New Zealand: Energy
Renewable energy redoubles its global reach
29 Jun 2015
A significant threshold has been crossed by renewable energy as analysts report that the sectorʼs size last year reached double the level it was at just 10 years earlier.
Solar fuels: how planes and cars could be powered by the sun
29 Jun 2015
Most people are aware of solar photovoltaics that generate electricity and solar panels that produce hot water. But there is another thrust of solar research: turning sunlight into liquid fuels.
How Rwanda’s clinics have gone off-grid and on to renewable energy
29 Jun 2015
Rwanda is located in the poorest region in the world, sub-Saharan Africa. Despite this, it is making advances with off-grid renewable energy solutions for rural areas that could be a model for similar economies.
EcoStore pioneer is still setting the pace after 20 years
15 Jun 2015
When he started, people thought EcoStore founder Malcolm Rands was mad for tying his business up in tight ethical standards.
European power is slipping away from King Coal
15 Jun 2015
Coal, the muscle that for two centuries powered Europe’s economic dominance of the world, is steadily losing its grip as cleaner fuels take its place and energy efficiency cuts electricity consumption, according to new analysis.
Could one million smart pool pumps store renewable energy better than giant batteries?
15 Jun 2015
As more wind and solar energy comes online, the people who run the power grid have a problem: how do they compensate for the variable nature of the sun and wind?
China sets the pace in solar installations
15 Jun 2015
China will remain the world’s largest market for annual solar photovoltaic installations, a new report says.
Climate targets not a cost, says bioenergy bloc
8 Jun 2015
The Government should see its climate change targets as an opportunity for New Zealand business and the economy, not a cost, the BioEnergy Association says.
Africa’s advocates say fossil fuel subsidies must go
8 Jun 2015
Developed countries should rapidly end subsidies for fossil fuels, says a group established to argue for equitable and sustainable development for Africa.
Networking good way to make wind power reliable
2 Jun 2015
Researchers say they’ve figured out how to make wind power reliable.
Shell can’t afford to wait until 2050 to adapt its business to climate change
2 Jun 2015
Shell’s recent AGM was tumultuous. Shareholders voted overwhelmingly for the company to report on whether its activities were compatible with promised government action on climate change.
Take care with electric vehicles, says academic
2 Jun 2015
Converting New Zealand’s car fleet to electricity needs careful management, a Canterbury University researcher says.
New energy policy needed as nuclear giants take a hit
2 Jun 2015
The European nuclear industry, led by France, seems to be in terminal decline as a result of the cancellation of a new Finnish reactor, technical faults in stations already under construction, and severe financial problems.
Brazil leads South American renewable energy charge
25 May 2015
Brazil will spearhead renewable energy development in South America to 2017, as the continent changes its energy profile.
Tesla's battery power could give Nevada a $100b jolt
18 May 2015
The new Tesla Motors factory being built outside Sparks, Nevada, was already on tap to produce 500,000 electric car batteries and become the largest battery factory in the world when chief executive Elon Musk announced last month it would also produce the potentially revolutionary home battery, the Powerwall.
Oceans generate rising tide of renewables ideas
18 May 2015
A race is on worldwide to harness the tides and waves for electrical power, with more than 100 different devices being tested by companies hoping to make a commercial breakthrough.
Why falling oil prices should not undermine investment in green energy
18 May 2015
When the price of crude oil dropped from US$110 a barrel in mid-2014 to below US$50 by January 2015, there were fears that it would destroy the “green revolution”.
Islands switch to solar power
18 May 2015
Foreign Minister Murray McCully and Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna have officially opened solar arrays on the islands of Penrhyn and Manihiki this week, and marked the completion of the Cook Islands Solar Project.
We've got the chance to turn green into gold
11 May 2015
New Zealand could turn “green into gold” by capitalising on emerging clean technologies and showing leadership on climate change.
'PM's bank' pulls back from coal investments
11 May 2015
A company in which Prime Minister John Key is a shareholder is reducing coal investment because of the risk of financial exposure.
It's simple, says action group, coal's day is done
4 May 2015
Just five solar-power installation companies could create as many jobs as the Rotowaru coal mine, a new analysis says.
Southern project shows way with wood-fired boilers
4 May 2015
A pilot project to encourage industrial users to switch to wood-fired boilers could cut greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 200,000 tonnes.
Rather than divest, advocate for carbon balancing
4 May 2015
At many universities and other institutions, heartfelt campaigns are under way to divest from fossil fuel companies as a way to address climate change.
Teslas, in one place at least, aren’t greener than diesels
4 May 2015
By NIRAJ LAL.- The Tesla in front of me was shiny, sleek and silent, but my daydreams were interrupted with a question: does a Tesla charged by Australian electricity emit less CO2 per kilometre than an efficient diesel car?
Commitment to end flaring is boost for climate talks
4 May 2015
Companies and governments responsible for 40 per cent of global gas flaring have made a commitment to stop their climate-damaging activities within the next 15 years.
NZ emissions figures worse than average, says report
28 Apr 2015
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions trend from energy is worse than the OECD average, a new report says.
LanzaTech lines up more commercial plants
28 Apr 2015
LanzaTech, the New Zealand-founded carbon recycling company, says it has other full-scale commercial plants in the pipeline following this week’s announcement that China Steel Corp will invest US$46 million in a commercial scale ethanol facility in Taiwan.
Major changes in store for electricity industry
28 Apr 2015
Inventors are in a race to find the best way of storing electricity to make the most of renewables and cut the use of fossil fuels.
Scientists again raise carbon storage hopes
28 Apr 2015
Two groups of US scientists are exploring new ways of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Power giant to dump coal-fired stations and go green
20 Apr 2015
Australia's second-largest power company says it will close its coal-fired power stations by 2050 and concentrate on developing renewable energy.
Big Oil faces new pressure to disclose climate risk
20 Apr 2015
A $2 trillion group of investors have asked regulators to force oil and gas companies to provide more disclosures about climate-related risks to their businesses.
Battery costs drop even faster as electric car sales keep rising
20 Apr 2015
The cost of batteries is one of the major hurdles standing in the way of widespread use of electric cars and household solar batteries.
Investors chip in as renewables rise toward record level
13 Apr 2015
Carbon dioxide levels might be soaring, and governments might be slow to reduce fossil fuel emissions and contain climate change, but the smart money could nevertheless be going into renewable sources such as wind and solar power.
An economy focused solely on growth is unsustainable
13 Apr 2015
Most world leaders seem to believe that economic growth is a panacea for many of society’s problems.
Hydrogen moves could trigger $44 billion green economy, says Toshiba
7 Apr 2015
The carbon-neutral hydrogen economy will be worth more than $44 billion by 2030, says Toshiba Corporation.
BP’s extreme climate forecast puts energy giant in a bind
7 Apr 2015
BP’s annual Energy Outlook report details the results from modelling of what it sees as the “most likely” energy scenario out to 2035.
Water crisis pushes Brazil toward solar power at last
7 Apr 2015
Brazil’s long-running drought could have the unexpected consequence of finally prompting one of the sunniest countries in the world to take solar power seriously.
New ocean energy plan could worsen global warming
7 Apr 2015
One of renewable energy’s more outspoken enthusiasts has delivered bad news for the prospects of developing ocean thermal energy. His prediction is that although the technology could work for a while, after about 50 years it could actually exacerbate long-term global warning.
Energy promoters adopt Dragons' Den concept
7 Apr 2015
United States companies with energy-efficiency ideas in need of capital are heading to a new Dragons' Den-type deal room.
Govt opens doors to new oil and gas exploration
30 Mar 2015
The Government is calling for energy companies to explore the potential of more than 400,000 square kilometres of land and sea, maintaining that oil and gas have a role to play in a low-carbon world.
Third thermal station finds competition too much
30 Mar 2015
A third thermal power station is closing because it can’t compete economically against renewables.
New tandem solar cells pave way for better solar
30 Mar 2015
Maximizing the efficiency of converting sunlight to electricity was the primary goal for much of the history of solar power industry. Because solar cells were so expensive to make, they were used only in special applications, such as on spacecraft, where performance was more important than cost.
Wynyard scheme adopts green rating
30 Mar 2015
A new housing development in Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter will be the first to use the new 7 Homestar environmental rating.
Old King Coal is sick ... but not yet dying
23 Mar 2015
A global investigation into every coal-fired power plant proposed in the past five years shows that only one in three of them has actually been built.
Why is low-carbon energy innovation so slow? You can thank Economics 101
23 Mar 2015
The world needs a lot of energy. Global energy demand is expected to increase by 37 per cent percent over the next 25 years, according to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2014.
Powerful wind blows through US energy sector
23 Mar 2015
By KIERAN COOKE.- The wind turbines are turning across America, and a major report by the US Department of Energy says the wind energy sector now supplies 4.5 per cent of the nation’s electricity.
Why is pumping CO2 underground stuck in second gear?
16 Mar 2015
There are many uncertainties with respect to global climate change, but there is one thing about which I have no doubts: we will not solve climate change by running out of fossil fuels.
Whatever happened to the great European fracking boom?
16 Mar 2015
The European shale gas boom has not materialised in the way that some were predicting.
Biobattery breakthrough boosts waste-to-energy revolution
9 Mar 2015
Competition to make biofuels out of waste products that would otherwise have to be dumped is creating a fast-growing, worldwide industry.
Four ways to boost Australia’s economy and help the climate
9 Mar 2015
Australia likely has several decades of coal left in it.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
Controversy around NZ’s methane target hits international press
Tue 3 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s approach to methane targets has hit international media, with climate scientists from multiple countries penning an open letter warning Prime Minister Christopher Luxon not to weaken methane targets.
Tech alone won’t save us, warns climate expert
Wed 4 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Technology alone won't be enough to reach net zero emissions, environmental psychologist Lorraine Whitmarsh told the Carbon and Energy Professionals conference in Auckland last week.
“It’s not the car – it’s how we move” – EECA
Tue 3 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams| New Zealand’s transport emissions conversation has focused heavily on electric vehicles – but Richard Briggs, group manager, delivery and partnerships at the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, says we’re asking the wrong question.
Fed Farmers launches campaign against carbon forestry
Fri 6 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | Federated Farmers has launched what they are calling the ‘Save Our Sheep’ campaign, blaming carbon forestry for declining sheep numbers and calling on the government to urgently review the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Kiwi cleantech companies on the world stage
27 May 2025
Six New Zealand 'cleantech' companies were in Singapore earlier this month, along with a venture capital firm and the MacDiarmid Institute, to meet investors and multinational partners.
