Tagged: energy efficiency

Seven keys to green growth in NZ: Pure Advantage’s new economic analysis - Hot Topic

Gareth Renowden • Nov 17, 2012 •

• Biodiversity,
• biofuel,
• Climate business,
• Climate politics,
• energy efficiency,
• geothermal,
• green growth,
• nz,
• Pure Advantage,
• smart grid

Last week business lobby group Pure Advantage launched [Herald, Stuff] a specially commissioned report, Green Growth: Opportunities for New Zealand, which presents, they say, “an exhaustive, objective economic argument for embracing green growth”. The report was produced by a London-based economics consultancy in conjunction with the University of Auckland Business School, and is the culmination [...] … Read More

Low hanging fruit and lost opportunity - Hot Topic

Bryan Walker • Sep 03, 2012 •

• Brownlee,
• Climate business,
• Climate politics,
• energy efficiency,
• Extreme Ice Survey,
• James Balog,
• lighting,
• nz,
• Tim Groser

I hope the New Zealand Government feels shamed by the news that incandescent light bulbs can no longer be sold in Europe. It could have been so here but following the 2008 election, proclaiming the sanctity of consumer choice, one of the early actions of the then Minister of Energy Gerry Brownlee was to reverse [...] … Read More

To boldly go… to a low carbon future - Hot Topic

Bryan Walker • Jan 08, 2012 •

• Climate business,
• energy,
• energy efficiency,
• forestry,
• Guardian,
• WRI

I liked the sub-heading to a Guardian article on Friday. “The theory that cutting carbon emissions costs us growth is bunk, in fact, it’s an economic opportunity.” The article itself is a little less exuberant in its expression, understandably given that one of its authors, Vinod Thomas (pictured), is director general for independent evaluation at [...] … Read More

First Light House Third in USA - The Science of Architecture

Ken Collins • Oct 03, 2011 •

• architecture,
• building design,
• buildings,
• energy efficiency,
• First Light,
• house,
• insulation

A few months back I wrote about the First Light House that was too have competed at the Solar Decathlon in Washington DC. The First Light House team in front of their house in Washington DC (Credit: Stefano Paltera/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon) As a quick refresher, the US Department of Energy web site summarises the competition … Read More

Pre-Designing Your Lab for Sustainability - The Science of Architecture

Ken Collins • Aug 15, 2011 •

• architect,
• architecture,
• building design,
• building sustainability,
• construction,
• energy efficiency,
• internal environment,
• laboratory,
• laboratory design,
• Sustainability

VUW Coastal Ecology Lab A short time ago I was reading this article in the R&D Mag online. Titled ’Pre-designing your lab for sustainability’ it makes a number of relevant points when thinking about laboratory design. Although it appears to be aimed at university type projects the points it makes is certainly relevant to all laboratory facilities of all … Read More

First Light on Energy Efficient Bach - The Science of Architecture

Ken Collins • Jun 10, 2011 •

• architecture,
• building design,
• buildings,
• energy efficiency,
• energy saving,
• First Light,
• house,
• photovoltaic,
• Solar,
• solar power,
• Technology,
• timber

A computer render of the First Light House, from the FirstLight web site Its not often that Wellington City Council allows a bach (crib to you southerners) to be built at Frank Kitts Park on Wellington’s waterfront. However, before Waterfront Watch get too alarmed, this construction was the live demonstration / test of the First Light house, developed and built … Read More

Low hanging fruit: efficient lighting - Hot Topic

Bryan Walker • May 29, 2011 •

• Climate business,
• Climate politics,
• energy efficiency,
• lighting,
• nz

It was good to see Michael Downie, the general manager of Phillips Lighting, writing in the Herald this week in praise of energy-efficient light bulbs in the context of tackling climate change. “The case for change is clear. Globally, lighting uses 20 per cent of all electricity. And two-thirds of lighting installed is based on [...] … Read More

Here comes the sun: 100% renewables by 2050 - Hot Topic

Bryan Walker • Feb 07, 2011 •

• biofuel,
• biomass,
• Climate business,
• energy efficiency,
• geothermal,
• Solar,
• tidal,
• Wind

Is a fully sustainable global energy system possible by 2050? It’s hard to imagine a more important question if we entertain hopes of avoiding the worst effects of climate change. It is the question addressed by a new and substantial report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the sustainable energy research and [...] … Read More

Renewable Energy: The Facts - Hot Topic

Bryan Walker • Dec 14, 2010 •

• Book reviews,
• Climate business,
• energy,
• energy efficiency,
• geothermal,
• Germany,
• renewable,
• Solar,
• Wind

Germany is a country which has attracted much attention for taking renewable energy technology seriously, not least because it has gained significant economic advantage in doing so. That lends interest to the publication of an English translation of the book, Renewable Energy: The Facts, by German writers Dieter Seifried and Walter Witzel. The authors write [...] … Read More

Brownlee’s energy strategy: dig and burn - Hot Topic

Bryan Walker • Jul 26, 2010 •

• Climate business,
• Climate politics,
• coal,
• energy,
• energy efficiency,
• gas,
• geothermal,
• Gerry Brownlee,
• hydro,
• National,
• oil,
• peak oil,
• renewable,
• Wind

The newly released Draft NZ Energy Strategy (PDF, web) is a winding back of the clock from the substantial statement released under the previous government only three years ago. When announcing early in his term as Minister that a new strategy was required Gerry Brownlee complained of the old one: “You need only read the [...] … Read More