Articles about Energy
Tiwai and Meridian’s deal: The aftermath of our large energy users and the future of energy in New Zealand
New Zealand Aluminium Smelters has struck a new deal with Meridian Energy which means the smelter will remain open until at least Decemeber 2024. We don’t yet know the prices that Rio Tinto has agreed with Meridian, but Forsyth Barr estimates that Rio will be paying a contract price of 3.5c/kWh. Compare that with large energy users across the country, who are paying over 11c/kWh.
Last week, the news pushed already elevated ASX energy futures higher. Customers leaving contracts on or around a raw energy price of 8.5c/kWh struck 3 years ago are now facing, on average, raw...
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Cost‐effective solar power system for your business
The deployment of grid‐connected photovoltaic (solar PV) systems continues to grow at an impressive rate. In 2018, there was a 30% increase in systems implemented and it continues to move forward.
Most of this growth involves residential systems, which have an 80% share of the connected capacity in NZ.
Where's the growth in commercial solar pv systems? Why are the industrial and commercial sectors lagging behind?
The following article was written by Perry Hutchinson, who holds a Master of Engineering Studies in Renewable Energy Systems and has 30+ years of experience designing...
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Energy Savings in a Rising Market
The retail price of energy for large commercial customers in New Zealand will remain elevated in 2020-21. So what are you going to do about it?
New Zealand’s large commercial market for electricity and natural gas has been on a roller coaster ride for the last 2 years, the likes of which have not been seen before.
There are numerous drivers that influence market movements. Fundamentally though it comes down to the balance between availability of supply and user demand.
Oil, gas, thermal and hydro
The Government’s decision to ban future offshore oil and gas drilling put...
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Drive energy efficiency through data
If you don't know precisely how, when and where energy is being used
across your business, how can you understand where your energy costs
really lie, or the best opportunities to improve energy and operational
performance?
Working together with Centrica Business Solutions, Total Utilities is the exclusive partner delivering the Energy Insight product solution to the New Zealand market. Using Centrica’s wireless sensor technology, you can monitor energy usage in real-time – right down to device and equipment level. When this information is relayed to our PowerRadarTM analysis...
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IoT and Energy Management
Join us on Monday as we discuss how the Internet of Things is changing Energy Management and how insights can support sustainable business. Register...
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Inform your energy strategy with an end-to-end view of your assets
Create a sustainable energy strategy, and build a competitive advantage with powerful energy insights that provide complete visibility of your energy footprint.
Now more than ever businesses globally are looking for wastage and holding utility costs to account by requiring detailed operational reports.
As the owner of your energy strategy, it is imperative that you have end-to-end visibility of your energy footprint. Obtaining this level of visibility will provide you with energy intelligence around consumption and performance of on-site assets. These energy insights will give...
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Solar, call now and get a free set of steak knives
Making solar part of your business's energy mix has never been more appealing. But risk and opportunity balances between an optimised design and types of PPAs.
While there's heat in the market, there are incentives - but don't unthinkingly sign away your business for a free set of steak knives! Or solar panels, for that matter.
According to the Electricity Authority, New Zealand's solar energy generation capacity increased to just under 115MW in 2019.
Putting this into perspective, 115MW of installed capacity is similar to one of Contact or Mercury's Geothermal stations. As a...
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Big risks in avoiding corporate sustainability
Your corporate sustainability targets might be in for a shock!
Prior to Christmas, the Government announced a raft of proposed changes to the emissions trading scheme (ETS) to rapidly decarbonise the economy.
This included lifting the ETS price cap from $25/tonne to $50/tonne and creating a market floor of $20/tonne.
If we take natural gas as an example, where at $25/tonne the ETS is priced at $1.37, at the market cap of $50/tonne this would increase the cost of the ETS to end users by $1.37/GJ (0.49c/kWh). With current raw gas pricing hovering around $9/GJ for large...
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How efficient, sustainable energy innovations could boost your brand
Research shows that using low-carbon energy solutions can improve your reputation – helping make the case for sustainable energy innovation.
Deloitte recently published The Global Millennial Survey. This reinforced a number of other surveys that concluded that brands with a strong corporate social responsibly and sustainability plan will attract a higher caliber pool of prospective employees and a large range of engaged customers.
42% of those surveyed stated that they would start and or deepen a relationship with business who has products/services that positively impact the...
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The price of power: monopoly management of the national grid benefits the few
Our national grid pricing needs solutions. And after 10 years of pondering its navel, the Electricity Authority (EA), the Government agency charged with ensuring an efficient and effective electricity industry, plans to release a paper that may or may not gain industry consensus and may or may not actually be the right answer.
A decade in, the EA claims it is past the point
where it is seeking an industry consensus, and advises that
“you’ll have to show a factual error in our assumptions to change...
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