Clarus is committed to pursuing clean energy solutions to help New Zealand reach net zero carbon by 2050. This hub provides information, updates and our latest developments as we look to the future of renewable gas.
Construction on New Zealand’s largest solar farm project officially began today at Te Aroha in Waikato, marking a significant milestone for the country’s renewable energy future.
Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Hon. Simon Watts, joined guests on site for a soil-turning ceremony for the project, a joint venture between Harmony Energy Limited and Clarus company, First Renewables.
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New Zealand is rich in renewable energy, but managing supply — especially during peak demand periods — remains a challenge. Fortunately, there’s a local solution that’s already gaining traction: biogas made from food and agricultural waste. By embracing a circular economy, where organic waste is recycled into energy and fertiliser, we can strengthen our electricity and gas grids, reduce emissions, and build long-term resilience — all while turning waste into value.
Biogas is a renewable energy source that comes from organic waste. Almost any organic waste product, from food scraps to crops to human sewage, can be turned into biogas. It doesn’t create any additional greenhouse gas emissions, making it a net zero emissions gas.
Construction on New Zealand’s largest solar farm project officially began today at Te Aroha in Waikato, marking a significant milestone for the country’s renewable energy future.
First Renewables, part of Clarus and Harmony Energy held a special Karakia ceremony early on Monday morning, 10 March 2025. Performed by Norm Hill, representing Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu and Ngāti Hauā as mana whenua, the ceremony took place to ensure the site culturally safe before ground works commenced.
As we approach International Women's Day on March 8, we are reminded of the incredible strides wāhine have made in Aotearoa from gaining the right to vote in 1893 to having our first female Prime Minister in 1997. The talent amongst our wāhine spans across all disciplines, including sports, arts, culture, and beyond.
Everything we do online relies on data centres. When you store or access something in ‘the cloud’, you’re really storing it in a data centre somewhere in the globe. Data centres house huge networks of computer servers that, together, can store billions of gigabytes of information.
There’s huge potential for biogas in New Zealand – from energy to waste to agriculture, it can make a big contribution to our emissions-reduction efforts.
Harmony Energy and Clarus company, First Renewables have approved the final investment for the Tauhei Solar Farm project and successfully completed financial close, with construction set to begin this year.
Around 40 minutes north of Melbourne, in the quiet suburb of Wollert, is a home that’s running on a whole different model of energy. The HyHome is an initiative of the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG), which wanted to test and showcase the idea that a household could run on hydrogen instead of natural gas.
Firstgas is getting closer to commencing New Zealand’s first Hydrogen blending pilot, with support from its partners Vector, Powerco, Nova Energy and GasNet. We plan to blend a small amount of hydrogen, a type of renewable gas, with natural gas into the existing natural gas pipeline in Te Horo.
There have been some fantastic developments in the world of renewable energy during 2024 and renewable gas is an important part of the renewable energy future. Here are some of the biggest milestones in local and international renewable energy over the past 12 months.
Every year, as part of our Clarus community partnership fund and ongoing mahi to give back, we donate $5,000 to one incredible charity, as voted on by our people at Clarus. This year’s winner was Ronald McDonald House (RMHC).
What’s the future for gas in New Zealand? We’ve all come to rely on it for cooking, heating and processing, in our homes, restaurants and industries – but recently there have been concerns there is a shortage of natural gas.
Firstlight Network is excited to be a part of bringing EnergyMate to Wairoa and helping households better understand their energy use and find ways to save.
Here at Firstgas, it’s our job to operate more than 2,500km of gas transmission pipelines and nearly 5,000km of gas distribution pipelines. Together, they provide gas to over 67,000 customers throughout the North Island.
First Renewables, is thrilled to confirm that renewable gas is now flowing through a Firstgas pipeline for the first time, marking a pivotal moment not only for the gas industry but for New Zealand’s journey towards a sustainable, low-carbon energy future.