New Zealand: Energy
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.
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.
Greens slam move to disband Environment Ministry
Fri 20 Feb 2026
The Green Party has joined climate and health advocates in condemning the Government's decision to disestablish the Ministry for the Environment as part of a multi-ministry merger.
Govt's solar on farms initiative to cut costs, boost resilience
Tue 17 Feb 2026
Farms across Aotearoa will begin installing solar panels and battery systems as part of a government-backed demonstration programme designed to test whether on-farm renewable energy can reduce electricity costs and improve energy security for the food and fibre sector.
Annual emissions fell to lowest in 15 years in Sept 2025
5 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions fell to their lowest annual total in the year to September 2025 since records began 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand data published this morning.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
Slash for cash turns storm debris into jobs and climate resilience
Thu 19 Feb 2026
A community-led initiative in Tairāwhiti is transforming storm-damaged forestry slash into jobs, soil regeneration and long-term climate resilience.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
