Case studies

The number of passengers passing through Auckland Airport this year is expected to be a sharp increase on the record 9.4 million of 2002. And unlikely as it sounds, that offers further opportunities for the facility's energy efficiency programme.

Te Papa's energy management team has cut energy costs while taking care of a huge open-plan building with constantly changing uses and ever-expanding operating hours.

The Chelsea sugar's new sugar purification process has reaped savings in labour, gas and water use and reduced discharges of wastewater, heat and air pollution.

The new process forces sugar liquor through granulated activated carbon in five 62 kilolitre pressurised stainless steel vessels, to remove impurities. It replaced a process that had remained almost unchanged for 120 years.

As a result, NZ Sugar had achieved 13% greenhosue gas emission reduction. The plant is repaying its $7 million cost in just 3.8 years.

Small wind turbines can generate electricity for use on the farm, business and home. Wind turbines can co-exist easily with other farming practices, and have been used for decades on European farms. There is a wide range of turbines suitable for use in New Zealand, ranging from micro-scale to larger commercial-scale systems. This guide to wind power schemes is aimed at a farming audience, and includes practical examples.