Reflecting on 2020 

BEC Chair David Caygill reflected on the year at our final council meeting earlier this month. Thanks to Z Energy and Robinson Bowmaker Paul who made this event possible, and to all those who contributed to our events this year.  We are looking forward to the New Year. As well as a full schedule of events, we are excited to share the results of the updated energy scenarios and energy issues maps early next year. Read more...

Innovation awards applications open 

Have you been working on an innovation which will transform the energy system? You may be eligible for a SET-100 Award. SET-100 supports and promotes Start ups working on the Energy Transition. Applications close on 31st of January. Missed this year's awards? This year's awards were hosted online for this first time. Here are four key takeaways from the week.  Read more...

Build back better: latest Transition Radar results

Energy experts are not expecting a return to normal according to the latest World Energy Transition Radar snapshot. The second issue of emerging insights highlights three key trends. Positively, a number of countries, cities and companies have committed to a net-zero carbon future. However, an uneven economic recovery across the world may lead to a risk of fragmentation. Read more...

Heavy freight options - more work needed

New Zealand's heavy truck fleet accounts for just 7% of  total annual travel but 27% of total transport emissions. Decarbonising heavy transport would be a major step towards reducing emissions but there are several rapidly evolving technology options. There is still more work to be done to understand the role hydrogen or other low emission technology is best suited to which application. Read more...

Accelerating biofuels

Te Uru Rākau is entering the next phase of work to create a local biofuels industry. Stage 2 calls for tenders from organisations with international experience, particularly for priority products including biocrude oil, liquid biofuels and solid fuels such as wood pellets. "We need to attract investment and prove that there is both the demand and a viable supply" according to MPI's Director Sector Investments Jason Wilson. Read more...

Introducing Arcanum

The BEC is pleased to introduce their newest member Arcanum. Arcanum use artificial intelligence to super power organisations with solutions already applied across various sectors including utilities and transport. One use case used a machine vision model to identify asset damage. Another aggregates data to predict asset failures. Both helped improve asset availability and service, while reducing maintenance costs. Read more...

Mercury expand EV subscription

Mercury are aiming to add around 50 EVs a month to its subscription service, lifting the total fleet to around 450 vehicles. Chief Marketing Officer Julia Jack explains, "we've spent the last two years watching, testing and learning, and now we're ready to deliver on a bigger scale." She points to economic uncertainty created by Covid as one reason more people are considering subscription services.  Read more...

Transpower's new tool to illustrate grid planning

TPR Envision brings Transpower's annual Transmission Planning Report (TPR)  to life. This powerful new tool geospatial tool lets you visualise how we plan to develop New Zealand's transmission network over the next 15 years. Aimed at new and existing connected customers, generators or anyone curious about grid development, the tool is interactive and accessible.  Read more...

B5 biodiesel first for Z

For the first time in Z's history, B5 biodiesel blend is being sold at Z Highbrook's public truck stop. Local plant, Te Kora Hou remains in hibernation, however to serve customers, like infrastructure firm Dempsey Wood, and NZ Post who use biodiesel to reduce emissions, Z are importing a similar biodiesel from Australia. Z biodiesel is compatible with diesel engines and has around 4% lower greenhouse gas emissions than regular diesel.  Read more...