New Zealand: Energy
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.
How artificial lagoons can be used to harvest energy from the tides
9 Mar 2015
The search for alternative energy sources in the age of climate change has overlooked tidal energy: a vast and unexploited worldwide resource.
Civic energy could provide half our electricity by 2050
9 Mar 2015
What would our energy system look like if the move to a low-carbon society wasn’t left to governments and big energy companies but was instead led by civil society?
Prices fail to reflect real costs of fossil fuels
9 Mar 2015
Forget the price of petrol at the pumps. The true cost of any fossil fuel is much greater if social costs are factored in, according to new research.
Waikato mine delayed, not on hold, says Fonterra
2 Mar 2015
Fonterra subsidiary Glencoal has denied suggestions that it has put its plans for an opencast mine in the Waikato on hold indefinitely following public opposition.
Sydney aims to save $600m on energy bills
2 Mar 2015
Sydney is aiming to become one of the world’s most energy-efficient cities, slashing greenhouse gas pollution and saving $600 million on energy bills by 2030.
Bad news, says BP, we're looking at a 25% rise in CO2
2 Mar 2015
The British-based oil and gas giant BP says it expects global emissions of carbon dioxide to rise by a quarter in the next 20 years.
Tiny capsules can have big impact on carbon capture
2 Mar 2015
By ROGER AINES.- Using the same baking soda found in most grocery stores, researchers in the United States have created a significant advance in carbon dioxide capture.
Can wave energy rise to the challenge in Australia?
23 Feb 2015
A pioneering wave farm off Perth now generating electricity is an exciting and welcome development.
Shell chief calls for climate action, but what are the motives?
23 Feb 2015
Shell chief Ben van Beurden is pointing the way for oil companies to demand greater certainty over future climate policy.
Energy Union targets renewables subsidies, boosts idle coal plants
23 Feb 2015
The European Commission’s overhaul of the EU electricity market will target national public support for renewables, while encouraging governments to pay energy companies in other member states for idle power stations.
Energy-efficiency rules fail US academic's test
16 Feb 2015
Energy efficiency rules in California have failed to cut energy consumption, suggesting that direct action is less effective than carbon pricing in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a visiting economist says.
Rice serves up double measure of biofuel and fodder
16 Feb 2015
Japanese scientists have found a potential answer to the biofuel dilemma that if you grow crops for energy, you have to sacrifice crops for food.
‘Bionic leaf’ could turn solar energy into chemicals and fuels
16 Feb 2015
Photosynthesis – turning the sun’s energy into food for plants – is the biological system that feeds the world, but despite its awesome power, the process is extremely inefficient.
Geoengineering might work in a rational world … but we don’t live in one
16 Feb 2015
The publication of a hefty two-volume report on geoengineering by the US National Research Council represents a marked shift in the global debate over how to respond to global warming.
Asia powers into the forefront of solar revolution
9 Feb 2015
By PAUL BROWN.- China has overtaken the European Union as the largest new market for solar power.
Gas will replace oil in the UK – with or without fracking
9 Feb 2015
MPs in the UK recently needed more time voted against a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, but Lancashire, the local county council under most pressure, agreed it
Canberra to get wind power from South Australia
9 Feb 2015
A South Australian wind farm has won the bid to provide the Australian Capital Territory with renewable energy.
Welcome to 2015 where fracking changes everything
2 Feb 2015
Forget, for the moment, whether you think fracking is an energy godsend or an endtimes disaster. Just consider how it’s everywhere.
Fracking and local jobs … a false promise
2 Feb 2015
In a surprise decision that led to consternation in the oil and gas industry and elation among fracking opponents, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in December banned fracking in the state.
Yes minister, but ...
2 Feb 2015
In a piece published in the Guardian recently, Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt was purported to have once again rejected claims that a price on carbon would benefit emissions reduction targets.
Will Obama’s methane plan reduce dependence on natural gas?
2 Feb 2015
By NATHAN PHILLIPS.- Like many Americans concerned with climate change and energy security, I reacted with high hopes to the President Obama’s proposal to reduce leaks of methane gas from oil and gas drilling.
Going down ... green lifts can cut building costs
2 Feb 2015
More energy-efficient elevators can significantly reduce the costs of operating a building, a new study shows.
Growth, energy and climate in focus at Trans-Tasman bilateral talks
Today 11:00am
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
Today 11:00am
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.
