Emeritus Professor Ralph Sims

Contact details

• Ph: +64 6 350 5288
  Location: RC2.10, Riddet building
  Campus: Manawatu

Research Interests

Renewable energy deployment and policies.

Distributed energy (including smart grids).

Biomass supply chains and bioenergy conversion.

Biofuels for transport.

Climate change and renewable energy scenarios.

Keywords

Engineering applications, social factors, environmental impacts and policy development relating to energy - both supply and demand (end-use).

Current Projects

Teaching Statement

Suite of post-graduate internet papers. see http://energy.massey.ac.nz/

Completed Doctoral Supervision

Supervisor of:

• 2016 - Shanti Subedi - Doctor of Philosophy
  Domestic Biogas Production and Use in Nepal: A Simple, Reliable and Cost-Effective Solution to Provide Energy Security to the Rural Households
• 2014 - Ruy Anaya De La Rosa - Doctor of Philosophy
  Biochar systems for carbon finance - an evaluationi based on Life Cycle Assessment studies in New Zealand
• 2006 - Phillip Murray - Doctor of Philosophy
  Designing Sustainable Distributed Generation Systems for Rural Communities
• 1999 - Lanbin Guo - Doctor of Philosophy
  Nutrient Cycling in #Eucalyptus# Short Rotation Forests Sustainable production linked with meatworks effluent land treatment.
• 1999 - David Manktelow - Doctor of Philosophy
  Factors Affecting Spray Deposits and their Biological Effects on New Zealand Apple Canopies.
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• 1998 - Albert Senelwa - Doctor of Philosophy
  The Air Gasification of Woody Biomass from Short Rotation Forests Opportunities for small scale biomass-electricity systems.
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Co-supervisor of:

• 2011 - Thomas Frater - Doctor of Philosophy
  Energy in New Zealand apple production
• 1999 - Jonathan Roygard - Doctor of Philosophy
  Land Treatment of Dairy-farm Effluent Using Short Rotation Forestry.

Media

• 29 Nov 2012 - Radio
  And the top oil producer is… fracking
  NZ, National Radio NZ “Nights” programme with Bryan Crump http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/2540092
• 29 May 2014 - Television
  IPCC report 2014 Transport review,
  RTCC Television. Recorded in Cancun at the GEF Assembly.
• 29 Jun 2012 - Newspaper
  Landmass attracts greater sunlight,
  “Ask a Scientist” Otago Daily Times
• 29 Jun 2012 - Newspaper
  Landmass attracts greater sunlight
  Ask A Scientist - response to a question in Otago Daily Times
• 29 Jun 2012 - Newspaper
  Landmass Attracts Greater Sunlight
  Ask a Scientist article
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• 29 Dec 2014 - Newspaper
  Carbon credits not the answer
  Article in NZ Dominion post (page A10) on NZ's increasing climate change emissions and lack of action to reduce them
• 29 Dec 2014 - Newspaper
  Carbon credits not the answer
  Prime Minister John Key and Climate Change Minister Tim Groser are, deep down, climate change sceptics, Massey University Professor Ralph Sims believes. How else, he asks, could they make the decisio
• 28 Jan 2015 - Radio
  Low oil price and greenhouse gases
  Mike Hoskins, Breakfast Radio, Newstalk ZB
• 28 Feb 2012 - Newspaper
  "Temporary' oil subsidy mulled for Iran dispute
  Prof Ralph Sims from New Zealand's Massey University said price subsidies for fossil fuels in many countries including Thailand is a major setback for renewable development.
• 27 Jan 2015 - Radio
  Low oil price and climate emissions
  Duncan Garner, Drive, Radio Live
• 27 Jan 2015 - Online
  Low oil price and greenouse gas emissions
  Media Science Centre statement
• 27 Aug 2010 - Television
  Energy, agriculture and Emission Trading Scheme
  – John Stewart interview on Sky Country 99 TV
• 27 Apr 2017 - Newspaper
  Climate report urges all Kiwis to make sacrifices
  Sims has sung the praises of Wellington, which has managed to shrink its climate footprint over the past 14 years. Wellington City Council announced on Monday that the city's gross greenhouse gas emi
• 26 Sep 2014 - Television
  Eco-plastics
  Commentary on eco-plastic bottles on TV 3 News
• 26 Dec 2012 - Video
  Bioenergy values,
  Bioenergy Australia industry association
• 25 May 2015 - Newspaper
  Small scale but a world leader
  Front page article in Manawatu Standard on Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) low-carbon town project visit to Palmerston North
• 25 May 2015 - Newspaper
  Small scale but a 'world leader'
  Part of the reason for the visit was because Professor Ralph Sims, from Massey's School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, had consulted and advised on policies developed by Apec. When in France
• 25 Jun 2017 - Radio
  Kiwirail transport in NZ compared with Scandinavia
  Interview with Wallace Chapman on RNZ National "Sundays" programme. Recorded from Scandinavia where I was cycling and looking at the road transport options in Norway, Sweden and Denmark
• 25 Aug 2010 - Radio
  Climate coalition taking NIWA to court.
  Newstalk ZB interview
• 23 Oct 2010 - Magazine
  Global Warming
  Letter to Listener in response to an article
• 23 Dec 2014 - Television
  Renewable energy in Pakistan
  TV Documentary "Dialogue" Pakistan national TV.
• 22 Jul 2010 - Radio
  Emission Trading Scheme
  Radio Nights Bryan Crump
• 22 Dec 2014 - Online
  Minister's transportplan just tokenism says expert
  Article in industry on-line publication Carbon News
• 22 Dec 2014 - Magazine
  Transport and heating force up gas emissions
  Latest Government figures, released last week, back claims by climate and energy expert Professor Ralph Sims, that failing to address heat and transport emissions will prevent New Zealand from meeting
• 21 Oct 2014 - Newspaper
  Govternment urged to act on climate talks
  Article in Manawatu Standard by Mathew Grocott (page 2) on a NZ proposal for international climate talks
• 21 Oct 2014 - Newspaper
  Government urged to act on climate talk
  Professor of Sustainable Energy, Ralph Sims said New Zealand's proposal was relatively simple and had the benefit of accounting for each country's circumstances.
• 20 Jul 2017 - Newspaper
  Global market for animal free meat growing rapidly
  Quoted in NZ Herald article - authored by James Penn in Business Section
• 20 Jul 2017 - Radio
  Future foods - meat and milk protein
  Interview on Radio Live with Wendly Nissen after a quote from me in a NZ Herald article
• 18 Nov 2011 - Online
  Scrap lignite plan says energy expert
  Article in Carbon News
• 16 Feb 2017 - Online
  Will NZ's future energy be clean? - Expert Q&A
  Q&A with Ralph Sims, Professor of Sustainable Energy, Massey University. How are NZ's greenhouse emissions trending and how important is it that we transition to cleaner energy?
• 15 Dec 2014 - Online
  Climate expert-it's all smoke andmirrors Mr Groser
  Artilce in Carbon News on lack of NZ government action on climate change mitigation
• 15 Dec 2014 - Magazine
  Climate Expert: It's all smoke and mirrors, Mr Gr
  But Massey University's Professor Ralph Sims, an internationally recognised expert on energy and an IPCC lead author, says Groser is wrong. While it is true that a lot of New Zealand's electricity ge
• 14 Oct 2014 - Newspaper
  A province of engineering feats
  Article by David Shillington in Manawatu Standard (page 2) on Institute of Professional Engineering NZ exhibition on celebrated engineers from the Manawatu
• 14 Oct 2014 - Newspaper
  A province of engineering feats
  Current practising Massey engineering academic Ralph Sims was author of a report for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change, which won the 2007 Nobel Peace prize.
• 14 Nov 2012 - Newspaper
  Understanding Unsustainable Change - The Tribune
  Massey's Professor Ralph Sims delivers the next talk in the Caring for Creation series at All Saints next Monday, November 12.
• 14 Nov 2012 - Newspaper
  Understanding unsustainable change
  Promotion for "Caring for Creation" series of talks
• 14 Nov 2012 - Newspaper
  . Understanding unsustainable change
  The Tribune, Page 14
• 14 May 2011 - Newspaper
  NZ praised for energy policy but warned about chal
  Dominion Post interview with Kiran Chug, Environmental reporter
• 14 Aug 2014 - Radio
  More climate acton needed in South Pacific
  Radio NZ - International and National "Dateline Pacific" with Mary Baines
• 14 Apr 2014 - Radio
  IPCC Mitigation Report messages
  14 April, 2014. Radio NZ News
• 14 Apr 2014 - Radio
  IPCC Mitigation report launch
  Morning Report with Guyon Espiner
• 14 Apr 2014 - Radio
  IPCC Mitigation opportunities for NZ
  Newstalk ZB with Rachel Smalley.
• 13 Apr 2014 - Radio
  IPCC Report approval process and messages
  Sunday Morning with Wallace Chapman
• 11 May 2011 - Newspaper
  NZ praised for energy policy-warned about challeng
  Kiran Chug, Environmental reporter, Dominion Post
• 11 Jul 2014 - Newspaper
  China beats NZ at cutting energy use
  Jill Galloway article, Manawatu Standard.
• 11 Jul 2014 - Newspaper
  China beats NZ at cutting energy use
  Ralph Sims said China used only 6 tonnes of greenhouse gases a person a year, as opposed to New Zealand, which emitted 16 tonnes a person a year.
• 11 Jul 2011 - Online
  Australia puts a price on carbon
  Requested expert response - Science Media Centre
• 11 Apr 2014 - Radio
  IPCC 5th Assessment Report launch
  Commentary before launch and impacts on S Pacific Islands. Radio NZ International.
• 10 May 2007 - Radio
  Our Changing World
  Ralph Sims, the director of Massey University's Energy Research Centre and a convening author on energy for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, talks about mitigation opportunities at a con
• 10 Jun 2010 - Radio
  Bioenergy
  Radio NZ, National "Nights" with Bryan Crump
• 09 Feb 2013 - Magazine
  Energising the debate
  Interview by Rebecca Priestly for her "Science" column in The Listener
• 09 Feb 2013 - Magazine
  Energizing the debate
  Interviewed by Rebecca Priestly for Listener article, page 53
• 09 Feb 2013 - Magazine
  Energising the Debate
  Ralph Sims, professor of sustainable erergy at Massey University, is one of the keynote speakers at the conference. Our choice now, he says, is wether to "turn left, along a road heading into more fo
• 08 Aug 2013 - Newspaper
  NZ fails environment test
  Article in NZ Herald reporting on presentation made to annual national conference of Environmental Defence Society, Auckland
• 08 Aug 2013 - Newspaper
  NZ fails environment tests
  Prof Ralph Sims of Massey University's School of Engineering and Advanced Technology gave his own report card when it came to our energy performance and efficiency, awarding just an overall half-mark.
• 08 Aug 2013 - Newspaper
  NZ fails environment tests
  Professor Ralph Sims, of Massey University School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, gave his own report card when it came to our energy performance and efficiency, awarding just an overall half-
• 06 Dec 2014 - Magazine
  Climate Change
  However, the enormous subsidies given to this sector are the biggest obstacle to a rapid shift to zero-emission energy sources, says Ralph Sims, professor of sustainable energy at Massey University.
• 06 Dec 2014 - Magazine
  Nowhere to hide
  Interviewed for Listener article, Rebecca MacFie, pages 14-22
• 04 Nov 2014 - Newspaper
  All talk no action on climate change
  Article in Manawatu Standard (page 2) by Mathew Grocott on NZ government's actions twoards reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• 04 Nov 2014 - Newspaper
  All talk, no action on climate change
  With a United Nations report making dire predictions about the impact of climage change, a Massey University expert says the Government is not taking the subject seriously. Professor Ralph Sims said
• 04 Mar 2017 - Online
  NZ's environmental performance facts
  "Surely by now the government must have received the message loud and clear, that we are not doing our fair share to prevent the global temperature rising above a level where we will all be worse off"
• 03 Nov 2014 - Online
  Our emissions plan hopeless says renowned academic
  NZ climate change targets not being met in this on-line industry publication
• 03 Nov 2014 - Magazine
  Our emissions plan hopeless, says renowned academi
  Professor Ralph Sims, of Massey University, is recognised around the world for his expertise on climate change and renewable energy, but is never consulted by our own Government. He has been a lead a
• 03 Dec 2010 - Newspaper
  Nobel winner's new honour
  Manawatu Standard interview with Stacey Kirk
• 02 Sep 2010 - Radio
  Peak oil
  Radio NZ, National "Nights" with Bryan Crump
• 02 Feb 2015 - Magazine
  Massey & Parihaka in "passive resistance to climat
  For British born Sims, a professor in the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology and leading international consultant for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, working collaboratively
• 01 Jan 2011 - Magazine, Online
  Most people don't understand biomass
  Interview by Sarah Robertson in Renewable Energy Focus
• 01 Feb 2015 - Magazine
  Massey and Parihaka in "Passive resistance climate
  Artcile in DefiningNZ by Jennifer Little pp 24-25 on new research collaboration with Parihaka community - funded by MBIE. Issue 28, Feb. 2015
• 01 Dec 2010 - Newspaper
  Nobel winner’s new honour,
  Stacey Kirk article, Manawatu Standard.
• 01 Apr 2015 - Magazine
  Massey and Parihaka "passive resistance to climate
  Feature article by Jennifer Little, pp18-19 in Massey Alumni, 32, April 2015
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Other Links

• Massey University Centre for Energy Research