Energy
Lincoln takes delivery of electric tractor
Imported from Netherlands, it will be key to university’s Energy Farm.
Farmers urged to go electric for savings
By using solar power and diesel-free machinery on his cherry orchard, Mike Casey has reduced the cost of generating power down to about one-fifth of what it would cost from the grid.
Lodestone breaks ground on fourth North Island solar farm
Whitianga solar farm will generate about 50 GWh of clean renewable energy each year.
Solar farm greenlit for Marton area
Facility on 93 hectares of rural farmland intended to supply electricity to the national grid.
Power belongs in farmers’ hands
Solar technology that repays its capital outlay in five years is within reach for many farmers – and that’s good news for the country.
Power play holds our profits hostage
Alan Emerson traces the roots of the soaring energy costs squeezing the primary sector.
Energy costs slice into sector yields
Industry braced for another hit to margins as power prices soar.
Dairy steaming mad over energy fiasco
Processors call for long-term planning to head off ‘another hit to the primary sector’.
Irrigators reap rewards of future-proofing
Sustainable water management has benefits when it comes to electricity costs, too.
Meat processors face soaring electricity bills
Companies cut costs wherever they can as meter ticks higher.
Mayor calls government out on power crisis
Whichever administration caused the current problems, it is up to the incumbents to provide support while they fix it, says Ruapehu official.
High power prices the new normal for NZ
Expert says the country is paying the price for not having a clear national strategy on energy generation and use .
Shift to green energy comes at a cost, says study
While the benefits of renewable energy are well established, researchers are also examining the less-discussed economic and social impacts.
Short rotation forestry knocks down carbon loss
Scion research lists benefits of dense, early harvested pine and eucalypt plantations.
Rangitaiki Solar Farm completed in BoP
Strawberries and shaded sheep in the farm’s future as agrivoltaics explored at the site.
How bamboo is fuelling Brazil’s corn ethanol revolution
Brazil's green energy policy plays back well for local farmers keen to contribute some of their less productive cropping land for biomass growing for extra income.
Lincoln University to build 4ha solar farm
Array will power campus needs plus support research into agrivoltaics.
Haldon solar farm site to help heal land
Project on iconic station will encourage regeneration of wind-blown, rabbit-infested parcel of land.
Fonterra spends big money to keep plants running
Co-op has budgeted $56m for winter shutdown work across its sites, a lot of it major maintenance.
Bright future for solar grazing in NZ
Agrivoltaics is the way of the future, though not all farms will be able to benefit, say two experts.
Doubling down on a crazy call at Tiwai
Alan Emerson cannot see the logic in extending NZ’s handout to Rio Tinto.
Securing a place in the sun
Solar farms appear to be taking off, but it can be a relatively slow and expensive process to host one, says Gerald Piddock.
Lodestone Energy’s second solar farm powers up
With two farms completed, third farm in Waiotahe is on track to be generating by the end of the year.
Array of factors in livestock-solar mix
A farm consultant lays out the challenges and opportunities for a system he calls ‘agrivoltaics’.
Solar venture a no-brainer for Waikato farmers
The numbers made a lot of sense when these northwestern Waikato beef finishers looked into a new kind of farming.
Thousands of hectares sold to solar
Foreign investors allowed to buy 2900ha for energy generation in the past few years.
Electric farming is having its lightbulb moment
Farmers could be the backbone of NZ’s energy system, says Mike Casey, but for that to happen, the rules need to change.
Act now to boost agricultural resilience, researchers warn
NZ needs to prepare to meet future global food and fuel catastrophes, study says.
Green fuel option lies in trees
Australian company plans BoP wood pellet plant alongside higher value pine chemicals facility.
Mataura Valley Milk plant goes fully electric
Processor majority owned by The a2 Milk Co eliminates 22,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent Scope 1 emissions a year.
‘Trees for cheese’ plant officially opens
World’s largest dedicated cheese factory has switched to 100% renewable energy.
NZ’s largest solar farm to date officially opened
Kaitaia is also the first solar farm in country to bid into electricity market.
Pine power offers dry-year solution
Range of options to meet energy needs in dry years considered.
Farmers’ help needed to power NZ
Transpower will need farmer agreement to build power capacity.
Lodestone loads up on Canterbury sites
Three consented sites earmarked for agrivoltaic solar farms.
Stepping up to the bioenergy challenge
Now is the time for the energy, pastoral and forestry sectors to come together with a shared vision, says a bioenergy lobbyist.
Dairy Holdings seeks to reconsent hydro scheme
Costly bid underlines need for more streamlined process for smaller schemes, chair says.
NZ’s largest solar farm powers up
Lodestone’s Kaitāia farm has more than 61,000 solar panels.
Billions to be spent on powering up wind and solar
Farmers in the pound seats as building keeps pace with carbon targets.
Trees took toll on powerlines in cyclone: report
‘Out of zone’ trees falling onto lines were the single largest cause of outages.
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