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Austria and Sweden have both announced the closure of their last coal plants – with Sweden doing so two years ahead of schedule.

The post Sweden exits coal two years ahead of schedule, Austria closes last coal plant appeared first on RenewEconomy.

UK solar generation reached a new record high of 9.68GW, thanks in large part to the Coronavirus-related slump in air pollution levels resulting in clearer skies.

The post UK solar smashes generation records during Covid-19 pollution slump appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Experts have slashed their EU carbon prices forecasts for 2020 by a quarter, according to a poll of 12 analysts, as the coronavirus crisis grips the bloc’s ETS and wider economy.

If we want to conserve ecosystems that escaped European exploitation and mismanagement, we must start listening to environmental histories to compliment scientific research. Rebecca Hamilton, Postdoctoral Researcher in Palaeoecology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Dan Penny, Associate Professor, University of Sydney Josephine Gillespie, Senior lecturer, University of Sydney Shane Ingrey, Postdoctoral research fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Short-term thinking of the Morrison Government is on full display, as it props up the fossil fuel sector while long-term benefits of green stimulus are ignored.

The post No green new deal for Australia as Coalition tightens embrace of fossil fuels appeared first on RenewEconomy.

AEMO dials back imports from Victoria to South Australia to cover the potential loss of rooftop solar PV in case of a large generator trip.

The post New constraints imposed to cover for sudden loss of rooftop solar PV appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Long range electric vehicles such as the Model 3 are transforming the auto market but are also changing how energy utility providers need to respond.

The post How Tesla’s long range electric cars have transformed the grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Surviving trees growing near to an active volcano face an uncertain future for several years after an eruption, a study suggests.

Hydro Tasmania pushes case for "deep storage" as cheapest and most resilient option for a renewables grid, and wants to make sure regulators have the right modelling.

The post Hydro Tasmania says “deep storage” cheapest, most resilient option for renewable grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Rooftop solar pushing out coal fired generation and causing new demand lows for the W.A. grid, underlying the state's case for its distributed roadmap.

The post Rooftop solar displaces more coal as W.A. grid reaches new demand low appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Three decades on from its launch, the orbiting observatory is still producing cutting-edge research.

Solar Victoria says it will expand its home battery rebate scheme starting July to encourage the aggregation of distributed battery systems and pave the way for VPPs in the state.

The post Victoria expands home battery rebate scheme to pave way for VPPs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Wildlife Trusts warn of effects from neglected reserves and species loss, to fly-tipping and illegal shooting

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While lockdown has allowed some a greater appreciation of spring and the fun of seeing goats, sheep and deer foraying into urban landscapes, Covid-19 is wreaking havoc with UK biodiversity as vital conservation projects are put on hold.

On Friday conservationists warned of “desperate times” with an explosion in invasive non-native species during prolific spring growth and the deterioration of rare and historic wildlife meadows that could take years to restore.

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California Carbon Allowances (CCA) continued to rise on the secondary market this week as prices oscillated around the $16.00 mark, while RGGI Allowances (RGAs) dropped on relatively thin volume.

Those endless cups of tea while working from home are unlikely to add much to your electricity bill. But coronavirus poses other problems for the electricity sector. Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Kelly Burns, Senior Research Fellow, Victoria University Steven Percy, Senior research fellow, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Restoring the reef represents one of the most significant science and technology challenges in the history of nature conservation. Paul Hardisty, CEO, Australian Institute of Marine Science Christian Roth, CSIRO Great Barrier Reef Coordinator & Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Damien Burrows, Director of TropWATER, James Cook University David Mead, Executive Director of Strategic Development at Australian Institute of Marine Science, Australian Institute of Marine Science Ken Anthony, Principal Research Scientist, Australian Institute of Marine Science Line K Bay, Senior Research Scientist and Team Leader, Australian Institute of Marine Science Mark Gibbs, Director, Knowledge to Innovation; Chair, Green Cross Australia, Queensland University of Technology Peter J Mumby, Chair professor, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The voluntary carbon market is making plans to secure its future as the postponement of intergovernmental climate talks ensures the UN Paris Agreement era will begin without rules on global emissions trade.

The health of insect populations globally is far more varied than previous research suggested.

Scientists say insects are vital and the losses worrying, with accelerating declines in Europe called ‘shocking’

The biggest assessment of global insect abundances to date shows a worrying drop of almost 25% in the last 30 years, with accelerating declines in Europe that shocked scientists.

The analysis combined 166 long-term surveys from almost 1,700 sites and found that some species were bucking the overall downward trend. In particular, freshwater insects have been increasing by 11% each decade following action to clean up polluted rivers and lakes. However, this group represent only about 10% of insect species and do not pollinate crops.

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