Prof Ralph Sims

Prof Ralph Sims

Ralph Sims began his career in Sustainable Energy at Massey University, New Zealand in 1971 making and testing biodiesel from animal fats. After 4 years based at the IEA (International Energy Agency) in Paris (2006-2009) as a senior analyst working on renewable energy and climate change mitigation, he has now returned to his position of Professor of Sustainable Energy, and Director, Centre for Energy Research which has had numerous post-graduate students and developed 15 internet-based papers on energy and climate. He is consulting for the OECD on energy and rural development, writing policy sections of REN21 Global Status Reports, researching on distributed energy systems, a Fellow of the Institute of Professional Engineers and of the UK Institute of Agricultural Engineers, a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand and received the 2010 Outstanding Achievement Award from the NZ Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) of which he was a ministerial Board Member appointee for 3 terms.

What's the point of looking for more gas?

March 09, 2018
Natural gas is claimed by the industry to be a “bridging fuel”, enabling the transition away from coal when moving towards the low-carbon economy of the future based mainly on...

Reducing domestic transport emissions ain’t easy – but other countries have managed it - so why can’t NZ?

July 27, 2017
New Zealand has to deeply cut its domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as do the 156 other countries that have now ratified the Paris Climate Agreement. Whether in the short...

The Paris Climate Agreement - implications for New Zealand businesses

February 12, 2016
After lengthy and at times frustratingly slow and lengthy discussions, 196 countries successfully negotiated the legally binding Paris Climate Agreement that was presented on 12 December, 2015 at the 21st...