blog

Associate Professor Susan Krumdieck on her vision for the Transition Engineering Campaign

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:47:13 +1200

Please visit the Otago Energy Research Centre's website at: http://www.otago.ac.nz/oerc/ for slides and audio recording of Susan's recent lunchtime lecture.

Energy Cultures: Implication for Policymakers

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 20:09:25 +1300

The Energy Cultures research project team have now published their report for policymakers. Click Report to see the full document.

The Energy Cultures research project was planned to inform policy making related to residential energy use and energy efficiency in New Zealand. The project set out to examine household energy behaviour in relation to space heating and hot water heating. This report presents the policy implications of the multiple findings of the research.

AWATEA Annual Conference: 18 and 19 April 2013

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:20:51 +1300

AWATEA announces its 7th annual conference, which will be held on Thursday 18 April and Friday 19 April in the Icon Room at Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington.

The conference will be devoted to a wide-ranging review of marine energy developments in the Asia-Pacific region. As in previous years, we plan to have some international keynote speakers.

Visit the AWATEA website for a link to the conference web page to find out more information about conference registration, sponsorship, trade displays and a call for papers and presentations.

Finding Sustainable pathways: Ecopreneurship in New Zealand and Sweden

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 15:14:51 +1300

Thursday 6th December,
6.00pm - 7.00pm
QA1, Quad A, Level 1
Massey University's 'Innovation Campus', Albany
SIERC invites all interested to this Inaugural Seminar.

Abstract: In this seminar Hultman will present the reasons for studying ecopreneurship and the background for his comparative study between the sparsely populated countries New Zealand and Sweden, both described as green and clean. Looking more closely into those widespread clichés though, only a few companies actually build its growth on an environmentally sustainable approach and measured in ecological footprints (4,89/5,88) and carbon dioxide per capita (7,8/5,3), both populations are currently among the environmentally worst on the planet.

Ecopreneurs, on the contrary, are people that by their examples of environmental innovations may act as important change agents. With ecopreneurs green values as pull factors are built into the company from inception, which is known to have a more successful outcome for entrepreneurs giving them an important transitional role in the quest for sustainability. In his presentation Hultman will discuss some findings from his interviews with ecopreneurs in areas of transport, clothing, housing, renewables, food and health; as well as pose a couple of methodological questions in thinking of further research in this field.

Martin Hultman is postdoc at Umeå University and visiting scholar at Massey University's New Zealand Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research Centre (SIERC). His current research is centered around environment, energy and technology focusing more specific on ecologically sustainable entrepreneurship, environmental utopias and expectations on clean technologies. Hultman has received a couple of research grants and currently he is on a two year full-time research scholarship from FORMAS. In his local community Hultman organize seminar series, set up cultural trails and edit the local newspaper. He has published three books in Swedish on energy history, posthumanities and risk theory and well as a few English journal articles.

His latest publications include; Transition delayed? The 1980s Ecotopia of WELGAS (in press); The socio-technological history of hydrogen and fuel cells 1978-2005 in Sweden; mapping the innovation trajectory (2012); Auto-mobility vs. Self-mobility and Collective Mobility: The Socio-cultural Implications of the Use of Car in Cyprus (2010); Back to the future: The dream of a perpetuum mobile in the atomic society and the hydrogen economy (2009).

Thursday 6th December,
6.00pm - 7.00pm
QA1, Quad A, Level 1
Massey University's 'Innovation Campus', Albany
SIERC invites all interested to this Inaugural Seminar.

Leadership NZ: Talk given by Dr Susan Krumdieck to the Business Leaders Group

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 15:21:44 +1300

Link to Dr Krumdieck's talk - Confronting the Status Quo

Pure Advantage Report released

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:14:15 +1200

Pure Advantage, the not-for-profit organisation developing a green growth strategy for New Zealand, has released a significant report entitled ‘’New Zealand’s Position in the Green Race". The report provides an appraisal of New Zealand’s environmental performance across a range of parameters.

For full details and a copy of the report please see: New Zealand's Position in the Green Race

Report: Optimisation model to estimate potential energy savings in the New Zealand economy.

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:44:46 +1300

This report describes the OPENZ model of the New Zealand energy supply and demand system and may be of interest to NERI members. It is now publicly available and can be downloaded at: OPENZ Model Report

Report: Less Energy, More Growth

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:38:05 +1300

The new report – Less Energy More Growth – offers a comprehensive insight into the Danish energy case describing the growth potential that comes from demanding more from less. This publication is from the Scandinavian think tank, Monday Morning. Articles include:

Less energy – more growth: Denmark is one of the most energy-efficient countries in the world. Through an ambitious strategy, Denmark has achieved steady economic growth without an increase in energy consumption. Benefits include job creation and a strong green sector.

Energy Savings – the cheap shortcut to a fossil-free society: Energy savings are crucial if we are to reduce our use of fossil fuels. The potential for energy savings is especially high in the public sector and buildings and represents an export market for energy efficiency technologies. Studies show that investments in energy savings are much more cost efficient than other energy investments.

Technology makes your operations “Lean”: Productivity is essential to compete in global markets. Energy crises, skyrocketing taxes and record-high wages have turned Danes into productivity experts. In southern Denmark, these competencies become solutions that make operations lean, speed up processes and save companies money.

Please find the full report here: https://www.mm.dk/less-energy-more-growth

Energy research groups - is yours listed?

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:22:34 +1200

NERI’s research capability is made up of a energy researchers from many different disciplines.

Is your group listed on our page?

If not, and you would like to be included, please contact us.

Energy Futures in New Zealand

Wed, 11 May 2011 13:47:43 +1200

Morgan Williams spoke about Energy Futures in New Zealand at Te Papa’s Science Express last month. His focus was on the electricity sector and particularly the importance of it being fully renewable. He stressed the complexity of issues and gave examples of local and overseas initiatives.

In response to a question, Morgan commented, “restructuring electricity generation and supply, so as to result in five gentailers (companies that both generate and retail electricity) has not reduced electricity prices in real terms, as promised by the politicians. We have a very complex system for a very small nation, as our overall electricity security and sustainabilty has now proved. As communities, we have to really start to challenge the value of this model,” he said.

“There is a great complacency here in New Zealand because we are the last stop on the planet. We have weathered a lot of storms in the last 10 years because of it, so we do not see the size of the problem in front of us. We probably have the easiest road to 100% renewable electricity in any country in the OECD. We now sit on 70% and we could do it by 2030 or even sooner - it is only a matter of political will and national vision. But as a nation we do not do strategic stuff very well, so change has to be driven from a community level.

Morgan’s renewable electricity interests are currently actioned through his role as Chair of Our Wind Ltd a new company aimed at helping communities establish small clusters of wind turbines. “Blueskin Bay are an active group in Otago who have run energy efficiency and insulation projects for their homes and now want to set up a cluster of wind turbines. These initiatives have changed politics overseas, and they will eventually do the same here.”

Morgan spent 10 years as New Zealand’s Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment from 1997-2007. His interest in the political, social and economic factors that influence our environmental management spans more than 30 years.

Support for NERI

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:29:00 +1200

"NERI is doing an excellent job in promoting awareness about critical energy-related issues. This has been achieved through its role as a nonpartisan ‘think tank’ that is connecting researchers with policy makers, community groups and commercial organisations.

The Midas Institute has successfully partnered with NERI on several projects, such as an evaluation of social media technologies to bring research to policy makers and change end-user behaviour.

We wholeheartedly support NERI in its mission and look forward to continuing our partnership in the future."

Amardeep Sandhu
Chief Executive
The Midas Institute

Read what other people have to say about NERI...

Strategy document ‘Developing Our Energy Potential’ leaked

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:11:02 +1200

The government’s new energy strategy document ‘Developing Our Energy Potential’ was leaked on Sunday.

The strategy appears to be disappointingly similar to the draft document released for consultation last year and puts the exploration of ‘petroleum and mineral fuel’ reserves ahead of investing in renewable power sources and new technologies. Not only this, but the document fails to make any direct mention of how, strategically, the exploitation of these finite reserves will bring advantage in facilitating the necessary transition to a low carbon economy.

Despite the draft strategy attracting a large number of submissions in support of developing renewable energy and reducing our use of fossil fuels, there appears to be little commitment to this in the revised document.

What does this say about the nature of consultation at a national level, and of our ability to think longer-term towards the development of a sustainable energy future?

Paul Atkins, NERI Chief Executive.

For more information:

Read the strategy document
Read Energy at all costs by Sciblogger Bryan Walker
Read news article and comments on stuff.co.nz

Initiating informed discussion through the NERI website

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:52:57 +1300

We would like to hear from anyone who would like to initiate informed discussion through the NERI website. Please contact us with your ideas and views.