New Zealand: Energy
Cut the kindling, Huntly could run on wood
4 May 2016
Converting the Huntly coal-fired power station to run on wood is technically feasible, but expensive.
Japan pays high price for ‘silo’ science
4 May 2016
Lack of scientific co-operation with other countries has cost Japan “trillions of yen” in expensive solar power because the country did not learn from the experience of other countries before rushing to install it, analysts say.
GE wants become big player in offshore wind
4 May 2016
General Electric wants to become a major player in the offshore wind industry and is interested in buying the Areva-Gamesa offshore joint-venture Adwen.
Phasing out fossil fuels more than just a straight swap
3 May 2016
To have any chance of preventing dangerous climate change, the world needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero or even negative by mid-century.
US coal use down in nearly every state
2 May 2016
Coal consumption in the electric power sector has dropped in nearly every state between 2007 and 2015, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Alaska and Nebraska are the two outliers that experienced an increase in coal demand during this time.
Love thy neighbour and feel the power
29 Apr 2016
A new peer-to-peer solar power platform could see people buying electricity generated by their friends and neighbours.
Venezuela orders two-day week to tackle energy crisis
29 Apr 2016
Venezuela’s public sector has been ordered to work just two days a week to save energy.
San Diego aims to be largest 100% renewable US city
29 Apr 2016
San Diego is set to become the largest city in the United States to run on 100 per cent renewable energy after the mayor announced his support for a 2035 target.
Genesis extends life of Huntly coal-fired plant
28 Apr 2016
New Zealand’s coal-fired power station will remain open until 2022, but Genesis Energy says it is still committed to closing it.
We can survive without oil, says Saudi
26 Apr 2016
Saudi Arabia’s cabinet has approved Vision 2030, a package of economic reforms designed to reduce dependence on oil revenues.
San Francisco demands solar panels on new buildings
22 Apr 2016
San Francisco has unanimously passed legislation that would require new construction that is shorter than 10 floors to install solar panels or solar water heaters on top of both new residential and commercial buildings.
US-Canada pact eases Arctic drilling fears
21 Apr 2016
Low oil prices have reduced pressure to exploit Arctic fossil fuels and boosted hopes that the region’s fragile environment and indigenous people may be better protected.
Millions must choose between eating and heating
21 Apr 2016
An estimated 54 million Europeans suffer from energy poverty, according to a European Commission analysis, which blames rising prices, low income and energy inefficient homes for forcing people to choose between eating or heating.
Z Energy's biodiesel plant strikes gold
20 Apr 2016
Z Energy’s $26 million dollar biodiesel plant has earned it gold membership of the Bioenergy Association.
Nuclear costs are travelling in uncharted territory
20 Apr 2016
As some governments press on with new nuclear installations to address climate change, a multi-billion dollar industry will be needed to make safe old power plants and their hazardous waste.
Australian partners want $1b for clean energy move
20 Apr 2016
Australiafs Clean Energy Finance Corporation and infrastructure manager Palisade have announced a partnership to attract investment of $1 billion in clean energy projects.
Australia's air pollution increases 69%
19 Apr 2016
Air quality across Australia has deteriorated to alarming levels with the coal industry the nation's worst polluter, new data has shown.
Japan’s emissions fall to three-year low
19 Apr 2016
Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions have fallen to a three-year low due to growing use of renewable energy and reduced power demand.
Forgetting fossil fuels a turning point in history
18 Apr 2016
The head of a global philanthropic foundation says that the world turning away from fossil fuels is a critical moment in human history, akin to the abolition of slavery.
World Bank head warns against new coal plants
18 Apr 2016
The planet is in a race against time to stop construction of new coal-fired power plants across the globe, Word Bank head Jim Kim has told media.
Biggest coal company files for bankruptcy
15 Apr 2016
Peabody Energy, the world’s largest privately owned coal company, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, following a significant downturn in the coal market that left the company saddled with debt.
Solar sets UK record by beating coal for a day
15 Apr 2016
The sun provided British homes and businesses with more power than coal-fired power stations for 24 hours last weekend.
Big powers in push for small nuclear reactors
14 Apr 2016
Concerns are being raised about the billions of dollars being spent on research to design and build small nuclear reactors for electricity production.
China coal use: Here’s how to read the tea leaves
14 Apr 2016
As the largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, how much coal China is burning is of global interest.
BP playing fast and loose with future, by Bill McKibben
14 Apr 2016
As shareholders gather for BP’s AGM in London this week, they deserve to be made aware of just how at-risk their investments are — and what BP thinks about the future of the firm and the planet. Because the company their investments allow to operate is fourth in a list of the world’s top-emitting companies and was responsible for 2.47 per cent of global emissions from 1751-2010.
Nine ways steel could build a greener economy
13 Apr 2016
Steel might be the largest industrial carbon dioxide emitter, but Britain’s troubled industry could be a big part of a cleaner, greener future.
Couch potatoes have outsized energy footprints
13 Apr 2016
It is alluringly easy to use averages, but when most of a group is far from average, they can lead us astray. This is no less true in the area of energy consumption.
Why it makes sense for offshore drilling to wait
11 Apr 2016
From chants of “Drill, Baby, Drill” to outrage over the BP oil spill, offshore drilling has been highly controversial in recent years. Some view it as a vastly underused revenue source, while others see it as a grave environmental threat.
We keep flushing valuable energy down the drain
11 Apr 2016
Every time you flush your toilet or drain the bath, you’re losing something surprisingly valuable: heat.
Banks threaten to unleash infrastructure tsunami
8 Apr 2016
We are living in the most explosive era of infrastructure expansion in human history. The G20 nations, when they met in Australia in 2014, argued for between US$60 trillion and $70 trillion in new infrastructure investments by 2030, which would more than double the global total value of infrastructure.
Green business awards finalists pack energy punch
7 Apr 2016
Clean-energy projects highlighted in this year’s EECA awards will cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions by 120,000 tonnes a year.
Solar energy shines as power business shrinks
7 Apr 2016
The solar energy business was the bright spot in the shrinking global power business last year, a new report says.
Students give university the good oil on ethical investing
6 Apr 2016
Auckland University might be promoting the talk on sustainable investment this week, but that doesn’t mean it’s walking the walk itself.
That good addresses might not be so good for solar
31 Mar 2016
Auckland’s better-off suburbs are not as good for solar roof-top electricity generation as many of the city’s poorer suburbs, a computer modelling project by Auckland University school shows.
Beware the Exxon factor, lawyer warns big business
30 Mar 2016
Air New Zealand, Fonterra and other companies operating in heavy-emitting industries should be planning how to deal with their emissions to avoid “becoming an Exxon”, warns a Wellington environmental lawyer.
LanzaTech signs first US biofuels deal
30 Mar 2016
New Zealand-founded LanzaTech has signed its first North American deal, giving United States biofuels and biochemicals maker Aemetis exclusive rights to its patented technology to convert various types of waste gas to ethanol in California.
Emitters, you have until Thursday
29 Mar 2016
Emitters have until Thursday to file returns for last year.
'Unless you make the price of fossil fuels honest, people will just keep burning them'
29 Mar 2016
"They talk like they realise there’s a problem, but they’re not taking the only action that would be effective. Unless you make the price of fossil fuels honest, by including their cost to society, people will just keep burning them." That's retired Nasa scientist Dr James Hansen, talking to Radio New Zealand’s Kim Hill on Saturday morning.
Does doing renewable energy demand the undoable?
29 Mar 2016
Switching to renewable energy as fast as the world needs to will require changes so massive that they are unlikely to happen, scientists say.
It looks like Asia is losing its appetite for coal
29 Mar 2016
Many hundreds of planned coal-fired power plants in Asia will probably be shelved as economies slow and climate change and air pollution worsen.
US energy firm boosts Christchurch plant
23 Mar 2016
United States energy technology company Enphase Energy has expanded its Christchurch research plant.
Electric cars the answer for NZ, says report
22 Mar 2016
Switching to electric vehicles will do more to prevent climate change than installing solar panels will – even if the electricity to power the cars comes from burning fossil fuels, says a new report.
Beehive blind to one big fact, says energy expert
22 Mar 2016
The Government’s argument that New Zealand should search for natural gas because it’s cleaner than coal ignores the fact that the world already has more fossil fuels than it can safely burn, says a world expert on energy and climate change.
European politicians push nuclear ‘poison pill’
22 Mar 2016
The economics of nuclear power in Europe are in meltdown, leaving taxpayers facing a heavy burden as the industry clings to pledges of huge public cash injections.
Drilling for gas is good for us, says Government
21 Mar 2016
Drilling for gas in New Zealand will be good for the climate, the Government says.
Energy efficiency in itself can become a market
21 Mar 2016
New research by the European Commission suggests that energy efficiency can become a “niche” market that will attract investors away from fossil fuels.
Emissions standstill boosts Paris pact hopes
21 Mar 2016
The link between global economic growth and emissions growth has been further weakened as greenhouse gas levels show no increase for the second year in succession.
New energy cuts our greenhouse gas emissions
18 Mar 2016
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation are falling on the back of rising renewable generation.
Warm welcome could be awaiting oil industry bigwigs
18 Mar 2016
Oil industry executives meeting in Auckland on Monday might find they have a rather noisy reception.
Clean energy is a win-win for the US
16 Mar 2016
Simply implementing its Paris climate conference commitments on reducing greenhouse gas emissions could save the US billions of dollars – and save hundreds of thousands of lives.
Gene tech reforms face political split
Thu 23 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams |The Government’s Gene Technology Bill continues to divide Parliament, after the Health Select Committee released its long-awaited report last week outlining key recommendations and lingering concerns.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Emissions down slightly - Stats NZ
Fri 24 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Greenhouse gas emissions fell 1.5% in the June 2025 quarter, although the decline seems to reflect the economy continuing to contract rather than Aoteoroa inching towards decarbonisation goals.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
Wed 22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
Emails show forestry lobby fought Gisborne crackdown as slash clean-up drags on
26 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Sustainable land use advocates are accusing Eastland Wood Council of stonewalling efforts to tighten forestry rules, after correspondence between the group and the local council was released under the Official Information Act.
Govt to ease climate reporting thresholds, water down liability
Wed 22 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The rollback of climate change reporting requirements has produced a wave of relief in corporate New Zealand as managed investment funds and listed companies with annual revenue under $1 billion are exempted.
