Topics tagged with 'Energy'
‘Polite queuing’ will not decarbonise UK supergrid, says energy watchdog boss
18 May 2023
Britain will not achieve its ambition to decarbonise the electricity grid by the middle of the 2030s with the current system of “polite queuing”, the boss of energy watchdog Ofgem has said.
First marae goes electric with EV charger
17 May 2023
Penu (Rongo-i-te-Kai) Marae in Ruatoria is the first marae in Tairāwhiti, and possibly anywhere, to install an EV charger.
Ukraine’s already planning its green rebuilding
16 May 2023
Ukrainian activists, scientists and architects are pushing for a postwar recovery unlike any in history, with a focus on climate resilience and clean energy.
EU Parliament advances methane reduction with Fit for 55 legislation
12 May 2023
The new initiative is designed to help the EU achieve its climate goals and improve air quality.
Sweden to pave world’s first permanent e-road for EV charging while driving
12 May 2023
As countries across Europe scale up efforts towards fossil fuel-free mobility, Sweden is working on the world’s first permanent electric road — allowing electric cars and trucks to charge while driving.
Energy companies powering change on climate targets
11 May 2023
Media release | A group of New Zealand energy companies have made a joint commitment to help reduce emissions and build a more sustainable future for all Kiwis.
Greenpeace sues Italian energy company ENI over climate change
11 May 2023
Greenpeace and an environmental coalition including 12 Italian citizens are suing Italian energy company ENI, accusing it of knowingly contributing to climate change.
Green Investment Finance gets $300m govt boost
10 May 2023
In a pre-budget announcement yesterday, Climate Change minister James Shaw said New Zealand Green Investment Finance will receive an additional $300 million in investment capital from the government.
India amends power policy draft to halt new coal-fired capacity
10 May 2023
India plans to stop building new coal-fired power plants, apart from those already in the pipeline, by removing a key clause from the final draft of its National Electricity Policy (NEP), in a major boost to fight climate change, sources said.
World’s tallest wind power testing mast hopes to herald new generation of turbines
10 May 2023
With the inauguration of a new onshore wind power testing mast with a height of 300 metres, project developers in Germany hope it will pave the way for a new generation of wind turbines.
Kiwi companies finalists in international clean energy programme
9 May 2023
Kiwi businesses Cogo and Grid Share are both through to the first round of a multi-million dollar international clean energy programme based in Portugal.
German climate envoy urges China to look beyond coal for energy-secure future
9 May 2023
China needs to seek alternative solutions to ensure its energy security, rather than relying on building new coal-fired power plants, according to Germany’s climate envoy.
Australian government's new ‘net zero’ body gets green light from key union and Climate Council
8 May 2023
The Albanese government’s new ‘National Net Zero Authority’ – a body that will help workers in fossil fuel industries to transition into other employment – has won high praise from two key bodies that savaged past governments over their climate change policies.
Electric vehicle imports accelerate
4 May 2023
Imports of fully electric vehicles have more than doubled in value, according to new data from Stats NZ.
Oliver Stone makes the case nuclear power is the solution to climate change
3 May 2023
Oliver Stone’s new movie, “Nuclear Now,” makes an impassioned case that nuclear energy is a necessary and obvious solution to climate change.
Wind turbine recycling breakthrough delivers promise in a test tube
3 May 2023
Wind energy uptake is soaring,. But the wind sector has an oversized problem on its hands: its massive blades, made up of carbon or glass fibre-reinforced epoxy plastic composites, have until now proven almost impossible to recycle.
Eight hour battery trumps pumped hydro in NSW long duration storage tender
2 May 2023
A proposed big battery with eight hours storage has emerged as a surprise winner in the NSW state government’s first long duration storage tender, beating out pumped hydro projects that had been expected by some to emerge as a dominant force.
Germany hopes to help climate with discount travel card
2 May 2023
Germany launches on Monday a new flat-rate public transport ticket valid across the country, but the €49 (NZ$87) price point has raised doubts about the pass's potential impact.
Momentum grows over a 'just' climate transition in Japan
1 May 2023
It is perhaps fitting that April’s Group of Seven Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment was held in Sapporo, because the view on final approach to New Chitose Airport provides a good education on the trickier aspects of Japan’s climate challenge.
Victoria’s new public energy utility begins search for first renewables and storage deal
28 Apr 2023
Labor’s election promise to revive the SEC put forward a 10-year plan to invest “at least” $1 billion re-establishing the generation (and possibly retail) utility, based in the Latrobe Valley to give the state’s coal centre a key role in the energy transition.
Replacing methane with hydrogen to heat homes is a bad idea – here’s why
27 Apr 2023
Ran Boydell - The Conversation | Hydrogen is an energy-rich gas, which releases no carbon emissions when burned. It can be used in most equipment where fossil fuels such as natural gas (methane) or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) are currently used. In your home, that might mean a gas boiler, heater, cooker or all three.
Business leaders outline election priorities to drive climate action
26 Apr 2023
Media release - Sustainable Business Council | The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) have laid out their joint climate policy priorities for political parties to consider as they gear up for October’s General Election.
Blackout-beset South Africa may delay closing coal stations
26 Apr 2023
President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa may delay the timetable for shutting down many of its highly polluting coal-fired power stations as the nation deals with crippling daily electricity blackouts.
Electrification on target for net zero carbon 2050 - Transpower
21 Apr 2023
Aotearoa is on track to meet its net zero emissions goal, with sufficient renewable energy supply and a shift to low carbon technologies, but peak demand is still a challenge, says Transpower.
Shell admits 1.5C climate goal means immediate end to fossil fuel growth
21 Apr 2023
Growth in oil and gas production ends immediately in Shell’s latest pathway for staying below 1.5C, new Carbon Brief analysis reveals.
Govt plans to speed up consenting of renewable energy projects
20 Apr 2023
UPDATED: The government is proposing changes to the RMA to fast-track renewable electricity projects.
Solar energy projects to get fast-track consenting
18 Apr 2023
Two solar farms with the potential to cut over 200 million kilograms of carbon pollution a year are having their consenting processes fast tracked.
New renewable generation policy close
18 Apr 2023
Energy minister Megan Woods says the national policy statement intended to make resource consenting for renewable electricity generation projects easier is near completion.
G7 vows more effort on renewables but sets no coal phaseout deadline
18 Apr 2023
The Group of Seven richest countries set higher 2030 targets for generating renewable energy, amid an energy crisis provoked by Russia's war on Ukraine, but they set no deadline to phase out coal-fired power plants.
Australian super funds sink $25 billion into coal, oil and gas
18 Apr 2023
Australia’s 15 largest super funds have invested a total of more than $25 billion into new and expanding coal, oil and gas projects, according to an analysis from The Australian Conservation Foundation.
EU exit from climate-killing energy treaty looms
18 Apr 2023
Denmark joins a spate of EU nations including Germany, Spain, France and the Netherlands who are exiting the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), an investment pact weaponised by big emitters to sue governments — most recently for phasing out fossil fuels.
At long last, CO2 turns the corner
17 Apr 2023
By Robert McLachlan - Planetary Ecology | Two years ago I wrote a post called “Why did New Zealand’s CO2 emissions blow out so spectacularly in 2019?” I ran the numbers and found that fossil CO2 emissions had risen 10% in just three years, to reach a record high.
Gas can’t compete with wind, solar and storage, even in world’s biggest market
17 Apr 2023
The latest levellised cost of energy assessment has been released by global investment bank Lazard, confirming – as CSIRO and the market operator have done in Australia – that wind and solar, even “firmed” by battery storage, still beat the fossil fuel competition.
Biden’s dangerous two-step on climate
17 Apr 2023
If the Biden administration is so gung ho about climate, why did it approve a big-ass oil-drilling project in Alaska a few weeks ago?
The clean energy milestone the world is set to pass in 2023
17 Apr 2023
This year, the world is predicted to pass a critical turning point in renewable energy.
Tiny decrease in gross emissions, net emissions up slightly
14 Apr 2023
New Zealand’s net emissions increased slightly in 2021 - by 3% - while gross emissions were down a tiny 0.7% on the previous year, a slight reduction in gross emissions for the second consecutive year.
Earth could warm 3 degrees if new coal plants are built: research
14 Apr 2023
Earth is on track to significantly overshoot a critical global climate target, largely because not enough coal-fired power plants are being retired, researchers warned in two new reports. Some nations are even planning new coal projects despite promising two years ago to begin reducing their use of the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel.
What to expect when Australia’s oldest coal plant closes
14 Apr 2023
After more than five decades, the last operating units of the Liddell coal-fired power station will close this month. The station’s owner, AGL, is Australia’s largest carbon polluter. Liddell’s closure will reduce the company’s emissions by 17%.
Offshore wind giant Ørsted turns to liquid air energy storage
13 Apr 2023
Danish offshore wind energy giant Ørsted is planning to test the value of co-locating offshore wind farms with long-term liquid air energy storage systems.
Fossil fuel emissions from electricity set to fall - report
13 Apr 2023
The world will likely use fewer fossil fuels to produce electricity this year in a "turning point" for planet-friendly energy, a new report says.
New turbines for the windiest continent
12 Apr 2023
Media release - Ross Island, Antarctica is set to receive three new state-of-the-art wind turbines that will power the future Scott Base with more than 90% renewable energy.
IEA chief slams climate 'contradictions' from oil companies
12 Apr 2023
The head of the powerful International Energy Agency (IEA), a Paris-based organization led by the energy ministers of mostly rich countries, has warned that companies who increase fossil fuel production are contradicting goals to stop the planet heating.
BP invests in carbon capture project
12 Apr 2023
This week, Harbour Energy announced it is teaming up with British oil and gas multinational BP on the Viking carbon capture project in the UK.
Aussie roof top solar sends grid demand to record lows
12 Apr 2023
Rooftop solar made its mark on the grid in a mostly sunny and mild Easter weekend, forcing grid demand down to new record lows in a dramatic weekend that also saw new highs for wind and solar output, and also record levels of wind and solar curtailment.
Solving electricity’s dry year problem will cost $13 - $16 billion: Woods
6 Apr 2023
Energy and Resources minister Megan Woods says solving New Zealand’s dry year problem will cost between $13 to $16 billion.
Best by the rest...
6 Apr 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: The finance minister seeks advice on the ETS as carbon prices plummet; National’s climate policy is under scrutiny; and kaitiakitanga as climate action.
EU energy experts see hydrogen/CO2 e-fuels as the future
6 Apr 2023
While hopes remain high that the evolving hydrogen economy will eventually lead to a point at which hydrogen fuelled vehicles and aircraft will one day be common, there are those who believe it is more likely that hydrogen will be fuelling vehicles only when combined with CO2 to form e-fuels.
Australia's home battery boom
6 Apr 2023
Home batteries were installed in record numbers in almost every state and territory in Australia in 2022, as power prices hit record new highs and tens of thousands more households opted to invest – or invest further – in energy independence.
Emissions down 3.5% in September
5 Apr 2023
Total greenhouse gas emission fell by 3.5% in the September quarter following increases in the previous three quarters.
China may meet solar, wind goals five years earlier
5 Apr 2023
China may reach its 2030 target for wind and solar energy development five years earlier than planned.
Ticking time-bomb in Govt’s failure of leadership on climate – Carr
Today 11:15am
By Liz Kivi | The coalition Government’s failure to slash emissions is like pulling the pin on a grenade, handing it to a kid, and saying “hold on tight, she’ll be right”, says former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.
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.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
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.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
Second fire tears through Tongariro National Park
Today 11:15am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fire crews have returned to Tongariro National Park this morning as a fast-moving fire that started yesterday threatens unburnt vegetation and nearby communities, just a month after a major blaze scorched 3000 hectares in the same area.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
Carbon market conduct pioneer passes on the baton
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Media release | The International Carbon Reduction and Offsetting Alliance (ICROA), a pioneer in early voluntary carbon market conduct, has announced that it will wind down operations by late 2026.
Seven EU countries pressure European Commission to rethink 2035 diesel and petrol car ban
Today 11:15am
Pressure from EU countries, lawmakers and the automotive industry is likely pushing the European Commission to delay the revision of the bloc's ban on diesel and petrol cars by 2035.
Carbon auction tipped to be a non-event
2 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Tomorrow’s Emissions Trading Scheme auction is all but certain to fail, with participants blaming the government for destroying confidence as NZUs continue to change hands on the secondary market at a 40% discount on the $68 auction floor.
KiwiRail pauses coal trains amid rising climate protests
Today 11:15am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate activists are ramping up actions this week, with a Christchurch protest leading to KiwiRail pausing some coal train operations on Saturday, and another protest against the Fast-Track Amendment Bill planned for parliament today.
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.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
Al Gore's case for optimism
Mon 8 Dec 2025
This year’s United Nations climate summit in Belém, Brazil had everything: A literal flood, a literal fire, a record-breaking 1,600+ fossil fuel lobbyists, and delegates from oil-producing nations working overtime.
Govt ‘scaremongering’ over co-operation – former climate ambassador
Fri 5 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s former top climate diplomat, Kay Harrison, says the Government’s recent comments ruling out buying climate mitigation offshore amount to scaremongering, and the country is missing a chance to give our businesses a boost.
DOC trims costs and winds down jobs for nature
10 Nov 2025
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is entering a new phase of tighter budgets and structural change as it winds down the pandemic-era Jobs for Nature programme and reshapes its operations to absorb long-term cost pressures.
Politicians in South-East Asia ignore climate change at their own political peril
Today 11:15am
Anger and frustration are growing in devastated communities, as governments botch their response to the climate crisis.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show marine heatwaves will grow more intense around the North Island and more frequent around the South Island as the climate warms – raising risks for fisheries, aquaculture, coastal ecosystems and tourism.
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.
Media round-up
Fri 5 Dec 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Labour’s chronic evasiveness as the Government reneges on climate change; newly released documents reveal the country's new methane target is associated with 'perilous' 2.7C of warming; and New Zealand's 'pitiful' decision on emissions targets comes with costs.
RMA to speed up fossil fuel consents
18 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | An energy lobby group has welcomed a last-minute amendment to the RMA that puts fossil fuels on the same footing as renewables, however a sustainable energy expert says the move “beggars belief.”
Analysis: Why COP30’s ‘tripling adaptation finance’ target is less ambitious than it seems
Fri 5 Dec 2025
One of the headline outcomes to emerge from COP30 was a new target to “at least triple” finance for climate adaptation in developing countries by 2035.
Climate comments ‘outrageous’ – former top climate negotiator
Wed 3 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s former climate ambassador, Kay Harrison, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ recent statements that the Government had ruled out buying offshore climate mitigation are “outrageous”.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
5 Nov 2025
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Tribunal warns govt geothermal strategy risks Treaty breach
2 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's geothermal development strategy risks breaching the Treaty of Waitangi, according to a report from the Waitangi Tribunal released last week.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Insurers welcome govt decision to keep NHC levy unchanged
21 Nov 2025
Media release |The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has welcomed the Government’s decision to leave the Natural Hazards Commission levy unchanged, amid ongoing concerns around the cost-of-living.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
NZ’s rejection of emission targets fuels risk of international law breach
Mon 8 Dec 2025
By Karen Scott, Professor in Law, University of Canterbury | The New Zealand government’s decision this week to reject all of the Climate Change Commission’s emission target recommendations was just the latest in a string of policy statements that weaken the country’s action on climate.
NZ fails to back ‘roadmap’ to phase out fossil fuels at COP
24 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Eighty-six countries including Australia, the UK, Germany, and Ireland backed a proposal at COP30 for national plans on how to quit oil, gas and coal – but New Zealand wasn’t one of them.
Hello, foreign oligarchs and corporations! Please come and sue the UK for billions
Wed 3 Dec 2025
COMMENT: The case of a planned Cumbrian coalmine shows how governments around the world are being threatened by litigation in shadowy offshore courts.
Govt's emissions ‘buffer’ an illusion with all NZ's carbon budgets off track
28 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Dr Christina Hood, head of consultancy Compass Climate, says the Government’s claim that New Zealand has a comfortable emissions “buffer” to absorb higher agricultural pollution is misleading, with projections showing emissions budgets are actually set to be missed in real terms.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
Storms in the Southern Ocean are producing more rain – and the consequences could be global
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Storms in the Southern Ocean influence weather patterns across Australia, New Zealand and the globe.
Govt rejects advice on international aviation and shipping emissions
Thu 4 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has rejected all the Climate Change Commission’s recommendations to strengthen emissions targets.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
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.
Govt to unveil RMA replacement as summer looms
Mon 8 Dec 2025
The last session of Parliament for the year begins this week, and the Government is expected to introduce the legislation that will replace the Resource Management Act.
Shipping movements disrupted as climate change protesters block coal ships
2 Dec 2025
NSW police have arrested 141 people who attempted to block the shipping channel in Newcastle Harbour during Rising Tide protests, which began on Thursday.
Straterra has a new name: the New Zealand Minerals Council
16 Apr 2025
Media release | Straterra has been renamed as New Zealand Minerals Council, says chief executive Josie Vidal.
Rare win for renewable energy: Trump administration funds geothermal network expansion
Fri 5 Dec 2025
A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Massachusetts is set to double in size.
Southland's waters warming faster
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter | Waters are warming in Murihiku Southland at higher rates than elsewhere, with implications for fisheries and habitats.
Solar households to get little-noticed tax break
23 Sep 2025
A provision in the government’s latest tax bill would exempt households from paying tax on income they earn by selling excess electricity back to the grid.
Pollution from coal plants was dropping. Then came Trump and AI.
1 Dec 2025
Data centres’ hunger for electricity is prompting some states to keep their coal-burning power plants from closing – while DC relaxes air pollution limits.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
31 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is expected to repeal the oil and gas ban today, with a last-minute amendment handing discretionary power to two ministers over the controversial issue of decommissioning.
Spain announces $1.5 billion package to boost electric vehicle market
Fri 5 Dec 2025
Spain's plan includes 400 million euros in direct subsidies in 2026 for consumers to buy EVs.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
14 Nov 2025
Media release: Kaicycle | Since 2015, Kaicycle has grown from a humble pilot project growing kai and collecting compost on bicycles into the thriving urban farm and composting hub that Wellingtonians know and love.
Study provides a step-change in understanding NZ’s groundwater
28 Nov 2025
Media release | Earth Sciences New Zealand has developed a world-first National Groundwater Age Map and a powerful suite of tools to support the sustainable management of our hidden groundwater resources, from national through to local scales.
Wildfires destroy 40 homes and kill a firefighter in Australia
Today 11:15am
There were 52 wildfires burning across New South Wales on Monday and nine remained out of control. A total of 20 homes had destroyed over the weekend in that state.
NZ’s energy system at a crossroads – report
21 Nov 2025
A new report says New Zealand’s rapid shift toward a 95% renewable electricity system is at a critical turning point, urging faster consenting, stronger firming solutions and better grid planning.
