Energy

National Energy Research Institute (NERI)

NERI is a Charitable Trust whose primary purpose is to enhance sustainability and benefit the community by stimulating, promoting, co-ordinating and supporting high-quality energy research and education within New Zealand.

It has recently completed a framework for energy research needed for New Zealand to reduce its GHGs: From Fossil Fuels to Local Renewables, and is now responding to the education and workforce implications of the changes, developing a possible stocktake of New Zealand's renewable energy resources and their best use..

Simon Arnold is part-time CE of the Institute.

Blended Fuel Solutions NZ (BFSNZ)

BFSNZ provides solutions that allow different types of fuels to be combined to give a result that is fit for a specific purpose. This addresses the emerging problem of combining fuels from different decentralised feed stocks that don't warrant large scale refineries. Emulsions are particularity useful for combining water and oil based feed stocks.

We have successfully run a water:marine fuel emulsion in a marine auxiliary engine, achieving 3-5% efficiency gains.

Simon Arnold is an executive director and part owner.

Nufuels

Nufuels has developed a small simple integrated energy system, based on pyrolysis, that converts waste plastic bags and bottles into energy suitable for local cooking, baking, drying and electricity. The system is currently being rolled out in the Solomon Islands.

We are also developing decentralised systems to handle difficult wastes in New Zealand, and proved a general consultancy service for businesses that have problems with wastes that include fuels and organic material. We are particularly looking at smaller scale pyrolysis equipment for difficult plastics wastes, and hydrothermal liquefaction for wet wastes such as food and sewage sludge.

Nufuels is 100% owned by BFSNZ and Simon Arnold is a technical advisor.

Bioenergy Association of NZ (BANZ)

Long-haul transport accounts for around a third of New Zealand's energy GHGs emissions. The best solution for land is uncertain with the options being better batteries and charging, clean gases (e.g. hydrogen), and biofuels. Heavy marine and long-haul air will require drop-in fuels for the medium-term, limiting the options to biofuels or synthetic fuels.

BANZ liquid biofuels interest group is working to reduce the uncertainty in fuels for long-haul land transport, and to lower the cost and increase the supply of biofuels for heavy marine and long-haul aviation.

Simon Arnold is the convener for the group .