Recordings of OERC seminars can be viewed on YouTube
All seminars are free and open to the public.
For further information:
Email oercadmin@otago.ac.nz
OERC Seminar Series 2024
| 3 September | Mike Casey, Josh Ellison Rewiring Aotearoa |
OERC Seminar – Let's rethink New Zealand's energy system and make the customer part of the infrastructure View recording |
| 8 October | Tim Ross Architype |
OERC Seminar – Cheaper by the Dozen - Multi Unit Passive House Projects View recording |
| 22 October | Alan Jones Scion |
OERC Seminar – Short rotation forestry holds key to lowering fossil fuel dependency and reducing emissions View recording |
OERC Seminar Series 2023
| 29 March | April Muirden DEECA, Australia |
OERC Seminar – The key to improve the energy performance of homes: Residential Efficiency Scorecard, Australia View recording |
| 31 May | Craig Cliff, Arjan Abeynaike, Shane Jenkins University of Otago |
OERC Seminar – Energy Living Labs at the University of Otago View recording |
| 12 September | Eric Pyle SolarZero |
OERC Seminar – Performance of solarZero's VPP during Cyclone Gabrielle View recording |
| 10 October | Shane Jenkins University of Otago |
OERC Seminar – Unlocking the future: University of Otago Smart Building and BMS Analytics Project View recording |
OERC Seminar Series 2022
| 9 March | OERC Summer Scholarship students: Rina Watt, Danielle Lomas, Yasmin Howell, William Hadley, Pablo Paulsen, Hannah Konings |
OERC Seminar – Summer Scholarship student presentations View recording |
| 13 April | Craig Cliff Net Carbon Zero Programme Manager, Sustainability Office, University of Otago |
Towards net zero: an update on the University of Otago's greenhouse gas emissions View recording |
| 10 May | Dean Spicer Sustainable finance ANZ |
Sustainable Finance – supporting the transition of the energy sector: Opportunities and challanges View recording |
| 15 June | Shama Islam Deakin University Victoria Fellow |
Data analytics for intelligent energy systems View recording |
| 12 July | Jeff Smit and Elliot Jones Deta NZ and Ministry of Education |
School energy efficiency opportunities View recording |
OERC Seminar Series 2021
| 17 March | Aleida Powell University of Otago | Impact of financial incentives on electricity use and the consequences for electricity networks: Case study of "Hour of Power" in Dunedin |
| 19 May | Craig Cliff Net Carbon Zero Programme Manager, Sustainability Office, University of Otago |
Net Carbon Zero: challenges and opportunities View recording |
| 16 June | Kiti Suomalainen University of Auckland |
Climate change and hydro in New Zealand: Impacts on long-term energy system planning View recording |
| 15 September | Craig Rodger Beverly Professor of Physics, Department of Physics |
The Darkside of Aurora: Space weather risks to New Zealand energy infrastructure? View recording |
| 29 September | Grant Telfar Modelling and Portfolio Manager, Meridian Energy |
Power without the carbon? OERC Seminar View recording |
| 20 October | Alan Caughley |
Power Transition of energy systems: the move to electric aviation View recording |
OERC Seminar Series 2020
COVID-19, disruption and new energy futures
COVID-19 has turned all aspects of our world upside down. Our 'normal' lives in lockdown would not have been imaginable just months earlier. Energy systems have been significantly affected by COVID-19. Industrial and commercial electricity demand has been significantly reduced and the demand for transport fuel has shrunk dramatically.
As we emerge from lockdown, it is critical to question what our experiences during the lockdown might mean for how we reimagine and reconstruct our future 'new normal'.
In this OERC seminar series we invite a range of speakers from across the energy system – from industry, academics, community groups and government to reflect on what lessons we can draw from the COVID-19 pandemic that might help to accelerate a transition to a zero-carbon energy future in NZ. This series will consist of a 20 minute talk by speakers followed by 30 minutes of discussion.
| 3 April | Janet Stephenson Director, Centre for Sustainability | COVID-19: Implications for NZ's energy future Janet outlines how COVID-19 and its aftermath has changed the playing-field for getting to a low-carbon energy future, and some of the problems and opportunities that this will create for New Zealand. View recording |
| 17 June | Eric Pyle Director Public Affairs, Solarcity | Distributed energy resources and energy innovation post COVID-19 View recording |
| 5 August | Professor James Higham Department of Tourism, School of Business | An analysis of ways to decarbonize conference travel after COVID-19 COVID-19 offers insights into radically reducing the carbon footprint of academic conferences, but what might the post-COVID future of conferences look like, and how do we advance a new conference convention for a climate-safe future? View recording |
| 9 September | Greg Sise Managing Director Energy Link Limited | Towards 100% Renewable Electricity Greg talks about current and future developments in the electricity sector including the closure of the Tiwai aluminium smelter, the proposal for pumped hydro at Lake Onslow, and how we might get to 100% renewable electricity. View recording |
| 30 September | Jinty MacTavish Principal Policy Advisor (Sustainability) Dunedin City Council | Zero Carbon 2030 EMAN Seminar Jinty gives a high level overview of work currently underway at the DCC in response to the Council's adoption of a Zero Carbon 2030 target, in June 2019. View recording |
| 21 October | Karen Silk | COVID-19 Impacts on the economy and energy demand. Karen provides her thoughts on opportunities and challenges that have arisen due to COVID-19 and its aftermath and the role that Sustainable Finance can play to help mitigate future environmental and social crises. View recording |
OERC Seminar Series 2019
| 1 April | Jennifer Mindell | Driven to distraction or a move in the right direction? |
| 1 May | Oseweuba Valentine Okor | Meat processing waste biorefinery for bioenergy and biochemical production |
| 5 June | Janet Stephenson and Michael Jack | GREEN Grid Project: Research Findings and Policy Implications on Electricity Demand |
| 7 August | Ivan Diaz-Rainey | An Energy Policy for ASEAN? Lessons from the EU Experience on Energy Integration, Security and Decarbonisation |
| 4 September | Jens Groeger | Measures to support energy-efficient products and services: Ecodesign, eco-labels and green public procurement |
| 2 October | Boyang Ding | Innovative nanophotonic platforms for highly efficient solar-hydrogen energy conversion |
OERC Seminar Series 2018
| 27 September | Assoc Prof Sandra Mandic | School of Physical Education, Sports & Exercise Sciences | "Challenges and opportunities for promoting walking and cycling to school" |
| 6 September | Assoc. Prof Bob Lloyd | Assoc. Professor, Department of Physics, Director Raynbird Consultants |
“The State of the Climate, with reference to the global situation and to NZ's role.” Watch the presentation View slides |
| 22 August | Prof Ulrich Nissen & Assoc Prof Ivan Diaz-Rainey |
Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, Moechengladbach, Germany Co-Director of OERC & Assoc. Prof in Finance, University of Otago |
" Bridging the energy efficiency gap on campus – Investment appraisal and organisational procedures" Watch the presentation View slides |
| 16 August | Matthew McCarten | Oxford University | "Climate Change Risk Impact Opportunities Tool" |
| 31 July | Prof James Higham | Department of Tourism Te Tari Tapoi, Otago Business School Te Kura Pakihi, University of Otago Te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo |
"Climate change and aviation: Collective action to reduce our own air travel emissions?" Watch the presentation |
| 5 July | Dr Ian Mason |
Co-Director MEngSt (Renewable Energy) Programme Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury |
“A Smart Energy System for New Zealand” Watch the presentation |
| 19 June | Assoc Prof MJ (Thinus) Booysen |
Electrical & Electronic Engineering Department at Stellenbosch University, A founder of Bridgiot, and co-creator of Geasy & Count Dropula |
“The Internet of electric water heaters” View presentation slides |
| 7 June | Prof Henrik Moller | Professor Emeritus, Centre for Sustainability, & co-founder of Flip the Fleet |
“Citizen science for sustainability transitions: lessons from Flip the Fleet's efforts to accelerate uptake of electric vehicles” View recording |
| 3 May | Tor Haken Inderberg | Senior Research Fellow, Director European Programme, Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Oslo, Norway |
"Windpower licencing processes, actor influences and nature protection in Norway" View presentation slides |
| 19 April | Robert Holt (CEng MIET MSc) | Callaghan Innovation |
"The Internet of Things (IoT) and Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN)" View recording |
| 12 April | Prof Ulrich Nissen | Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, Moechengladbach, Germany |
“Measuring the profitability of PV-Prosumage (Photovoltaic Production Consumption & Storage)” View presentation slides |
| 1 March | Dr Ben Anderson | Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellow (2017-2019) |
SAVE: A large scale randomised control trial approach to testing domestic electricity consumption flexibility in the UK View recording |
OERC Seminar Series 2017
| 5 October | Dr Mansi Mansi & Dr Rakesh Pandey | Accountancy and Finance | "Accounting the costs and benefits of electric vehicles" |
| 7 September | Dr Anna Garden | Chemistry |
"From fertilisers to fuels – a computational approach to heterogeneous catalysis." View recording |
| 3 August | Dr Kimberley O'Sullivan | Public Health |
"Exploring classroom comfort with youth researchers." View recording |
| 6 July | Assoc Prof Jeremiah Deng & Sophie Zareei | Information Science |
"Engaging machine learning in energy data modelling and system optimisation." View recording |
| 1 June | Malcolm Smeaton | Physics, Ocean Physics |
"Tidal Energy: Present and Future" View recording |
| 17 May (Weds) | Dr Virginia Toy | Geology |
"Teaching about sustainability of earth resources and societal resilience to geological hazards in Ecuador." View recording |
| 4 May | Dr Kiti Suomalainen | Centre for Sustainability |
"Rooftop solar potential based on LiDAR data: an Auckland case study." View recording |
| 15 April | Dr Sandra Mandic |
School of Physical Education,
Sport and Exercise Sciences | "BEATS Study and the Active Living and Environment Symposium." |
| 15 March | Jeremy Pitt | Imperial College London | "Decentralised Community Energy Systems & The Active Participation of Consumers." View recording |
24 February | Prof. Tadj Oreszczyn | University College London | "Building Energy Efficiency and Reducing Energy Demand: Why?" |
OERC Seminar Series 2016
| 6 October | Dr Douglas Hill & Dr Sean Connelly | Goegraphy | “Community Power? Exploring the process for change through the clean Energy for Eternity campaign in NSW, Australia” |
| 1 September | Dr Sam Lowrey | Physics | “Enhanced evaporator gearing for increased energy efficiency in domestic drying appliances” |
| 4 August | Helen Viggers | Public Health | "Policy settings, house structure and home warmth” |
| 6–7 July | Energy Cultures Conference 2016 – Live streaming from Wellington | ||
| 2 June | Dr Inga Smith | Physics | “What are the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the movement of goods and people into and out of New Zealand?” |
| 5 May | Dr Hilary Phipps | Property Services | “Universities as living labs: unlocking Otago's potential” |
| 7 April | Dr Virginia Toy | Geology | “The potential uses of a geothermal resource in South Westland” |