Southland community and business leaders are backing the local aluminium smelter in its battle to pay lower electricity transmission costs. It costs $918 million to run New Zealand's 12,000km national grid, and the smelter has to pay $60.8m a year of that cost. It originally hoped to reduce that to about $10m, because it only uses one 160km power line, from Manapouri to Tiwai Point, and argued it should not have to pay for wires over 1000km away in Northland or Auckland. But the Electricity Authority's series of reform proposals is progressively dashing those hopes. Its latest, and probably penultimate,…

Karl Kolmsee explains how the small hydrokinetic turbines developed by his company Smart Hydro Power can provide a reliable source of electricity to remote rural communities.Smart Hydro Power's floating turbines A hydrokinetic turbine works like a wind turbine underwater – the force of the current in a river or canal turns a rotor, which in turn spins a generator to create electricity. Smart Hydro Power designs and manufactures these turbines to provide a renewable source of electricity to inaccessible rural locations. |  Continue to full articvle with video and images on Dezeen |  Dec 16, 2016  |      

Metal fabrication is essential to the green energy industry’s production of solar panels, natural gas lines, and wind turbines. How can we make the metalworking industry more environmentally friendly? sheet metal fabrication, fabrication metal, metal fabricator, eco friendly, eco friendly products, sustainable, sustainability, sustainablity, sustainabilty, sustanability, sustainibility, welding, vacuum soldering, solder vacuum, soldering vacuum, friction welding, friction stir welding, linear friction welding, friction welder, diffusion welding, green technology, green technologies, green technolgy, metalworking, metal fabricationIf you’re familiar with the metal fabrication industry, you know that it’s a world steeped in tradition, forging fires, and the clanging of metal on metal.…

Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges today opened public consultation on a new national renewable energy strategy. The draft replacement of the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy proposes actions that will help New Zealand make the most of its clean, renewable energy sources. “Energy efficiency and increased use of our renewables are critical for our environment and our economy,” Mr Bridges says. “This strategy will aim to steer businesses, individuals and the Government towards taking actions that enable our transition towards a smarter, lower-carbon and more productive economy.” The strategy covers the period 2017-2022. Its actions and targets…