Professor Ralph Sims, of Palmerston North, CNZM for services to sustainable energy research
Professor Ralph Sims is Professor Emeritus, Sustainable Energy and Climate Mitigation at Massey University. He gained prominence for his work in making and testing biodiesel from animal fats, now part of New Zealand’s renewable fuel mix. He played a key role, with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, in establishing New Zealand’s first energy efficiency and renewable strategy. He chaired the panel of experts preparing the Royal Society of New Zealand’s publication ‘Transition to a low-carbon economy for New Zealand’. He led the writing of chapters in three assessment reports for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, one of which won the Nobel Peace Prize. Professor Sims was seconded to the International Energy Agency and served on the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the World Bank’s Global Environment Facility.