New Zealand: Energy
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.
Minister goes back to school on sustainability
15 Mar 2016
New Plymouth MP Jonathan Young is representing New Zealand at an international conference on sustainability.
China's electricity sector soars
15 Mar 2016
China’s electricity sector transformation accelerated in the first two months of this year, new data shows.
Greens want probe into future of Huntly
4 Mar 2016
The Green Party is calling for an independent investigation into the best options for replacing coal-burning electricity generation at Huntly with cleaner alternatives.
It's time to look at energy goals, says minister
3 Mar 2016
The Government says it is looking at setting national energy targets to “send a strong signal to businesses about what New Zealand’s energy future should look like”.
Yes to solar, but we're light years behind
3 Mar 2016
New Zealand electricity company leaders say solar power has become part of the energy mix for consumers, but less so than in Australia.
Give MOOC a chance ...
3 Mar 2016
Want to know more about the global transition to sustainable energy? The Massive Online Open Course could be what you’re looking for.
Here's how we can make power plants green and beautiful
3 Mar 2016
Energy suppliers often refer to their industry as being caught in a 'trilemma', as people demand electricity that is both secure and cheap, while also being clean. But maybe it’s time to add a forth consideration to the list – beauty.
How Africa could leapfrog fossil fuels to clean energy
3 Mar 2016
Revolutions are, as a rule, rare and momentous processes. But across the African continent the potential is ripe for a clean energy revolution that upsets and leapfrogs the old fossil-fuel order.
Clean energy reaches record heights in China
1 Mar 2016
China has formally confirmed two new clean energy world records in 2015.
US uses trade rules to hinder India’s solar hopes
29 Feb 2016
World trade regulations have been invoked by the US to challenge India’s ambitious programme to expand massively its renewable energy capacity and provide local jobs.
Carbon budget is only half as big as we thought
26 Feb 2016
Fossil fuel use will have to fall twice as fast as predicted if global warming is to be kept within the 2deg limit agreed internationally as being the point of no return, researchers say.
Stand by for a miracle, says billionaire Bill
25 Feb 2016
The world will have a “miracle” new clean energy within 15 years that will save the planet, Microsoft founder and billionaire Bill Gates is predicting.
If you don't like your power, turn it off
24 Feb 2016
A new app is encouraging New Zealand electricity users to turn off when the country is running on carbon-emitting power.
We're streets ahead on renewables, says Mighty River
23 Feb 2016
Mighty River Power says it has gone “beyond 100 per cent renewable” generation.
British power stations burning biomass from America
23 Feb 2016
Last year, 6m tonnes of wood pellets harvested from forests in Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Virginia were shipped across the Atlantic, to be burnt in renewable biomass power plants.
Solid Energy might be short of fix-it funds
15 Feb 2016
Solid Energy’s liability for future environmental remediation could be larger than expected.
World energy leaders pack bags for the capital
15 Feb 2016
Government and private-sector leaders from across Asia and the Pacific will gather in Wellington next month to talk about energy resilience to climate change and other threats.
Businesses keen to save on energy use
15 Feb 2016
More than 60 of New Zealand’s largest energy-using businesses are now working with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority to save on energy use – representing around 40 per cent of the country’s total business energy use.
Useful waste offers win-win energy benefits
9 Feb 2016
An unsung success story in the switch to renewable energy is the use of waste to produce gas – and a valuable by-product.
Investors tip balance toward renewables
9 Feb 2016
With investment in renewable electricity sources now outstripping polluting fossil fuels, a new study sees signs of change in global attitudes towards climate risks.
Giant blades snatch energy from the air
9 Feb 2016
Science can now make energy by building immense wind turbine blades and filtering carbon from the air, but the challenge is commercial viability.
Many Brits can't be bothered, survey shows
9 Feb 2016
Half the people worried about climate change are not willing to make any changes to their lives to prevent it, a new study suggests.
Solar club builds up powerful alliance
2 Feb 2016
The foundation stone of a new solar power club of 122 nations has been laid in Gurgaon, India, by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President François Hollande − cementing an agreement the two leaders made at the Paris climate talks last December.
Could a levy on air and shipping fuel sink emissions?
2 Feb 2016
Global agreements to aim for “well below” 2deg warming are nice enough, but now it’s time to develop some detailed policies to help us to get there.
New oil and gas wells will wait for price rise
2 Feb 2016
Billions of gallons of oil and huge quantities of gas, already discovered and which companies were about to extract, are currently being left unexploited because of the plunge in oil prices.
High-tech power lines seen as solar solution
2 Feb 2016
Wind power and solar power are ways to reduce carbon emissions, but these generation sources are dependent on the vagaries of the weather, which means neither wind nor solar can produce electricity on-demand at all hours of the day.
Growth, energy and climate in focus at Trans-Tasman bilateral talks
Fri 5 Sep 2025
Trans-Tasman climate cooperation was one of the themes at the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum, with senior government officials and business leaders from both sides of the ditch meeting in Canberra this week.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
13 Aug 2025
New Zealand's proposed approach to methane emissions has again been attacked by international climate scientists, with a new study saying the attempt to redefine climate target-setting by livestock-exporting countries undermines the transition to a sustainable and equitable food system
Vector hits emissions reduction goal five years early
Fri 5 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Auckland lines company Vector has met its 2030 emissions reduction reduction target five years early, more than halving its direct emissions, and crediting innovation and a laser-focus for its success in a hard-to-abate sector.
Air NZ declares surprisingly low SAF prices
Wed 3 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand is able to source sustainable aviation fuel at between 1.5 and 2.5 times the price of conventional fossil fuels used for flying, all sourced from the US.
Forest carbon stores massive blind spot - study
Thu 4 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s planted forests hold significant deep soil organic carbon — with over half of it stored below 30 cm, and much of it over 1,000 years old.
XRB consults on delaying climate reporting requirements
Thu 4 Sep 2025
The External Reporting Board is proposing a further two years relief for companies to adopt anticipated financial impacts reporting and scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions reporting and assurance.
