New Zealand: Energy
‘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.
Register sees fewer carbon units
27 Jan 2015
More than 150 million carbon units passed through the New Zealand register last year.
Energy pours into cutting-edge conservation ideas
27 Jan 2015
A battery that could treble electric car mileage and cut costs is among the innovations moving closer to reality on the frontiers of science.
Coal casts cloud over Germany’s energy revolution
27 Jan 2015
The energy market in Germany saw a spectacular change last year as renewable energy became the major source of its electricity supply − leaving lignite, coal and nuclear behind.
Sun and wind could make electricity too cheap to meter
27 Jan 2015
Our children will enjoy in their homes electrical energy too cheap to meter, said Lewis L Strauss, chair of the US Atomic Energy Commission, in 1954.
Energy leaders fret about uncertainties
27 Jan 2015
Energy leaders see price volatility and the future of a climate framework as the biggest uncertainties facing the industry.
Your energy ideas could win $4m
27 Jan 2015
New Zealand companies with ground-breaking renewable energy technologies are being invited to compete for a slice of a $US4 million prize.
Transport and heating force up gas emissions
22 Dec 2014
Greenhouse gas emissions from energy are up as the burning of gas and oil for transport and heating cancels out gains from renewable electricity production.
Health fears see New York ban fracking
22 Dec 2014
The administration of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has banned hydraulic fracturing in the state, citing public health concerns.
Chile’s mines set hot pace in renewables
22 Dec 2014
Mining is the fourth-largest energy consumer in Australia, using roughly 10 per cent of Australia’s total. Some of this comes from the electricity grid — but much is supplied off-grid in the form of diesel and other fossil fuels.
Fossil fuel probe under way as NZ goes exploring
15 Dec 2014
New Zealand is expanding oil and gas exploration at the same time as Britain probes the likely cost of stranded fossil-fuel assets.
UN launches new coalition to promote renewable energy
15 Dec 2014
The launch of a new coalition spearheaded by the United Nations Environment Programme will focus on boosting renewable energy usage around the world.
Australia takes action on energy market reform
15 Dec 2014
The Australian Government is leading a new focus on reforms to put downward pressure on electricity prices and give Australian consumers greater power over their energy bills.
Bank of England probes risk of fossil fuel assets
15 Dec 2014
In a move that’s likely to cause consternation in some of the world’s most powerful corporate boardrooms, the Bank of England has disclosed that it is launching an inquiry into the risks fossil fuel companies pose to overall financial stability.
Outlook bright for UK’s solar power potential
8 Dec 2014
Solar energy is sometimes dismissed as a fanciful idea with little to offer so far in such a cloudy country as the United Kingdom, but a new report says power from the sun could thrive in Britain in barely five years’ time − without the need for any subsidy.
Getting out of fossil fuel investment is the right way to go
1 Dec 2014
The controversy ignited by the Australian National University in October, when it decided to sell its shares in seven resources companies, has raised two important questions about divestment from assets such as fossil fuels.
Beyond the poo bus ... the many uses of human waste
1 Dec 2014
A British went into service last week, powered by biomethane energy derived from human waste at a sewage plant.
Australia’s coal and gas exports being left stranded
24 Nov 2014
The United States and China have announced goals to reduce emissions by 26 per cent to 28 per cent and to cap emissions by 2030 respectively.
We can cut carbon and pollution at no cost, says China
17 Nov 2014
China can achieve economic development, energy security and reduce pollution at the same time, according to a major new study.
Crowd-funders get behind CarbonScape
17 Nov 2014
Kiwi cleantech company CarbonScape has hit its crowd-funding equity target.
New Australian report debunks coal industry myths
17 Nov 2014
The coal industry has many friends in high places, and none more so than Tony Abbott, Prime Minister of Australia − one of the world’s major producers of a fuel that earns the country billions from exports.
UK ignores pledge to end fossil fuel support
17 Nov 2014
Despite promises to phase out subsidies to the coal, oil and gas industries, a new report says the UK and other G20 governments are still providing them with massive financial help.
How Mighty River is switching on to the new economy
10 Nov 2014
Generator Mighty River Power is claiming a stake in the new economy, pushing for New Zealand’s car fleet to go electric and indicating that it will move into the water business.
Trustpower's Aussie wind farm breezes along
10 Nov 2014
The second stage of Kiwi company Tustpower's project to build South Australia's largest wind farm has been launched, ahead of time and under budget.
India wants to double coal production
10 Nov 2014
The man responsible for maintaining India’s power supply says he wants the country’s coal production to double within the next five years.
EU plans power supergrid to boost renewables
10 Nov 2014
An electricity supergrid is being planned to connect all 28 European Union countries and provide them with insurance against power blackouts.
Why Australia’s entire power sector should support target
10 Nov 2014
There’s been much talk about how uncertainty over the future of Australia's Renewable Energy Target (RET) is affecting the renewable energy industry.
State miner rethinks environment liabilities
3 Nov 2014
The State coal-miner says its future environmental liabilities are not as great as it thought.
Tararua turbines set power-output record
3 Nov 2014
Two New Zealand wind turbines have set a world record for output.
Denmark wants to be coal-free by 2025
3 Nov 2014
Denmark is looking into how the country can stop using coal as an energy supply by 2025, says Climate and Energy Minister Rasmus Helveg Petersen.
Business leaders praise EU emissions deal
3 Nov 2014
A group of influential business leaders is welcoming Europe's new climate and energy deal.
Green-coke pioneer puts faith in public-funding
28 Oct 2014
Clean-coal company CarbonScape is the first clean-tech company in New Zealand to use crowd-funding to raise capital.
Fracking boom could mean up to 12% more carbon emissions
20 Oct 2014
The consistent message from those who would seek to exploit shale gas is that it has three distinct advantages over existing forms of fossil fuel energy: it is cheap, it has a lower influence on global warming, and it reduces the reliance in foreign imports.
Greenpeace v Shell via Lego: The building blocks of a successful campaign
20 Oct 2014
October 9, 2014, was a big day in eco-activism: Lego announced that it would not renew a product-placement deal with Shell, following concerted pressure from Greenpeace as part of a campaign to ban Arctic oil exploration by attacking firms associated with such activities.
Solar chief: There’s no cost to solar energy, only savings
20 Oct 2014
SolarCity Corp, the United States’ largest residential solar service provider, has a history of pushing the envelope.
Outlook palls for fossil fuel investment
20 Oct 2014
Warnings within the world of high finance are coming thick and fast that the increasingly urgent need to combat climate change means investors could lose heavily by sinking funds into coal, oil and gas.
Don’t get too excited, no one has cracked nuclear fusion yet
20 Oct 2014
Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin’s excitement in the media announcement last week that it could make small-scale nuclear fusion power a reality in the next decade has understandably generated
WANTED: $44 trillion to switch to clean energy
13 Oct 2014
In a world wrestling with climate change and the need to phase out fossil fuels, nothing is more critical than making sure there are reliable and cost-effective clean energy technologies ready to fill the void.
World of clean energy 'feasible' by mid-century
13 Oct 2014
A global low-carbon energy economy is not only feasible, it could double electricity supply by 2050 while actually reducing air and water pollution, according to new research.
Shift to low-carbon economy could free up $1.8 trillion
13 Oct 2014
Decarbonising the electricity system worldwide would save $1.8 trillion over the coming two decades by avoiding the high operating costs of using fossil fuels, a new study finds.
Europe throws nuclear power a state-aid lifeline
13 Oct 2014
The European Commission has now agreed that Britain can subsidise the building of the world’s most expensive nuclear power station − despite previously believing that the deal breaks the European Union’s rules on state aid.
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.
