China’s energy strategy and its global implications. John Mathews, Professor of Strategy at Macquarie Graduate School of Management in Sydney, spoke about the current developments with China's energy strategy. He presented evidence of a global green transition under way – but contrary to popular perception – one that is not driven by the United States, the European Union or Japan. He argued that China is driving the green transition, very much for its own reasons of enhancing its energy security and cleaning up its deteriorating urban environment.

The rapid "greening" of the Chinese economy may continue to help drive down the manufacturing costs of renewable energy technologies, a visiting academic says. Wind, solar, battery and electric vehicle technology have seen cost reductions "because, as the market expands, so the efficiencies improve and the costs come down and the more the costs come down the more the market expands and this is a virtuous circle," professor John Mathews told a Business NZ Energy Council meeting in Wellington last Friday...

Tariff reform has evolved through five waves since the late 1970s. While 300+ pilots have shown that customers respond to time-varying rates, there is a reluctance among policy makers, regulators, and utilities to move ahead with new tariffs because of strongly-held misperceptions about how they may raise customer bills.

The legislated low-user fixed charge has become a “middle-class subsidy” for electricity and needs to be scrapped or replaced, the country's political parties agree. Labour Party energy spokesperson Dr Megan Woods says the most vulnerable families in terms of energy poverty in her Wigram electorate office are not small households with solar panels, but “very large families”.“They are probably living in uninsulated rental accommodation and they're the ones not getting the benefit, so I absolutely don’t think it meets the needs that I think it needs to.”“It can be seen as a middle-class subsidy now.”

The Energiewende is seen as a longer-term "investment" which comes with significant costs. The German government has spent about €500 billion on electricity subsidies to date. But it expects it will have beneficial outcomes out to 2030 in terms of economic development, as well as by creating a decarbonised energy system. Germany's "integrated" policy seeks to lower emissions across the country's electricity, industrial and transport sectors. It also seeks to increase energy security by reducing the country's coal, gas, petroleum and uranium imports.

New Zealand's renewable electricity experts may be able to earn carbon offset overseas once multi-lateral trading systems are set up.Kay Harrison, the Ministry for the Environment's lead carbon markets negotiator, says New Zealand's industry expertise is an opportunity to participate in large-scale projects that increase other countries' renewable capacity.

The BusinessNZ Energy Council (BEC) today released the second in its series of reports on energy scenarios to 2050. This report looks at the contribution the energy and transport sectors can make to emission reductions.

The World Energy Council’s World Energy Issues Monitor 2017, including the third annual energy issues map for New Zealand, shows New Zealand’s energy sector is not immune to the growing global and domestic energy system uncertainty. It’s keeping our energy executives awake at night.

World Energy Issues Monitor 2017 for New Zealand and the World

The BusinessNZ Energy Council (BEC) is pleased to announce two young New Zealanders are on their way to becoming the next generation of New Zealand's energy leaders, capable of solving the world's most pressing challenges around energy and sustainability.