New Zealand: Energy
Smarter renewables open up new markets
11 Jul 2018
The need to stop global warming in its tracks has spurred the growth of two smarter renewables that are helping to reshape the electricity industry.
GAS GROWTH: The answer lies in feedback loops
10 Jul 2018
Greenhouse gases escaping from wetlands and permafrost could slash the world’s carbon budget by nearly a quarter, scientists say.
Here’s where 3m EV batteries will go when they retire ...
9 Jul 2018
The first batches of batteries from electric and hybrid vehicles are hitting retirement age ... yet they aren’t bound for landfills.
LUNAR LAW: Does Moon hold key to Earth’s energy needs?
6 Jul 2018
Using giant kites, blades and paddles, and mimicking pogo sticks, blowholes and even the human heart, groups around the world are on the cusp of harnessing the colossal power of the oceans.
Meridian predicts carbon price as high as $200
4 Jul 2018
Electricity company Meridian says it sees carbon prices rising as high as $200 a tonne.
Protein’s secret function could boost solar tech
3 Jul 2018
Understanding how certain proteins deal with light absorption can inspire modern solar technology.
New fuel from CO2 could slow climate change
2 Jul 2018
North American scientists might be one step nearer the dream solution to low-carbon energy, new fuel from CO2, if they can suck it straight from the air and convert it directly into gasoline, diesel or jet fuel.
Methane revelations unlikely to affect NZ
28 Jun 2018
Revelations that methane emissions from natural gas production in the United States could be 60 per cent higher than officially acknowledged are unlikely to affect New Zealand, officials say.
Clean energy investment ‘must be 50% higher’
21 Jun 2018
An extra $460 billion a year needs to be invested in the low-carbon economy globally over the next 12 years to limit climate warming to 1.5deg, a new paper says.
Parker to talk hydrogen energy in Japan
11 Jun 2018
Developing a sustainable hydrogen energy industry will be on the agenda for talks between New Zealand and Japan this week.
‘Liquid air’ storage technology comes step closer
11 Jun 2018
A UK company has completed a test plant for its liquid air energy storage technology which it hopes will be a long-duration challenger to lithium-ion storage and will avoid the pitfalls that have stymied similar startups.
Wood fuel benefits beg for attention, say backers
23 May 2018
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions could be cut by more 640,000 tonnes a year by burning wood instead of coal in boilers in the Otago region alone.
Natural gas will last bit more than a decade
21 May 2018
Officials have confirmed that at the rate we're using it, New Zealand has about 10 and a half years’ worth of natural gas reserves.
Warming planet faces a cooling crisis
17 May 2018
As climate change warms the Earth, one significant concern is the cooling crisis, the quest for energy-hungry artificial ways to keep ourselves cool.
New steel plant will emit only water vapour
15 May 2018
A pilot plant being built in Sweden will produce steel using hydrogen from renewable electricity. The only emissions will be water vapour.
New technology could slash aluminium emissions
14 May 2018
Technology has been unveiled that could drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions from aluminium production, in a development that could transform the way one of the world’s most common materials is made.
Natural gas not the solution, claims new report
10 May 2018
Natural gas is not a transition fuel to a low-carbon economy – and the Government should go further than just banning all new offshore exploration licences, a new report says.
Renewables employing 10 million people
10 May 2018
More than 10 million people are working in the renewable energy industry. In 2017 alone, the sector added more than 500,000 jobs globally.
Small land area, big rewards from solar panels
8 May 2018
Covering 0.06 per cent of New Zealand’s land with solar panels would provide enough power for the country’s total energy needs, a new study says.
War on coal making money for mineowners
3 May 2018
The world’s war on coal is making its biggest producers a lot richer, at least for now.
Waste food could fuel emissions cuts. says report
17 Apr 2018
New Zealand could slice thousands of tonnes off its greenhouse gas emissions by turning industrial food waste into fertiliser and energy, says a new report.
What will we do with all those dead solar panels?
17 Apr 2018
As solar power booms, businesses are exploring ways to ensure valuable components don’t end up in landfills.
Government acts to block offshore exploration
12 Apr 2018
The drive to decarbonise New Zealand’s energy production has taken a step forward with the Government’s announcement that there will be no new offshore oil exploration.
Shell's climate push fails to cut emissions
12 Apr 2018
Royal Dutch Shell is demonstrating how tough it is for a massive, 100-year-old oil company to become a friend to the climate.
Solar and wind could replace fossils within 20 years
10 Apr 2018
Solar photovoltaic and wind power are rapidly getting cheaper and more abundant – so much so that they are on track to entirely supplant fossil fuels worldwide within two decades.
Solar geoengineering ‘still too uncertain’
10 Apr 2018
The world must urgently agree controls on solar geoengineering to weigh up its possible risks and benefits before deciding to go ahead, one expert says.
Shell knew dangers in the 1980s, company papers show
6 Apr 2018
Internal company documents uncovered by a Dutch news organization show that Shell had a deep understanding, dating at least to the 1980s, of the science and risks of global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions.
GREECE'S DIRTY SECRET: Life in a 625 square mile coal mine
26 Mar 2018
Mining for lignite (brown coal) in Greece is a huge industry. But for the people who live near the mines - one of them covers 625 square miles - the industry has huge impacts.
The real reasons we’re not building clean energy
20 Mar 2018
At this rate, it’s going to take nearly 400 years to transform the energy system.
NUCLEAR FUSION: Don't hold your breath
16 Mar 2018
One of the cliches of nuclear power research is that a commercial fusion reactor is only ever a few decades away – and always will be.
RAIN OR SHINE: New solar cell captures energy from raindrops
15 Mar 2018
A solar panel that can generate electricity from falling raindrops has been invented, enabling power to flow even when skies cloud over or the sun has set.
How protons can power our future energy needs
14 Mar 2018
As the world embraces inherently variable renewable energy sources to tackle climate change, we will need a truly gargantuan amount of electrical energy storage.
Nuclear fusion on brink of being realised, say scientists
12 Mar 2018
The dream of nuclear fusion is on the brink of being realised, according to a major new US initiative that says it will put fusion power on the grid within 15 years.
Is sustainable investing a better way to go?
7 Mar 2018
Sustainable investing might be a better way to tackle climate change than switching to renewable energy.
What's next for getting energy from the sun?
2 Mar 2018
The fall in costs that has driven solar’s rapid growth is slowing - but scientists are exploring the next generation of materials that can harness more energy from the sun.
Nuclear waste mountains just keep on growing
2 Mar 2018
Some politicians still claim atomic energy is the answer to climate change while leaving the problem of nuclear waste to our descendants.
Z aims for A-plus in transition to new energy
28 Feb 2018
Mike Bennetts is determined his company, Z Energy, will not have a Kodak moment.
Biofuels need backing of the nation, says Scion
27 Feb 2018
New Zealand could run its heavy vehicles on locally produced low-carbon biofuels – but only if the country decides collectively to act.
OPINION: Biofuels not easy, but worth the effort
27 Feb 2018
Biofuels, liquid and gaseous, will have a role to play in moving towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions by around mid-century in both New Zealand and globally, says Professor Ralph Sims.
Floating windfarms are proving a smash hit
23 Feb 2018
Floating windfarms are likely to be the next large-scale development in renewable energy.
Plastic bans will dent oil demand growth, says BP
22 Feb 2018
International bans on single-use plastic items such as carrier bags will dent growth in oil demand over the next two decades, according to BP.
Minister offers money for good emissions moves
21 Feb 2018
Got a good idea to cut greenhouse gas emissions in your business or in the transport sector? The Government wants to give you money.
Energy producers want mandatory disclosure
15 Feb 2018
European energy producers are calling for mandatory disclosure to customers of information about where their electricity comes from.
China will show the way with solar power
15 Feb 2018
China will be the first major country in which solar energy gives fossil fuels a run for its money, says Lloyds Register.
Lack of women in energy ‘holding back the fight’
13 Feb 2018
The lack of women in energy companies is holding back the sector’s efforts to tackle climate change, a leading industry watcher has warned.
BP aims to invest more in clean energy
9 Feb 2018
BP has declared it is looking to acquire more green energy firms, as the British oil giant pledged to set carbon targets for its operations.
We'll soon feel the effects of China's market
8 Feb 2018
China’s new carbon market will have a profound impact on electricity companies, says Standard & Poors.
After an oil-soaked past, Saudi wants to let the sunshine in
8 Feb 2018
Oil kingdom Saudi Arabia is trying to tie its future to another natural resource it has in abundance: sunlight.
Sweden setting up first fossil-free steel plant
5 Feb 2018
A new Swedish venture is working to establish a first-of-its-kind pilot steel plant to be fuelled with hydrogen.
One way to save energy is to stay at home
5 Feb 2018
Americans spent nearly eight more days at home in 2012 compared with2003 - with the result that they consumed less energy.
Gene tech reforms face political split
Thu 23 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams |The Government’s Gene Technology Bill continues to divide Parliament, after the Health Select Committee released its long-awaited report last week outlining key recommendations and lingering concerns.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
Tue 21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Emissions down slightly - Stats NZ
Fri 24 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Greenhouse gas emissions fell 1.5% in the June 2025 quarter, although the decline seems to reflect the economy continuing to contract rather than Aoteoroa inching towards decarbonisation goals.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
Wed 22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
Emails show forestry lobby fought Gisborne crackdown as slash clean-up drags on
26 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Sustainable land use advocates are accusing Eastland Wood Council of stonewalling efforts to tighten forestry rules, after correspondence between the group and the local council was released under the Official Information Act.
Govt to ease climate reporting thresholds, water down liability
Wed 22 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The rollback of climate change reporting requirements has produced a wave of relief in corporate New Zealand as managed investment funds and listed companies with annual revenue under $1 billion are exempted.
