets an A for corporate responsibility
27 Jul 2016
New kid on the block Z Energy was the only New Zealand-owned company to get top marks in this year’s review of the state of corporate social responsibility in New Zealand and Australia.
A nuclear reactor in every town? Don't laugh
27 Jul 2016
The nuclear industry sees the UK as a springboard for its plans to expand in the next 20 years, especially as a pioneer in the deployment of a new breed of small reactors.
China's coal peak hailed as turning point
26 Jul 2016
The global battle against climate change has passed a historic turning point with China’s huge coal burning finally having peaked, according to senior economists.
MINE GAMES: Plunder of Earth’s natural resources is rising
25 Jul 2016
Humans’ appetite for gnawing away at the fabric of the Earth itself is growing prodigiously.
As nuclear power plants close, states need to bet big on energy storage
25 Jul 2016
Pacific Gas and Electric has started the process of shutting down the Diablo Canyon generation facility, the last active nuclear power plant in California.
US oil sector fights climate disclosure push
25 Jul 2016
Oil companies say a campaign by environmentalists to force them to reveal more about their climate change risks and carbon emissions in financial documents could cause "disclosure overload" that would not better inform investors.
The future of Big Oil? At Shell, it's not oil
21 Jul 2016
At Australia’s Curtis Island, you can see Big Oil morphing into Big Gas. Just off the northeastern coast lies a 667-acre liquefied natural gas terminal owned by Royal Dutch Shell, an engineering feat of staggering complexity.
Offshore windfarms power ahead in Europe
20 Jul 2016
Falling costs mean that power generated by offshore wind farms is becoming increasingly competitive with other fuels – and that’s good news for the climate.
Drones set to play big role in change to renewables
20 Jul 2016
Energy providers are looking at the emergent technology of drones to help them with their day-to-day maintenance of renewables installations and to decrease their costs.
America's booming marijuana industry is an energy hog
20 Jul 2016
As Americans go to the polls in November, at least four states will consider ballot questions on marijuana legalisation.
Monkey business threatening India's solar development
18 Jul 2016
Indian officials are looking into offering insurance for solar panel owners that would cover natural disasters, extreme weather, theft ... and monkey damage.
POWER STRUGGLE: Why the energy market doesn't work
15 Jul 2016
The energy market must be fundamentally redesigned to deal with climate change, say the authors of two studies comparing the impacts of photovoltaics and fossil fuels supply chains.
New energy putting a dent in emissions
15 Jul 2016
Americans are using less electricity as buildings become more energy-efficient and industrial power demand weakens.
POWER SHOCK: Just how climate friendly are we?
14 Jul 2016
New Zealand’s electricity generation might not be as climate friendly as we think.
Three reasons to be cheerful about the 1.5deg target
14 Jul 2016
The recent streak of record-breaking temperatures has shown that climate change is not waiting for the world to take decisive action.
Hotel installs biggest rooftop solar array in US
14 Jul 2016
The largest rooftop solar array in the United States has been installed on top of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
No worries, says Republican Party, coal is clean
13 Jul 2016
The Republican National Convention's draft platform officially describes coal as "an abundant, clean, affordable, reliable domestic energy resource."
Meet the woman who took on Canada’s tar sand barons
12 Jul 2016
Canada’s tar sand fields remind environmentalist Tzeporah Berman of Mordor, the evil land of fire and death in JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
BONUS BILLION: Our untouched energy potential
11 Jul 2016
New Zealand businesses have a billion dollars worth of unrealised energy efficiency potential, says the head of the country’s energy conservation authority.
World's largest storage battery will power LA
11 Jul 2016
More than 18,000 lithium ion battery packs could replace a gas-fired power plant used to meet peak demand in Los Angeles.
Electric Highway to expand in UK
11 Jul 2016
Ecotricity will start charging electric car drivers for using its British Electric Highway – Europe’s most comprehensive car charging network.
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.
