Rebecca Peer
2025: Dr Rebecca Peer of Te Whare Wānanaga o Waitaha – the University of Canterbury will design a resilient and evidence-based energy strategy for Aotearoa New Zealand to navigate the challenges of energy security and decarbonisation
Aotearoa is in a paradoxical position: although over 80% of our electricity is renewable, our carbon emissions per-capita are some of the highest in the world, due to our reliance on fossil fuels for transport and industry. The path to a fully decarbonised economy, through the electrification of everything from cars to factories, will place unprecedented strain on our energy system, all while climate change introduces new uncertainties into our hydro-reliant supply.
Dr Rebecca Peer has been awarded a Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship to address a critical gap in national planning by developing sophisticated analytical tools and models. The aim is to integrate models of energy systems with multi-criteria assessment to answer key questions, such as how do we make robust energy decisions amidst uncertainty? What are the true economic, environmental, and societal trade-offs of different policy pathways? The results of this research will provide foundational knowledge for policymakers to ensure that Aotearoa's energy strategy is resilient, secure, and fair.
Dr Rebecca Peer is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha – University of Canterbury, with a PhD from the University of Southern California. Rebecca was awarded the University’s prestigious PhD Achievement Award, and subsequently completed a postdoctoral position at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University, working with world-leading climate and energy scientists, before moving to Aotearoa in 2019.
Dr Rebecca Peer and her research team (photo supplied)