New Zealand: Energy
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.
Energy efficiency makes impact on carbon emissions
25 Oct 2016
Improved energy efficiency is helping New Zealand to cut thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions, as well as saving millions of dollars a year, the Government energy efficiency agency reports.
Corporate climate risk is all about turning a profit
25 Oct 2016
Risk has become a central construct for how businesses should respond to climate change.
Clinton says clean energy economy will create millions of jobs. Can it?
25 Oct 2016
Job growth is a prime topic in the US presidential race, but Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have very different takes on the role clean energy could play in creating employment.
Diesel use boosts national gas emissions
21 Oct 2016
New Zealanders are producing more greenhouse gas emissions from the use of diesel, according to new figures.
Exxon says world needs oil of five Saudis
21 Oct 2016
Global demand for energy will grow 25 per cent in the next 25 years and countries will guzzle oil five times the size of Saudi Arabia’s reserves, predicts Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson.
Saudis say oil industry must do its bit
21 Oct 2016
Oil companies must cut their carbon footprints to play a part in meeting the Paris Agreement on climate change, says Saudi Arabia oil chief Khalid Al-Falih.
Meet the US companies with the most solar
21 Oct 2016
Target is now the US. company that produces the most solar power at its facilities, beating out Walmart for the first time, and heading off Prologis, Apple, Costco, Kohl’s, and IKEA.
Big Oil might be emerging stronger than ever
20 Oct 2016
After a heart-stopping plunge in the price of crude over the last two years, along with slashed dividends and the elimination of tens of thousands of jobs, the biggest oil companies are proving surprisingly adept at again pumping profits, as well as oil, out of the ground.
Nuclear fusion record big boost for clean energy
18 Oct 2016
A nuclear fusion world record has been set in the US, marking another step on the long road toward the unlocking of limitless clean energy.
Biofuels turn out to be a climate mistake – here’s why
18 Oct 2016
Ever since the 1973 oil embargo, US energy policy has sought to replace petroleum-based transportation fuels with alternatives. One prominent option is using biofuels, such as ethanol in place of gasoline and biodiesel instead of ordinary diesel.
Fracking pumps up public’s climate fears
18 Oct 2016
Public opposition to pumping water and chemicals into the ground to extract gas from shale − the technique known as fracking − is growing even in the countries whose governments are most in favour.
Nations sign 'monumental' deal on coolants
17 Oct 2016
A global deal to limit the use of hydrofluorocarbons in the battle to combat climate change has been hailed as a “monumental step forward”.
... but it will make little difference in the West
17 Oct 2016
They went to Kigali to eliminate hydrofluorocarbons and take 0.5deg out of future global warming, and the 170 countries who successfully negotiated an amendment to the Montreal Protocol agreed to get rid of 90 per cent of them. Job done. Not bad for four days and three long nights’ work.
Global wind capacity will hit 500GW by year end
14 Oct 2016
Global wind capacity is set to hit 500GW by the end of 2016, accounting for around 5 per cent of global power demand, according to new data.
US energy emissions fall to lowest in 25 years
14 Oct 2016
The US has recorded its lowest energy-related CO2 emissions for the first six months of any year since 1991.
Investing in renewable energy falls to new low point
12 Oct 2016
Global investment in clean energy fell to the lowest in more than three years as demand for new renewable energy sources slumped in China, Japan and Europe.
BP ditches plans to drill for oil in Bight
12 Oct 2016
BP has decided not to go ahead with its controversial plans to drill for oil in the commonwealth marine reserve in the Great Australian Bight.
Fossil fuel industry must halt expansion
12 Oct 2016
Governments need to call an immediate halt to new coal, oil and gas projects if the world is to meet its climate change targets, a new report concludes.
Global demand for energy will peak in 2030, says world body
11 Oct 2016
Global demand for energy per capita will peak in 2030 thanks to new technology and stricter government policies, the World Energy Council has predicted.
Energy leaders want stability for renewables
11 Oct 2016
Stable tariffs and policy support are needed to boost the growth of the renewable energy sector, say industry leaders at the 23rd World Energy Congress.
We're not doing enough, warn global energy leaders
10 Oct 2016
Current market signals are not strong enough to drive the decarbonisation the world needs to avoid dangerous levels of climate change, say energy leaders meeting in Istanbul.
Trustpower hits pause on Aust renewables spin-off
10 Oct 2016
Trustpower has put the brakes on its plans to spin-off its wind energy assets into an Australia-based renewables-only entity, while it reviews the timing and business case of the move in light of the recent electricity system failure in South Australia.
Fossil fuel emissions much higher than thought
6 Oct 2016
Emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas from coal, oil and gas are up to 60% greater than previously estimated, meaning current climate prediction models should be revised, research shows.
Brazil shifts funds from coal to solar power
6 Oct 2016
Brazil’s mighty National Development Bank is boosting solar funds while cutting credit for fossil fuels and large hydro.
World's largest carbon-capture plant opening soon
6 Oct 2016
It’s a tall order for any new technology, but for a commercial carbon capture and storage system, it might be the start of a revolution.
Fossil fuel investors seek risks disclosure
5 Oct 2016
On one side are the big oil and gas companies. On the other is an increasingly vocal group of investors – both big and small – who are worried about the declining value of billions of dollars’ worth of shares they hold in these mighty conglomerates.
Global energy graphs that might surprise you ...
5 Oct 2016
Love data? Care about the energy transition? Here's the story in a nutshell ...
Minister wants a clean-tech 'second revolution'
4 Oct 2016
The environment minister wants a “second revolution” in clean technologies to reduce the use of synthetic gases that cause climate warming.
Nation still dining out on fossil fuels, report shows
30 Sep 2016
New Zealanders continue to guzzle fossil fuels, with 76 per cent of the country’s energy last year coming from oil, gas and coal, Government figures show.
Burning existing fossil fuels will break the Paris bank
27 Sep 2016
Burning all the carbon in existing coal mines and developed oil and gas fields will push the world past the Paris Agreement climate limit.
Scientists find better way to run gas turbines
27 Sep 2016
Molybdenum silicides can improve the efficiency of turbine blades in ultra-high-temperature combustion systems, researchers at Kyoto University have found.
Why NZ doesn't need foreign carbon credits
26 Sep 2016
New Zealand could meet its Paris Agreement pledge without using foreign carbon credits and develop a $6 billion industry at the same time, says the Bioenergy Association.
China to slow green growth after boom
26 Sep 2016
After installing more wind and solar farms than anywhere else on the planet, China is ratcheting back the pace of growth in an industry that’s helped lower the costs of green energy worldwide.
Solar behemoth arises in China
23 Sep 2016
A massive 2-gigawatt solar project is under development in China's Ningxia region. The $2.34 billion project will need about six million panels and will likely be the world's largest solar farm.
Asia eyes renewable energy super grid
23 Sep 2016
Entrepreneurs in China, Russia, Japan and South Korea have signed a memorandum of understanding which sets out plans to create an Asian renewable energy super grid.
Native American pipeline resistance is about climate justice
21 Sep 2016
Over the past months, hundreds of indigenous persons and their allies have gathered near the crossing of the Missouri and Cannon Ball rivers in the ancestral territories of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
Renewables establish economic lead
16 Sep 2016
The cheapest way of generating energy today is to use renewable fuels – and the authors of a new analysis predict that renewables are set to enjoy even more of an advantage within a few years.
Investment in new renewables outpaces demand
16 Sep 2016
The International Energy Agency has released a report showing that investment in new renewables has covered the global electricity demand in 2015.
Scientists get closer to methane answers
15 Sep 2016
New research has added yet another layer to a major scientific debate about the global emissions of methane.
Gas pipelines run over EU energy policy
15 Sep 2016
Civil society campaigners have accused the European Union of pouring unprecedented amounts of state aid into a huge energy project that runs counter to its own climate change objectives.
Green-powered boat readies for round-world voyage
14 Sep 2016
Dubbed the “Solar Impulse of the Seas”, the first boat to be powered solely by renewable energies and hydrogen aims to make its own historic trip around the world.
New fabric generates electric power on the go
13 Sep 2016
A super-thin fabric that generates electricity from both sunlight and movement promises a lightweight, flexible, foldable power source on the go.
Lawyers complain to ombudsman over Govt failure to release LNG modelling
1 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action has made a formal complaint to the Ombudsman over the Government’s failure to release information about its controversial decision to build a LNG import terminal.
Fonterra admits ‘100% grass-fed’ claim breached law in greenwashing row
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fonterra has admitted its “100% New Zealand grass-fed” claims on Anchor butter were misleading and breached the law, settling a case brought by Greenpeace Aotearoa over packaging used between December 2023 and April 2025.
Annual emissions fell to lowest in 15 years in Sept 2025
5 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions fell to their lowest annual total in the year to September 2025 since records began 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand data published this morning.
Free fares call as fuel crisis impacts school attendance
Wed 8 Apr 2026
An open letter is urging the Government to make public transport free for all school children and subsidised for students under 25, as rising fuel costs begin to impact attendance and access to education across the country.
Wellington planting nears one million trees
30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greater Wellington’s parks restoration programme will hit one million native trees this year, with the first dams to rewet peat wetlands in Queen Elizabeth Park now completed after a years-long effort to bring these ecosystems – and their carbon sequestering superpowers – back to life.
Businesses look for ways to cut costs in response to oil shock
1 Apr 2026
New Zealand’s small and medium-sized businesses are looking for ways to ease the pressure as global tensions see rising fossil fuel prices and diminishing supply, with decision-makers mulling measures including work-from-home polices and transport or logistics changes.
