New Zealand: Energy
Big Oil all talk about revolution, says report
16 Jun 2020
Fossil-fuel companies might be talking about an energy revolution, but their financial projections show they are largely ignoring it, a new report reveals.
Two-faced solar panels follow the sun
10 Jun 2020
Using solar panels with double sides or that can twist to follow the sun can cut the cost of electricity generation.
Hunt for the superconductors
5 Jun 2020
Physicists are on the lookout for room-temperature superconductors that could revolutionize the world’s energy system.
Clean energy cracker thing in a crisis
29 May 2020
Clean-energy companies are doing better in the covid-19 crisis than their fossil-fuel counterparts, says analytics company GlobalData.
How dangerous is low-level radiation for kids?
27 May 2020
A rethink on the risks of low-level radiation would imperil the nuclear industry’s future − perhaps why there’s never been one.
German coal generator fights Dutch coal phase-out
25 May 2020
Uniper is threatening to sue the Dutch government over a plan to phase out coal power by 2030, in a case experts warn could have a chilling effect on climate ambition internationally.
Hydrogen dream driven by greed, says expert
21 May 2020
New Zealand’s dream of a hydrogen-powered economy is being driven by greedy oil industry investors and “enchanted” government officials, an energy analyst says.0
At last, a fair deal for our atomic love affair
18 May 2020
However you view the argument, nuclear passions run strong. A new film gives us a breathless ride through our atomic love affair.
Wind might pass coal sooner than we thought
14 May 2020
A milestone in the clean energy transition may arrive earlier than expected, with renewables overtaking coal as a leading source of electricity by the end of this year.
Ammonia is the energy future, say scientists
12 May 2020
Forget hydrogen – the energy future is ammonia, Australia researchers say.
New renewables capacity hit record in 2019
8 Apr 2020
Almost three quarters of new electricity generation capacity built in 2019 uses renewable energy, representing an all-time record.
Todd wins sole exploration permit
6 Apr 2020
Todd Corporation, the country’s largest privately owned energy company, has won the country’s only new licence to explore for oil and gas.
Blue energy revolution comes of age
3 Apr 2020
The amount of energy generated by tides and waves in the past decade has increased 10-fold. Now governments around the world are planning to scale up these ventures to tap into the oceans’ vast store of blue energy.
Hydrogen not the answer for transport, says study
2 Apr 2020
Renewable hydrogen has the potential to slash the global greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuel power generation by more than one-third, but it’s not the answer for low-carbon automotive transport, says a new report.
Offshore windfarms have future, say experts
30 Mar 2020
Offshore windfarms could stack up financially in New Zealand from the middle of the century, experts say.
Otaki sets up solar farm to power the town
23 Mar 2020
A new solar farm in Otaki will power the town’s wastewater plant and power the local high school, with profits being used for more community energy projects.
Emissions increase in some energy sectors
13 Mar 2020
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation and burning fossil fuels rose at the end of last year.
Taranaki hydrogen project gets $20m boost
6 Mar 2020
The Government is putting nearly $20 million into the Ballance-Hiringa hydrogen project in Taranaki.
Green groups take on energy giant
4 Mar 2020
General Electric is in the sights of 65 environmental groups for promoting coal-fired power generation in 17 countries.
Not in five years, but holy grail of energy on its way
26 Feb 2020
Recent reports from scientists pursuing a new kind of nuclear fusion technology are encouraging, but we are still some distance away from the “holy grail of clean energy”.
Old batteries can be source of new energy
26 Feb 2020
Driving an electric-powered vehicle rather than one reliant on fossil fuels is a key way to tackle climate change and improve air quality − but it does leave the old batteries behind as a nasty residue.
Solar power booms just miles from the Arctic Circle
26 Feb 2020
For years after northern Finland's largest printing plant blanketed its facility's eight roofs with solar panels, the curious beat a path to the extraordinary spectacle.
NZ risks missing biofuels chance, says industry
25 Feb 2020
New Zealand risks missing the chance to use biofuels to develop fuel independence and avoid buying costly international carbon credits, officials are being told.
Z Energy offers free deal on offsetting
19 Feb 2020
Z Energy is moving into the offsetting business – for free.
Energy producers cut CO2 emissions
12 Feb 2020
Carbon dioxide emissions from energy production in the developed world has finally fallen to the level it was at in 1990, the Kyoto Protocol baseline year.
We must have certainty with ETS, says Ballance
11 Feb 2020
Investment in emissions-cutting new technology like hydrogen could be jeopardised by uncertainty over the Emissions Trading Scheme, fertiliser manufacturer Ballance Agri-Nutrients says.
Coronavirus halts work on Marsden solar plant
11 Feb 2020
Work on New Zealand’s largest solar farm has been put on hold because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Big solar projects running into trouble
11 Feb 2020
Some of the most ambitious large-scale solar projects have been plagued by delay, ultimately making them a financial burden rather than a beacon on the renewable power horizon.
How Big Oil's fake news fooled America
10 Feb 2020
For more than a century, oil industry spinmasters downplayed misdeeds, twisted facts, and cajoled the media into mimicking their talking points.
Fonterra plant dumps coal for wood pellets
31 Jan 2020
Fonterra’s Te Awamutu milk-processing plant is going coal-free.
Looking for the next battery breakthrough?
31 Jan 2020
The era of electric vehicles might have arrived, but the full potential of the technology has not.
Low lake levels lead to jump in emissions
13 Dec 2019
Greenhouse gas emissions jumped in the last part of the year as low lake levels forced the country to burn coal to make electricity.
Coal being cleaned out of schools and hospitals
12 Dec 2019
State schools, hospitals and science institutes are moving out of coal.
Cut hydrogen red tape, urges business sector
4 Dec 2019
Businesses say a hydrogen-export industry drastically cutting emissions from fossil fuels could be stymied by red tape and a failure to recognise the value of “blue” hydrogen.
Coal-fired electricity set for biggest fall in four decades
29 Nov 2019
The world’s use of coal-fired electricity is on track for its biggest annual fall on record this year after more than four decades of near-uninterrupted growth that has stoked the global climate crisis.
The little windfarm that could ...
22 Nov 2019
It might not be on the scale of Mercury’s Turitea project, but New Zealand’s newest windfarm, on Stewart Island, will make a dent in the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
We need to find ways to store extra energy
22 Nov 2019
When the grid depends on clean but sporadic natural resources like wind and the sun, we’re going to need ways to capture any extra energy they produce so we can use it later.
Bill Gates backs startup using sunlight to make 1000deg heat
21 Nov 2019
Bill Gates is backing a venture which aims to turn sunlight into a source of heat exceeding 1000degC that could help to replace fossil fuels.
Mercury gives green light to country's biggest windfarm
13 Nov 2019
Mercury is going ahead with plans to build the country’s largest windfarm.
Government wants info on biofuture of wood
1 Nov 2019
Government plans for a report into the potential to use wood to make bioproducts is being hailed by those pushing for a biofutures industry.
Renewables could grow 50% in next five years
23 Oct 2019
Global supplies of renewable electricity are growing faster than expected and could expand by 50 per cent in the next five years, powered by a resurgence in solar energy.
High carbon price has downside, says gentailer
17 Oct 2019
High carbon prices could hinder electrification of New Zealand’s energy sector, the country’s largest electricity retailer says.
Shell has no choice but to keep drilling, says CEO
16 Oct 2019
Shell CEO Ben van Beurden has warned of the consequences of rejecting oil and gas too quickly.
Fossil fuel industry has seen the future ... and it's plastic
14 Oct 2019
How will Big Oil adapt as fossil fuel demand wanes with the rise of renewable energy and battery power? The answer is plastic.
Why nuclear power is not the answer
1 Oct 2019
With new plants costing from five to 10 times more than renewable options, and taking far longer to build, nuclear power cannot help against global warming.
NZ sets new mark for coal-fired electricity
27 Sep 2019
New Zealand has burnt more coal to make electricity this winter than in any June quarter since 2014.
Thermal battery producer heats up storage market
10 Sep 2019
An Australian thermal energy storage company has reached in-principle agreements to pilot thermal batteries in the telecommunication and eco-housing industries.
Government has eye on hydrogen future
2 Sep 2019
Last week it was lithium and cobalt in the Government’s sights; this week it’s hydrogen.
There's plenty of renewable energy out there
30 Aug 2019
US and European researchers have shown the way to an era of cheap and plentiful renewable energy on a massive scale.
BP selling Alaska assets to troubled private firm
29 Aug 2019
BP is selling all of its Alaska operations to Hilcorp, a privately-owned company with a troubled safety and environmental track-record.
Green's anti-mining bill drawn from ballot
11 Apr 2025
The Green Party's Crown Minerals (Prohibition of Mining) Amendment Bill has been drawn from the ballot and will be debated in Parliament.
Fonterra linked to illegal deforestation, claims Greenpeace
5 Mar 2025
Dairy giant Fonterra's supply chain is linked with illegal deforestation, according to Greenpeace Aotearoa, after New Zealand's major importers of palm kernel have been found to be illegally operating palm plantations in Indonesia.
NZ's emissions fell 2% in 2023 - latest GHG inventory
15 Apr 2025
Aotearoa New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 2% in 2023, according to the latest greenhouse gas inventory.
Peters unveils plans for rail-enabled interisland ferries
1 Apr 2025
Two new rail-enabled ferries will arrive by the end of 2029, but the costs remain under wraps.
Commissioner calls for urgent reform of carbon forestry in ETS
10 Apr 2025
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is calling on the Government to remove forestry from the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, warning that the country’s flagship climate policy is entrenching risky land use decisions and undermining long-term emissions reductions.
Govt needs to look at alternatives to free pollution credits for industrial emitters: Commission
11 Apr 2025
The Climate Change Commission says there are “legitimate questions” about hundreds of millions of public money spent on free carbon credits for polluters, and the government should be looking at alternatives.
