New Zealand: Energy
Water source major challenge for frackers
16 Sep 2014
The vast quantities of water needed to release oil and gas by fracturing rock formations are not available in large areas with the richest deposits – posing major challenges to the future viability of fracking.
New-energy groups join up to sell NZ credentials
8 Sep 2014
Renewable energy sectors are joining forces to promote New Zealand’s clean-energy credentials as a new international industry.
China looks like kicking its coal habit
8 Sep 2014
There are still doubts. The statistics might be proved wrong. But it looks as if China might be starting to wean itself off its coal consumption habit.
Leaders are emerging, says senior scientist
8 Sep 2014
There are prospects of significant progress in the response of world governments to climate change, according to a former British Government chief scientist, Sir David King.
How we tricked bacteria into making renewable propane
8 Sep 2014
Converting renewable energy into electricity is one thing; converting it into fuel is quite another.
We're going off grid ... surely but slowly
1 Sep 2014
New Zealanders might be slow at adopting alternative electricity generation, but it does threaten the existing centralised model, a new report says.
Policy wobbles could slow renewable energy growth
1 Sep 2014
Power generation from renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydro grew strongly last year, reaching almost 22 per cent of global generation, says the International Energy Agency.
Worldwide, public shows its support for renewables
1 Sep 2014
Public support for renewable energies across the world continues to grow, particularly in more advanced economies − with solar power being especially popular.
The fact is we're making the emissions problem worse
1 Sep 2014
Challenging news for those climate campaigners who believe that renewable sources of energy are on the increase: they may be, but so are carbon dioxide emissions.
Watchdog rules ‘clean coal’ advertisement misleading
25 Aug 2014
Britain’s advertising watchdog has ruled that an advertisement for “clean coal” by the world’s largest private sector coal firm, Peabody Energy, was misleading and should not be published again in its current form.
G20 energy brains talk business in Brisbane
25 Aug 2014
This week Brisbane hosts the final meeting of the G20 Energy Sustainability Working Group before the main G20 summit in November, when government officials and energy experts from 20 of the most powerful countries in the world will discuss how the world governs energy.
High-altitude winds could help to power the Earth
18 Aug 2014
Researchers have discovered that the world’s energy needs could easily be met by harnessing the power potential of high-altitude winds.
So, what is this thing called perovskite?
18 Aug 2014
By JON MAJOR.- Whenever I tell people I work with solar cells, I am asked the same two questions: are they ever going to be really cheap? And can you get me some?
Debate heats up as US looks at gas emissions
18 Aug 2014
Groups for and against US government plans for new regulations aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions have been slugging it out at a series of heated debates across America.
Flower power one way to bring new life to broken mill town
11 Aug 2014
Kawerau might have a new future as a flower town as part of a drive by Maori to build sustainable green businesses on their land.
Is natural gas fracking the answer to our energy problems?
11 Aug 2014
FEATURE: As climate talks heat up, experts debate whether natural gas fracking will turn brown economies green.
Science eyes role of water in beating climate change
11 Aug 2014
Should we pick and choose our climate strategies based on how water-wise they are?
Former Shell chief here to talk about drilling
4 Aug 2014
Shell Australia former chief Dr Roland Williams will front up to the people of Hawke’s Bay tomorrow to talk about oil and gas drilling.
NZ ups spending on Pacific new-energy projects
4 Aug 2014
New Zealand is boosting its funding of renewable energy projects in the Pacific.
Nuclear power champions paint rosy picture
1 Aug 2014
The nuclear industry remains remarkably optimistic about its future, despite evidence that it is a shrinking source of power as renewables increasingly compete to fill the energy gap.
Canberra gives go-ahead to massive coal mine
1 Aug 2014
Australia’s biggest coal mine, the Carmichael Coal and Rail Project this week received the go-ahead from the federal government.
Worth listening to ...
1 Aug 2014
New Zealand-based international engineering company Aurecon is involved in renewable energy projects around this world. But it is pessimistic about the outlook for renewables in New Zealand.
Germany and Britain top the Dirty 30
25 Jul 2014
By KIERAN COOKE.- It’s not the sort of league table that anyone is proud of leading, but a new report on the European Union’s power sector lists the EU’s 30 most polluting energy plants – all powered by coal.
Europe lacks courage on energy targets
25 Jul 2014
In proposing a 30 per cent rather than a 40 per cent energy demand reduction target, the European Commission is increasing the risks that European Union member states face from fossil-fuel dependence and slowing the economic and social benefits of better insulated homes and lower energy bills.
What is the future of coal? It depends on which part of the world you’re talking about
18 Jul 2014
Have reports of coal's demise been greatly exaggerated? It depends which part of the world you look at.
Waste disposal becomes critical as nuclear sites close
18 Jul 2014
Nuclear power is seen as one of the possible solutions to climate change, but the recent closure of five US power stations is forcing the industry to face up at last to the damaging legacy of how to deal with radioactive waste.
Crisis-mauled Montserrat turns disasters to its advantage
11 Jul 2014
The eastern Caribbean island of Montserrat has suffered more than its fair share of natural disasters.
Sydney takes lead role in urban energy drive
11 Jul 2014
Sydney is to head an international network of global cities looking at energy efficiency.
Project sheds light on how we use power
11 Jul 2014
A Victoria University engineering lecturer is shedding light on household power usage, as part of her research into improving the way New Zealand uses electricity.
Asia-Pacific targets $2.5 trillion for renewables
4 Jul 2014
The Asia-Pacific region will invest a massive $3.6 trillion over the years ahead to equip itself with the power capacity it needs for 2030.
Climate target needs new money … but not that much more
4 Jul 2014
Climate change will require substantial new investment in low-carbon energy and energy efficiency – but no more than what is currently spent on today’s fossil-dominated energy system, according to new research.
'I shuddered at the thought of connecting my cooking stove with a toilet’s septic tank'
4 Jul 2014
Sunita Bote, a 30-year-old housewife from the small village of Kumroj in eastern Nepal, was far from convinced when energy specialists from the capital city, Kathmandu, talked about the benefits of constructing a small biogas plant near her house.
Doctors swap fossil fuels for renewables
4 Jul 2014
The body that represents doctors in the UK has voted to end its investments in fossil fuel companies − making it the first national medical organisation in the world to do so.
New solar panel system safer and cheaper
4 Jul 2014
British researchers have found a new way to cut the cost of solar cell manufacture, and at the same time make the process less hazardous.
Coal forever? It depends on what we do now
4 Jul 2014
At the recent midyear UN climate negotiations in Bonn, an unprecedented 60 countries (including Germany) called for a total phase-out of fossil fuels by 2050, as part of a global agreement on climate change to be concluded in Paris in 2015.
Bioenergy group praises Auckland action
4 Jul 2014
Auckland City’s Energy Resilience and Low Carbon Action Plan will create green jobs and economic growth, says the Bioenergy Association.
Why blue means better solar energy systems
27 Jun 2014
When it comes to solar power, it’s a case of the more blue the better, according to Victoria University of Wellington researcher Dr Jonathan Halpert.
Figures show how coal curbs cut gas emissions
20 Jun 2014
Latest energy figures show the dramatic impact cutting coal-fired generation has on greenhouse gas emissions.
Rivers' turn as Wright fires second salvo at Government
20 Jun 2014
The Parliament Commissioner for the Environment has just fired another shot over the bows of the Government for putting economic interests ahead of the environment.
Hot rocks are a core asset for renewable energy
20 Jun 2014
Many countries with volcanoes have long used hot rocks and steam to generate electricity, but new engineering methods promise a boom in geothermal energy.
Foot-draggers back robust 2030 climate goals
20 Jun 2014
A groundswell of public support for binding EU-wide action on renewable energy and energy efficiency has been revealed by a new poll.
Supercritical steam new frontier for power generation
20 Jun 2014
Australian scientists have used solar energy to generate hot and pressurised “supercritical” steam, at the highest temperatures ever achieved in the world outside fossil fuel sources.
Fracking seriously dangerous, say campaigners
20 Jun 2014
Campaigners in the United States are warning that fracking for oil or gas, which has transformed the country’s energy market, is seriously depleting or contaminating supplies of the most vital asset − water
New city hotspots are the air conditioners
13 Jun 2014
Researchers in the United States have identified a way in which city dwellers are inadvertently stoking up the heat of the night – by installing air conditioners
Energy efficient homes could help Treasury balance the books
13 Jun 2014
Britain has just been through an unusually mild winter for the UK. Despite the excessive rain and storms, the warmer temperatures meant the UK needed less energy to heat homes.
How China changes could leave coal a stranded asset
6 Jun 2014
By ALEX KIRBY.- Analysts believe that China − the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal, accounting for almost half of global consumption − could be close to making an abrupt and drastic change of tack.
New Indian leader inherits energy problems
6 Jun 2014
India’s new Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has inherited the on-going problem of supplying energy to one of the world’s largest economies.
Hydrogen and fuel cells worth a look for home heating
30 May 2014
The inhabitants of a frequently cold and windy country like the United Kingdom need to heat their homes, even in what is loosely termed “summer”.
Costly golden oldie now gets heating energy from the sea
30 May 2014
You’re responsible for a historic building, and you’re finding the heating bills an increasing burden? There’s a fairly simple answer − so long as you live near the sea.
Govt overhaul leaves the door open for coal mining on conservation land
Fri 12 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s sweeping reclassification of thousands of hectares of publicly-owned conservation land has met with sharp criticism, with environmental groups saying the decision leaves vulnerable ecosystems exposed to mining and development.
Govt warned that scrapping ag emission pricing comes with risks
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s move to halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing without replacing it with any other action will leave New Zealand facing a bigger gap to meet its third emissions budget, Environment ministry officials have warned.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
Wed 10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
Christchurch Airport boasts world-first liquid-hydrogen refuelling for test aircraft
30 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Local companies working on hydrogen-electric flight have made ‘a significant step forward’ in successfully filling aviation tanks with liquid hydrogen produced and stored on-site at an international airport for the first time.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
