Abundant clean energy resources

New Zealand has abundant resources for clean energy and is able to draw on a legacy of leadership in renewable energy generation, with many decades of experience in generating electricity from hydro and geothermal resources.

More recently, New Zealand's exceptional wind resource has been harnessed throughout the country, with nine wind farms operational and new farms being developed or planned in many regions.

A frontrunner in the field of renewable energy is state-owned energy generator Meridian Energy - a company that is fast becoming a global reference for renewable energy generation.

"We're globally one of the very few who are 100 percent renewable. It's easy to take that for granted in the New Zealand context because we've got a heavily renewable heritage as a nation. But, it's actually very special and it does stand us apart," says Meridian Energy General Manager of Business Development, Andrew Robertson.

In May 2010, Meridian extended its international activity with the commissioning of the five-megawatt CalRENEW-1 solar energy plant in California. The company intends to take the skills learnt there to the Pacific Island nations which are heavily dependent on diesel generation, and in the future, Australia and New Zealand.

"At an environmental level we want to do the right thing. It's not ideology, it's not dogma, it's smart commercial play and it's the right thing to do," says Robertson.

There is also a resurgence in geothermal energy in New Zealand, with over NZ$2 billion in projects being developed by Contact Energy and state-owned Mighty River Power. Mighty River Power also have several projects under way in North America and South America.

Advantage for forward-thinking businesses

For exporters and export industries in New Zealand, the high percentage of renewable energy they use provides an opportunity to outflank competitors in other countries still dependent on electricity generated by fossil fuels.

Aside from the marketing advantage, New Zealand's renewable energy is  enabling existing and new businesses to future proof themselves against a price on carbon, which is becoming inevitable.

"The opportunity is there for New Zealand to attract forward-thinking businesses that want to take advantage of our clean energy resource, and this is a key area that we are focusing on," says New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) Investment Manager for Clean Technology, Chris Mulcare.

Mulcare and his NZTE colleagues are working on this strategy with Australian climate economist Ben McNeil, author of "The Clean Industrial Revolution".

"Ben's thinking is compelling and mirrors that of a range of forward-thinking countries and leaders. Namely, those countries that decarbonize their economies the quickest and develop the technologies to do so will be the most prosperous in the 21st century," says Mulcare.

Mulcare says New Zealand's renewable energy resources are also being complemented by local clean technology developers and researchers looking at clever ways to more efficiently use this energy, or further reduce the carbon footprint of industry, agriculture and cities.

New energy

Other forms of renewable energy on New Zealand's commercial horizon are marine energy and biomass. NZTE Investment is involved in a range of projects looking to convert forestry and agricultural biomass into energy, transport fuels and high value chemicals.

With New Zealand's enviable access to the Asia Pacific region, Mulcare believes there is a huge opportunity for businesses looking to take advantage of the country's abundant resources and leadership in clean energy, whether it is locating their operations in New Zealand or investing in a range of energy projects.