Around The Web

Committees seek clarity on indecision over taxpayer support and price guarantees for flagship tidal clean energy scheme to harness tide power

MPs are to press ministers on why they have left investors hanging in limbo over taxpayer support for a pioneering £1.3bn tidal lagoon in Swansea.

The business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) committee and Welsh affairs committee will call on government to explain why no decision has been forthcoming on the flagship scheme. The government has still not indicated whether it is minded to support the lagoon, 15 months since an independent review told ministers to back the clean energy project.

Continue reading...

An experienced Singapore-based energy markets executive has left Engie Global Markets.

We’d like to hear from people who have crossed from one side of the debate to the other

A heated debate among evangelicals is taking place across the US, with some Christians protesting in the name of protecting the Earth and others not seeing it as existing at all.

Evangelicals have traditionally been the bedrock of conservative US politics, including on climate change, but some are taking action. One group has even built a chapel in the way of an oil pipeline and a radical pastor has encouraged his congregation to put themselves in the way of the diggers. However some resistance remains – a climate scientist who denies the world is warming and a preacher in Florida who sees the fact his home was flood as a welcome sign of divine presence.

Continue reading...

Below is a table of the closing prices, ranges and volumes for China's regional pilot carbon markets this week. All prices are in RMB, and volumes in tonnes of CO2e. Data sourced from local exchanges.

An internal battle is simmering among evangelicals in the US over whether climate change is a call to protect the Earth, the work of God to be welcomed, or does not exist at all.

Evangelicals have traditionally been the bedrock of conservative US politics, including on climate change. But a heated debate is taking place across the country, with some Christians protesting in the name of protecting the Earth, seeing it as a duty to be done in God’s name. One group has even built a chapel in the way of an oil pipeline and a radical pastor has encouraged his congregation to put themselves in the way of the diggers.

But resistance remains – a climate scientist who denies the world is warming and a preacher in Florida who sees the fact his home was flood as a welcome sign of divine presence.

Could a surprising section of Christian Americans offer hope regarding the country’s attitude to climate change?

Continue reading...

Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator this week handed out over 285,000 carbon credits, but no new offset projects sought registration despite the deadline for joining the next ERF auction being just a week away.

Study of PM2.5 levels in Utah suggests increase in diagnoses of viral infections such as bronchitis follows even brief upticks in pollution

Even short-term increases in air pollution are linked to a higher risk of developing viral chest infections that turn into conditions such as bronchiolitis, new research suggests.

The study, carried out by scientists in the US, looked at levels of tiny particles in the air known as PM2.5s across eight locations along the Wasatch Front in Utah, including Salt Lake City. This area features a string of towns and is home the majority of the state’s population and, due to various factors, experiences large variations in air pollution.

Continue reading...

A new draft of Australia’s National Energy Guarantee (NEG) leaked this week addresses some technical concerns, but the federal government has yet to release an update on political issues of the scheme, such as its overall emissions target.

ESB makes major concessions, dropping push for physical contracts on emissions, and a "light touch" reliability obligation. However, major policy issues are addressed in separate government document that even the ESB had not seen.

Highlights from the high level NEG document distributed to COAG energy ministers ahead of next Friday’s meeting.

Gosforth Park nature reserve, Newcastle: Among the calling of birds and the swishing of reeds, only the sound of an ice-cream van reminds me how close to the city I am

As soon as we enter the wood, the noise of traffic seems to recede, replaced by a feeling of calm. Our focus shifts to take in birdsong, the drumming of a woodpecker, the rustle of dry leaves. Gosforth Park nature reserve is a retreat from busyness, the quiet eye of the storm. With access restricted to members of the Natural History Society of Northumbria, its wildlife is undisturbed.

This is an open wood with a high canopy of oak trees and an understorey of coppiced hazel. There’s the occasional lofty Scots pine or dense, dark holly. Fixed to tree trunks are numerous bat boxes; seven species of bats have been recorded here, including Daubenton’s, noctule, Nathusius’ pipistrelle and Brandt’s. In summer, though very hard to spot flying among the tops of the oak trees, flit purple hairstreak butterflies.

Continue reading...

AGL has announced plans to use coal to make hydrogen fuel at its Loy Yang A station in Victoria's Latrobe Valley. Wait, isn't coal made of carbon, not hydrogen? Yes, but here's how the process works. Jessica Allen, Researcher and Lecturer in Low and Zero Emission Energy, University of Newcastle Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Specialist fund manager Infradebt and specialist renewables co-investor Impact Investment Group announce close of $12m senior debt facility for 20MW Chinchilla Solar Farm.

Sweden trials road-embedded EV charging technology, a solution it believes could solve problems of EV cost and range anxiety.

The dramatically dropping costs of offshore wind have sparked an explosion interest in renewables in the US.

BHP axes membership with global coal lobby group, citing “material difference” over its climate advocacy. But is this hypocrisy?

Acciona wins contract to develop, finance, construct and operate $500m 300MW Aldoga solar farm in Gladstone, one of Queensland's coal centres.

New Zealand has ruled out new permits for offshore oil and gas exploration as a step towards a transition to a carbon-neutral future. James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (climate science), Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It’s been over a year since we “flicked the switch” at Stucco. Has it lived up to our dreams of slashed bills and grid dependence?

Any buyer of the ageing Liddell coal fired power generator needs to take account of the significant safety risks to workers of ageing, failing equipment.