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Environment department concedes Australia stands alone on Kyoto carryover units, and cannot name 'technology improvements' supposed to deliver big emissions reductions.

The post Morrison’s flimsy climate plan laid bare in strained Senate hearings appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New Zealand should only be allowed to use international carbon units to meet its domestic emission target in special circumstances, the parliamentary Select Environment Committee said Monday in its revised Zero Carbon Bill, which also retained controversial GHG goals for the agriculture sector.

The petition is based on a parliamentary e-petition which closed last week with more than 400,000 signatures.

First Chinese-made electric vehicles heading to Australia, offering new competition in lower to middle price points.

The post Is Australia about to get its first Chinese electric vehicle? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Sydney-based Fonzarelli unveils new electric scooter dubbed "Arthur" after the sitcom character from Happy Days.

The post Fonzarelli unveils entry-level electric scooter – “Arthur” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Rooftop solar helps push operational demand to a new record low in the renewable state of South Australia.

The post Rooftop solar pushes South Australia grid demand to new record low appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Is there are a problem with democracy or are some people just sore losers? There was supposed to be a war over water by now but it hasn't happened yet. The reality is that States are much more likely to cooperate over shared water than go to war. What is a luxury belief and why are they so unfair? I could eat a hollow log full of green ants right now. A dog's eye should take the edge off.

Energy agency says solar power will drive faster than forecast growth in renewables

Global supplies of renewable electricity are growing faster than expected and could expand by 50% in the next five years, powered by a resurgence in solar energy.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) found that solar, wind and hydropower projects are rolling out at their fastest rate in four years.

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John Lewis Partnership also plans to reduce amount of glitter in products sold

John Lewis and Waitrose are to stop selling Christmas crackers containing plastic toys and puzzles as part of a drive to reduce single-use plastics – but not until 2020.

The retailers will announce on Monday that they would switch next year to crackers filled with toys and other items made from recyclable materials such as metal and paper, with the cardboard wrappers embossed rather than decorated with plastic glitter.

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Gravitricity develops winch and hoist system to store energy at half the cost of lithium-ion batteries

Britain’s cheapest “virtual battery” could be created by hoisting and dropping 12,000-tonne weights – half the weight of the Statue of Liberty – down disused mine shafts, according to Imperial College London.

The surprising new source of “gravity energy” is being developed by Gravitricity, an Edinburgh-based startup, which hopes to use Britain’s old mines to make better use of clean electricity at half the cost of lithium-ion batteries.

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Snowy management defends Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro scheme, telling an estimates hearing the economics stack up and rejecting claims the project would affect the national park.

The post Snowy 2.0 needed today, says CEO in tense Senate estimates hearing appeared first on RenewEconomy.

IEA data smashes another renewables myth, showing that they account for a far smaller portion of global demand for minerals and metals than fossil fuels – particularly coal.

The post Renewables use only fraction of minerals used for fossil fuel generation appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Distributed solar to be largest source of capacity additions in next five years, utility-scale PV, onshore wind and hydropower.

The post Distributed solar to lead global renewables surge, as costs fall another third appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Tasmania's 112MW Granville Wind Farm on track to start sending power to the grid in December, with the first of its 31 turbines nearing completion.

The post Granville Harbour wind farm nears first generation in Tasmania appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia would need to close almost all its coal power generators by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement, new research has shown.

The post Most of world’s coal power stations must close by 2030 to meet Paris target appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Infrastructure Victoria suggests households given bins for general waste, organics, plastics, glass, metals, paper and card

Residents in Victoria could soon have as many as six bins for waste and recycling, under a proposal by Infrastructure Victoria to deal with the state’s recycling crisis.

Around 35% of all waste produced by households in Victoria in 2017-2018 ended up in landfill, according to evidence from Sustainability Victoria, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office.

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Rather than a hedge, regulators should encourage wind and solar generators to connect early through lower access charges to help unlock the lack of investment in network infrastructure.

The post Here’s how to get Australian renewables into the zone appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Tesla big battery at Hornsdale has just earned its biggest monthly revenue from wholesale markets.

The post Tesla big battery at Hornsdale earns record revenue in September 2019 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Engineers Declare movement pledges to put climate considerations first in evaluating plans

Engineering firms are under increased pressure from their own employees to abandon controversial fossil fuel projects, as the sector turns its attention to the climate crisis.

About 1,000 Australian engineers and 90 organisations – including large firms and respected industry figures who have worked with fossil fuel companies – have signed a declaration to “evaluate all new projects against the environmental necessity to mitigate climate change”.

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Data reveals acute impact on people’s health and the strain it puts on emergency services

Scores of children and adults are being rushed to hospital for emergency treatment on days of high pollution in cities across England, figures show.

Each year emergency services see more than 120 additional cardiac arrests, more than 230 additional strokes and nearly 200 more people with asthma requiring hospital treatment on days of high pollution compared with the average on days of lower pollution.

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