New Zealand: Energy
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.
BIOGAS BONUS: NZ is slow to get the message
8 Sep 2016
New Zealand is slow to grasp the potential to cut greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution by turning waste into biogas, says a company providing the technology all over the world.
Europe’s nuclear club slows emissions cuts
8 Sep 2016
The prospect of using nuclear energy appears to deter European countries from adopting renewable technologies such as wind and solar, and from introducing energy efficiency measures.
Biggest funds blocking climate action
7 Sep 2016
Some of the world’s biggest funds are not living up to their responsible investment rhetoric, an analysis of ExxonMobil investors reveals.
Banks put high price on climate change risks
6 Sep 2016
Twenty-eight per cent of banks operating in Asia and the Pacific say that exposure to climate change risk is a reason for not lending money.
US eyes public land for renewables
6 Sep 2016
More wind turbines and solar power plants could be coming to vast tracts of public lands in theUS if the Obama administration finalises a new rule aiming to streamline how federal lands can be developed for renewable energy.
G20 emissions pledges are far too low
2 Sep 2016
The promises made by the G20 group of the world’s leading economies to meet the goals reached in last December’s Paris Agreement on emissions reduction are nowhere near adequate, according to new analysis by a global consortium.
The fact is eco housing is not expensive
30 Aug 2016
Low-energy or zero-energy housing is international best practice, but is still considered costly. Part of the problem is that studies of housing standards typically use only cost-benefit analysis to assess their value, and so often wrongly conclude that sustainable housing is unaffordable.
How long weekends can help to save the world
29 Aug 2016
Three-day weekends might be one of the easiest steps we can take to radically reduce our environmental impact – and future-proof our economy.
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.
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.
