Professor John Raine: Unintended Consequences, or is this just City Council Greenwashing?

Few would argue against taking better care of the environment, becoming more efficient in our use of natural resources, avoiding wasteful consumerism, and recycling where it makes sense to do so.

Well, out walking recently I was keeping pace with an Auckland Council food scraps collection truck, which stopped at every fourth or fifth property, the driver climbed out and emptied the small bespoke, plastic, lidded food scraps bin, then accelerated away to then stop at the next bin. One would hope that most of the remaining 75-80% of the dwellings are composting at home – the optimal low environmental impact solution.

Faith Jeremiah: The renewable energy hidden in our wastewater ponds – here’s how it could work

New Zealand is confronting a perfect storm.

Its energy grid faces three pressing challenges at once: an unreliable electricity supply, strict emissions reduction targets and ongoing environmental issues related to wastewater ponds.

As the country prepares to meet growing energy demands, the variability of wind, solar and hydroelectric power has made year-round electricity generation hard to ensure.

Stuart Smith: An Opportunity Not to Be Missed

Did you know it is estimated that there is potential for biogas to provide 80% of the gas needs for the East Coast of Australia?

Last week I had the opportunity to visit several renewable gas projects in Australia with Gas NZ to see what opportunities there might be for renewable gas in New Zealand. We visited a range of projects, from hydrogen being injected into a natural gas network at a ratio of 5%, to a Gasification facility that transforms biosolids from human waste into renewable energy and biochar, to landfill gas capture and everything in between.