New Zealand: Energy
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.
Todd Corporation sees big future for natural gas
14 Aug 2019
The country’s largest private energy company says gas should continue to play a large part in New Zealand’s energy mix - and that climate action shouldn’t come at the expense of economy or living standards.
Storage key to renewable energy success
8 Aug 2019
The cost of storing energy needs to fall 90 per cent to make renewables globally competitive, researchers say.
Portugal solar energy auction sets record
6 Aug 2019
Portugal’s huge auction of solar energy broke a world record, with one of the 24 licences on offer selling for 14.76 euros ($NZ25.30) per megawatt hour.
How Big Oil can sue for loss of profits
29 Jul 2019
Campaigners are urging reform of an obscure system that allows coal, oil and gas companies to sue governments if climate policies hit their profits.
Meridian predicts renewables will rule
26 Jul 2019
Rising carbon prices and competition will drive New Zealand towards an electricity system based almost entirely on renewables, the country’s largest generator is predicting.
How science can double the solar dividend
23 Jul 2019
Researchers have found three new ways to double the solar dividend, making the sun work harder and deliver more to the renewable economy.
Why efficiency is the key to cheaper energy
19 Jul 2019
Improving energy efficiency is a cheaper way of meeting New Zealand’s 100 per cent renewable electricity target than building new power stations, a Government agency says.
Refinery wants to cut costs with solar farm
10 Jul 2019
Installing a solar farm at the Marsden Point oil refinery will cut the operation’s greenhouse gases by 18,000 tonnes a year.
China's solar plants pay the price for dirty air
9 Jul 2019
Air pollution is affecting the performance of China’s solar-energy farms, scientists say.
LNG industry could be as bad as coal, experts warn
9 Jul 2019
THE booming liquefied natural gas industry will play at least as big a role as new coal investments in bringing on a climate crisis if all planned projects go ahead, energy analysts say.
Heat waves threaten nuclear power production
5 Jul 2019
The nuclear power sector is often portrayed as resistant to unpredictable weather associated with climate change. But heat waves are punching holes in that narrative.
Today's power plants already lock in 1.5deg
3 Jul 2019
To stay within the Paris climate goals, coal and other fossil fuel-fired power plants would have to shut down early or be retrofitted for carbon capture.
Solar future shines ever more brightly
2 Jul 2019
The world’s solar future continues to brighten, further and faster than seemed possible only a few years ago.
G20 countries triple coal-power subsidies
26 Jun 2019
G20 countries have almost tripled the subsidies they give to coal-fired power plants in recent years. G20 countries have almost tripled the subsidies they give to coal-fired power plants in recent years.
Oil companies make carbon promise to the Pope
19 Jun 2019
Some of the major oil producers have pledged to support “economically meaningful” carbon pricing regimes after a personal appeal from Pope Francis.
Hydrogen could be big by 2050, say experts
19 Jun 2019
Engineers say there is no technical reason why hydrogen cannot replace natural gas to make electricity, heat homes and for cooking.
Trans-Tasman ministers push climate cooperation amid NZ retreat from climate commitments
Mon 8 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Last week's 2+2 Climate and Finance Ministers’ Dialogue in Auckland urged deeper trans-Tasman climate cooperation, despite New Zealand’s recent moves to weaken climate policies.
Govt green lights rural recycling scheme
Thu 4 Dec 2025
The Government has approved new regulations to bring rural waste schemes under one unified framework.
Mounting emissions due to Government decisions
20 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Coalition Government’s climate policies have added a whopping 26 million tonnes of emissions out to 2030, according to new analysis of Government projections.
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
Fri 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.
