New Zealand: Energy
HOT CHOCOLATE: Cocoa is helping to slow climate change
19 Mar 2019
If you like chocolate you’ll love this: the same tree that provides your indulgent treat is helping to slow climate change, thanks to cocoa fuel.
Hydrogen could be fuel of the future
18 Mar 2019
The fuel used to thrust enormous rockets away from Earth’s gravitational pull is hydrogen - and it also holds potential as a source of energy for daily activities like driving and heating houses.
Why radical plan to cool climate could work
18 Mar 2019
A new study contradicts fears that using solar geoengineering to fight climate change could dangerously alter rainfall and storm patterns in some parts of the world.
Coal-fired stations deliver danger dust
13 Mar 2019
Modern coal-fired power stations produce more ultrafine dust particles than road traffic and can even modify and redistribute rainfall patterns, a new 15-year international study shows.
Bioenergy body hails hospital move to wood
12 Mar 2019
A decision to replace two coal-fired boilers at Christchurch Hospital with boilers that burn wood will help to create confidence in the woody biomass market, the Bioenergy Association says.
Wind turbine pioneer slams NZ procrastination
11 Mar 2019
A wind turbine company set up to make New Zealand “the Denmark of the Southern Hemisphere” is barely surviving because New Zealand continues to prop up dying industries, its founder says.
Fossil-fuel wealthy Taranaki faces major rethink
5 Mar 2019
The New Plymouth District Council might need to rethink the services it provides for its residents as the district’s fossil-fuel wealth declines, says a report out today.
Biomass energy could punch hole in emissions
28 Feb 2019
New Zealand could slash five million tonnes off its annual greenhouse gas emissions through the use of biomass energy in factories and for heavy transport, new figures show.
Industrial plants see low carbon price as barrier
22 Feb 2019
Low carbon prices are stopping many large plants switching to low-emissions fuels, a report says.
Coal giant Glencore to limit production
21 Feb 2019
Commodities giant Glencore has bowed to pressure from shareholders to limit coal production for environmental reasons.
Big companies might leave, warns oil sector
20 Feb 2019
Cutting carbon subsidies for trade-exposed heavy emitters could see large companies leave the country, says the oil and gas sector.
Renewable energy will be tops by 2040, says BP
20 Feb 2019
Renewable energy will be the world’s main source of power within two decades, according to BP.
Labs busy finding new ways to power the world
12 Feb 2019
Laboratories can make energy from greenhouse gases, power smartphones with their own radiation, and cut shipping costs naturally. And each could become reality.
Why solar generation will be a big player
11 Feb 2019
Solar electricity generation has a big part to play in New Zealand’s low-carbon energy future, says the operator of the national grid.
BP acts on shareholder demands
4 Feb 2019
BP will have to set out how its strategy and investments fit with targets to limit global temperature rise, under a new resolution.
Tiwai could lead way in new-deal aluminium
22 Jan 2019
The owner of New Zealand’s only aluminium smelter says the country could have a bright future producing low-emissions aluminium for a carbon-constrained world.
Govt gives Foodstuffs $1m for green vehicles
22 Jan 2019
Food giant Foodstuffs is to get more than a million dollars of public money as part of a drive towards low-emissions vehicles.
BP faces shareholder challenge over carbon targets
11 Dec 2018
BP, Chevron and ExxonMobil face a shareholder challenge to set carbon targets in line with the Paris Agreement, as a green group seeks to repeat its success in pressuring Shell to set environmental benchmarks.
New round opens for Taranaki permits
29 Nov 2018
The process to issue new exploration permits in the last part of the country in which they are allowed is under way.
Biofuel land grab will squeeze nature’s space
22 Nov 2018
Growing enough greenery to provide cleaner fuel and slow climate change will need a biofuel land grab: a 10 to 30-fold rise in land devoted to green crops.
Dead fish new power behind high-polluting cruise ships
20 Nov 2018
Waste fish parts will be used to power ships in a new initiative to use green energy for polluting cruise liners.
NZ scientists work on safer batteries
16 Nov 2018
New Zealand researchers have created a new plant-based electrolyte that could be the key to making safer and more environmentally friendly batteries.
EECA wants feedback on $14m energy fund
14 Nov 2018
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority is seeking feedback on its proposed $14 million energy levy-funded activities for next year.
Oil and gas exploration ban becomes law
8 Nov 2018
New oil and gas exploration is now banned from New Zealand’s waters and from most of its land.
Big hydropower dams unsustainable, says study
8 Nov 2018
Large-scale hydropower dams are unsustainable in the developing world, according toi new research.
Compressed air could be our energy friend
30 Oct 2018
If energy storage were available at sufficiently low cost and high performance, renewable energy would rapidly displace all other generation forms.
Oil countries will have to change their ways
30 Oct 2018
A changing energy system is posing “critical questions” for many of the world’s largest oil and gas producing countries, the International Energy Agency says.
Hydrogen offers hope for island dwellers
29 Oct 2018
Hydrogen power and renewable energy offer hope to islanders and others in remote communities who now have to rely on fossil fuels.
Offshore wind farms could tame hurricanes
25 Oct 2018
When high winds meet tall sails in the right place, something’s got to give. Offshore wind farms might lead to weakened hurricanes.
NZ signs hydrogen agreement with Japan
24 Oct 2018
New Zealand and Japan are working together to transition away from a reliance on fossil fuels with the signing of an agreement on hydrogen, says energy minister Megan Woods.
Solar is here to stay, but where are the boats?
24 Oct 2018
There's nothing novel about vehicles using alternatives to the internal combustion engine, but solar and battery-powered boats are rarely in the conversation.
Big Gas wants exploration ban put on hold
17 Oct 2018
Five of the country’s biggest users of natural gas want the Government’s ban on exploration for new reserves put on hold while a “detailed” assessment of the role of gas is carried out.
Bioenergy will lead the way, predicts IEA
11 Oct 2018
“Modern” bioenergy will lead the global expansion of renewable energy up to 2023, the International Energy Agency says in its latest forecast.
Three decades later, Chernobyl goes solar
9 Oct 2018
Ukraine has unveiled a solar plant in Chernobyl, just across from where a power station, now encased in a giant sarcophagus, caused the world’s worst nuclear disaster three decades ago.
Wind-solar hybrid means 24-hour energy
8 Oct 2018
A power project in Ohio will take advantage of solar's midday burst of energy and wind's all-day power to provide more consistent clean energy to the grid.
Regional energy leaders to talk transition
2 Oct 2018
Political and energy sector leaders from across Asia and the Pacific will converge in Wellington later this month to talk about the implications on the region’s energy systems of the low-carbon transition.
Property company wins energy-saving award
27 Sep 2018
Installing energy-efficient lighting and heating systems in properties has seen Goodman Property Trust cut greenhouse gas emissions by 775 tonnes.
Wind and rain gives renewables a boost
21 Sep 2018
A wet and windy winter slashed New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation.
Exxon, Chevron join oil and gas climate alliance
21 Sep 2018
ExxonMobil, Chevron and Occidental Petroleum have joined a global group of oil giants aiming to limit their climate impact.
Shell announces methane emissions target
19 Sep 2018
Royal Dutch Shell has announced plans to reduce methane emissions.
Clean energy can provide all electricity, says study
13 Sep 2018
All the electricity the world needs can come from clean energy, reliably and throughout the year and at any time of day or night, UK researchers say.
Why carbon removal is not enough to save climate
12 Sep 2018
Carbon removal from the atmosphere cannot match reducing emissions of greenhouse gases as a way of slowing global warming, US analysts say.
Low-carbon economy worth $26 trillion, says Stern
11 Sep 2018
Making the transition to a low-carbon economy has the potential to unlock $US26 trillion in benefits by 2030, says economist Lord Nicholas Stern.
Green power set to surge while fossil fuels decline
11 Sep 2018
Electricity is set to dominate energy demand by mid-century, doubling to a 45 per cent share, says a new report.
The world is not building enough green power
10 Sep 2018
All across the world, we hear uplifting stories that reflect the fast changes in the energy scene. Yet the Paris climate targets seem in jeopardy and most forecasts say not enough is being done.
Batteries could be made from paper ... and spit
7 Sep 2018
Scientists have found a way to make batteries from paper and spit. But don’t expect the batteries to power your electric vehicle.
Carbon-sucker wins new investment money
31 Aug 2018
A small Swiss company has won $31 million in new investment to suck carbon dioxide from thin air.
Fuel from wood great energy option, say scientists
29 Aug 2018
Bioenergy production using wood from locally grown and sustainably managed forests can provide one of the lowest-carbon energy options for New Zealand, Scion says.
Growth fund should back biofuel, says jet group
27 Aug 2018
The Government’s Provincial Growth Fund should be backing production in New Zealand of biofuel, says one of the players in a biojet consortium.
Z Energy buys chunk of electricity company
27 Aug 2018
Fuel retailer Z Energy is buying 70 per cent of an electricity supplier as part of a shift towards a low-carbon economy.
Open letter warns against Seymour's Regulatory Standards Bill
Fri 4 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A group of prominent New Zealanders are speaking out against the Regulatory Standards Bill, with top climate scientist Jim Salinger warning it will have a chilling effect on future climate change and adaptation policy.
Clear-sighted view to trade-offs crucial to reimagining our relationship with the land
Today 11:15am
By Nick Swallow | COMMENT: New Zealand could see a 70% drop in the value of dairy land if we pursue our emissions targets for agriculture, according to a new report.
Mangroves' overlooked climate role
30 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s mangrove forests are pulling tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year, yet their climate benefits remain unrecognised in national emissions reporting.
How flying can be a climate solution
16 Jun 2025
By Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan - Planetary Ecology | How can aviation contribute to tackling climate change when no practicable technology-based solutions are on the horizon?
Bill to limit farm-to-forest conversions passes first reading
27 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's bill aiming to limit farm-to-forestry conversions in the Emissions Trading Scheme passed its first reading in Parliament this week, however concerns were raised over rushing it through under urgency, with less than two weeks allowed for public submissions.
IRD will stop using wetland destruction in ‘how-to’ for claiming expenses
27 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | Environmental organisation Forest & Bird has welcomed the Inland Revenue’s decision to stop using wetland destruction as an example of a tax-deductible agricultural expense in future guidance.
