Cook Strait separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The strait connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast. It is 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide at its narrowest point, and is considered one of the most dangerous and unpredictable waters in the world. Regular ferry services run across the strait between Picton in the Marlborough Sounds and Wellington.
Meridian Energy Limited is a New Zealand electricity generator and retailer. The company generates the largest proportion of New Zealand's electricity, generating 35 percent of the country's electricity in the year ending December 2014, and is the fourth largest retailer, with 14 percent of market share in terms of customers as of December 2015.
Tidal power or tidal energy is harnessed by converting energy from tides into useful forms of power, mainly electricity using various methods.
Manapōuri Power Station is an underground hydroelectric power station on the western arm of Lake Manapouri in Fiordland National Park, in the South Island of New Zealand. At 854 MW installed capacity, it is the largest hydroelectric power station in New Zealand, and the second largest power station in New Zealand. The station is noted for the controversy and environmental protests by the Save Manapouri Campaign against raising the level of Lake Manapouri to increase the station's hydraulic head, which galvanised New Zealanders and was one of the foundations of the New Zealand environmental movement.
Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Auckland Council. The local Māori tribe is Ngāti Whātua.
The Temenggor Dam or Temenggor Hydro-Electric Project or Temenggor Power Station is a dam in Gerik, Perak, Malaysia. It is located on Perak River about 200 km northeast of Ipoh. Construction of the dam impounded Temenggor Lake.
The Huntly Power Station is the largest thermal power station in New Zealand and is located in the town of Huntly in the Waikato. It is operated by Genesis Energy Limited, a publicly listed company. The station has five operational generating units – three 250 MW coal-and-gas-fired steam turbine units, a 50 MW gas peaking plant, and a 403 MW combined cycle gas turbine plant. The station also plays an important role in voltage support for the Northland, Auckland and Waikato regions.
Wind power constitutes a small but growing proportion of New Zealand's electricity. As of December 2020, wind power accounts for 690 MW of installed capacity and over 5 percent of electricity generated in the country.
The electricity sector in New Zealand uses mainly renewable energy, such as hydropower, geothermal power and increasingly wind energy. As of 2021, the country generated 81.2% of its electricity from renewable sources. The strategy of electrification is being pursued to enhance the penetration of renewable energy sources and to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across all sectors of the economy. In 2021, electricity consumption reached 40 terawatt-hours (TW⋅h), representing a 0.2% increase compared to the consumption levels in 2010.
The Waitahora Wind Farm was a proposed renewable energy project in New Zealand planned by Contact Energy but which has now been abandoned without construction beginning. This development was proposed to be located on the Puketoi Range which forms one side of the picturesque Waitahora Valley, near Dannevirke in Southern Hawke’s Bay.
The Mahinerangi Wind Farm is a wind farm on the north side of Lake Mahinerangi, around 50 km west of Dunedin, in Otago, New Zealand. Stage one of the wind farm, generating 36 MW, was commissioned in March 2011, and an additional 160 MW is consented to be commissioned in further stages.
Marine Current Turbines Ltd (MCT), was a United Kingdom-based company that developed tidal stream generators, most notably the 1.2 MW SeaGen turbine. The company was bought by the German automation company, Siemens in 2012, who later sold the company to Atlantis Resources in 2015.
The Te Mihi Power Station is a 166 MW geothermal power station owned and operated by Contact Energy, located north of Taupō in New Zealand.
The Rodney Power Station was a proposal for a natural gas fired combined cycle power station developed by Genesis Energy Limited. The project was abandoned in 2015.
New Zealand has large ocean energy resources but does not yet generate any power from them. TVNZ reported in 2007 that over 20 wave and tidal power projects are currently under development. However, not a lot of public information is available about these projects. The Aotearoa Wave and Tidal Energy Association was established in 2006 to "promote the uptake of marine energy in New Zealand". According to their 10 February 2008 newsletter, they have 59 members. However, the association doesn't list its members.
A tidal stream generator, often referred to as a tidal energy converter (TEC), is a machine that extracts energy from moving masses of water, in particular tides, although the term is often used in reference to machines designed to extract energy from the run of a river or tidal estuarine sites. Certain types of these machines function very much like underwater wind turbines and are thus often referred to as tidal turbines. They were first conceived in the 1970s during the oil crisis.
A tidal barrage is a dam-like structure used to capture the energy from masses of water moving in and out of a bay or river due to tidal forces.
Solar power in New Zealand is increasing in capacity, despite no government subsidies or interventions being available. As of the end of February 2024, New Zealand has 400 MW of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) solar power installed, of which 130 MW (33%) was installed in the last 12 months. In the 12 months to December 2023, 372 gigawatt-hours of electricity was estimated to have been generated by grid-connected solar, 0.85% of all electricity generated in the country.
The Castle Hill Wind Farm is a proposed wind farm being developed by Genesis Energy. It will have up to 286 wind turbines with potential output of up to 858 MW, depending on what model(s) of wind turbines are selected. The project is estimated to cost more than $1.6 billion and will be New Zealand's largest wind farm.
The Kaimaumau wetland is a wetland by the Rangaunu Harbour, in Northland, New Zealand. At approximately 1,860 hectares, it is one of the largest remaining wetlands in Northland. It comprises the Otiaita and Waihauhau swamps, Motutangi Swamp Scientific Reserve, and Lake Waikaramu. The wetland is currently threatened by peat mining and by water loss from avocado growing.
