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Specialist power and water consulting firm Entura has been engaged by Hydro Tasmania to develop a practical atlas of pumped hydro energy storage opportunities to support development of dispatchable renewable energy generation.

Australian battery company Redflow Limited (ASX: RFX) has completed the first ZBM2 batteries using battery stacks made by its new Thailand factory, which are now ready for shipment to customers.

Proton battery technology could be used for medium-scale storage on electricity grids, and to power electric vehicles. Here's how they work.

The nation's favourite yellow submarine returns safely after a dangerous dive in the Antarctic.

Scientists have calculated the water temperature at which tiger sharks are most active and abundant.

AGL chooses Tesla, LG Chem and SolarEdge as its new technology plants for virtual power plant in South Australia, much to relief of customers waiting for more than six months for their installation.

Tax on luxury fossil fuel cars to fund expansion of Australia’s charging network

The Greens have proposed introducing mandatory fuel efficiency standards, ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, and imposing a four-year 17% tax on luxury petrol and diesel cars as part of an electric vehicle policy announced on Tuesday.

Under the proposal Australia would adopt a mandatory fuel efficiency standard of 105g of CO2 a kilometre by 2022, three years earlier than a proposal being considered by the federal government.

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The BBC's Victoria Gill looks under the microscope to discover the microplastics lurking in our waters.

A new documentary makes some controversial claims about the health of kangaroo populations. But the real threat is not to Australia's iconic kangaroos -- it's to dozens of other, obscure species. Karl Vernes, Associate Professor, School of Environmental & Rural Science, University of New England Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Microplastic particles contaminate the riverbeds throughout the UK, research suggests.

A study reveals highest microplastic pollution levels ever recorded in a river in Manchester, UK and shows that billions of particles flooded into the sea from rivers in the area in just one year

The number of tiny plastic pieces polluting the world’s oceans is vastly greater than thought, new research indicates.

The work reveals the highest microplastic pollution yet discovered anywhere in the world in a river near Manchester in the UK. It also shows that the major floods in the area in 2015-16 flushed more than 40bn pieces of microplastic into the sea.

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A snowy owl, one of which stars in the Harry Potter films, brings in visitors to bird reserves.

UK-headquartered start-up Effective Space aims to put up its first satellite servicing "drones" in 2020.

Greens unveil policy promising to ban new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, cut tax and rego costs for EVs, and to fund charging infrastructure.

New geological research from Utah suggests the end-Permian extinction was mainly caused by burning coal, ignited by magma

Earth has so far gone through five mass extinction events – scientists are worried we’re on course to trigger a sixth – and the deadliest one happened 252 million years ago at the end of the Permian geologic period. In this event, coined “the Great Dying,” over 90% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species went extinct. It took about 10 million years for life on Earth to recover from this catastrophic event.

Scientists have proposed a number of possible culprits responsible for this mass extinction, including an asteroid impact, mercury poisoning, a collapse of the ozone layer, and acid rain. Heavy volcanic activity in Siberia was suspected to play a key role in the end-Permian event.

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Wild birds may catch and spread diseases as they gather to feed in gardens, say scientists.

Chew Valley, Somerset: these unruly fields are what we call ‘ancient countryside’ and its pattern may go back to neolithic times

When we first visited Folly Farm some 30 years ago this 250-acre plot was up for sale. Gates were hanging from their hinges, the hedges were rampant and the pastures were waist-deep in flowers; the 20th century did not appear to have happened yet, nor even the 19th.

These unruly fields were carved from the land, not drawn by a ruler – the first farmers did not go in for squared-off corners as they hacked into the wildwood. The landscape historian Oliver Rackham called this “ancient countryside” (as opposed to the regular fields of “planned countryside” formed by the enclosures) and its pattern may go back as far as the neolithic period.

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A new rechargeable 'proton battery' - made chiefly from carbon and water - promises to outperform conventional lithium-ion batteries, while also being more environmentally friendly. John Andrews, Professor, School of Engineering, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Photographer Murdo Macleod visits New Zealand’s South Island where conservationists are seeking to protect the endangered yellow-eyed penguin from predation, disease and habitat destruction

At the end of the day, having avoided being bitten on the flipper by a barracouta or chewed by a shark, a shy yellow-eyed penguin prepares to come ashore and make its bed in the bush. Emerging from the surf, he scans the apparently empty sandy strip with his beady eye for signs of danger. Though he is a swift swimmer, he is fettered by his stumpy legs when ashore. But he grows confident as he comes close to the dense brush.

Then the unexpected happens: eight dark figures spring from three different locations and sprint toward the hoiho – or “little shouter” as the yellow-eyed penguin is known in Māori. He has been bushwhacked like this before and offers only token resistance. “Oh no, not again!” he may have thought.

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Some previously rare illnesses are becoming epidemics in some bird populations, scientists say

Garden bird feeders are contributing to the spread of serious diseases among wild birds, scientists have warned, causing previously rare illnesses to become epidemics in some populations.

Poor garden feeder hygiene, droppings accumulations and stale food are promoting the transmission of illnesses between garden birds as the animals repeatedly congregate in the same location, coming into contact with species they would not usually interact with in the wild.

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