Around The Web

Why rooftop solar could be one of the grid's greatest assets but also one of its greatest threats if not properly managed. Here's what AEMO thinks needs to be done.

Will the interruption of match in New Delhi between India and Sri Lanka by toxic smog finally spur the Indian Government to take coal plant pollution seriously?

Infrastructure Australia says governments should privatise state-owned metropolitan water utility businesses

Australians can expect to pay double for their water supply within 20 years unless there are big reforms, a report from Infrastructure Australia says.

It says a lack of investment in ageing infrastructure, population growth in urban centres and climate change will play a part in pushing up prices.

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Archer Exploration has been granted approval for its Campoona graphite project, north of Cleve on the Eyre Peninsula.

NSW signs deal to buy LGC's from Neoen's Dubbo solar farm, and says "this lays the foundation for more renewable energy procurement."

Zen Energy gets electricity retailer licence to offer "baseload renewable energy" product and proceed with 1GW solar and storage facility at the Whyalla Steelworks.

Gold miner Newcrest decides against solar farm to help power its Cadia mine in NSW, highlighting the challenges for renewable developers.

From Florence Broadhurst to Romance Was Born, Australian designers have long looked to birds for design inspiration

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The results of the 2016 Survey of Taxonomic Capacity are now available.

Narwhals show a "costly" response to threats, raising concerns over how they will respond to increased human contact.

Australians love canned tuna. Here's our handy guide to finding the most sustainable options for you (and your cat). Candice Visser, PhD Candidate, University of Wollongong Quentin Hanich, Associate Professor, University of Wollongong Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Orbital Micro Systems' demonstration weather satellite should pave the way for a network in the sky.

The company says Donald Trump is exceeding the powers of his office by enacting the largest removal of protection from federal lands in history

A trail run that began years ago in the desert of Utah has brought outdoor retailer Patagonia to an unexpected – and considerably less scenic – crossroads, at a federal courthouse in Washington DC.

Related: Trump slashes size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase national monuments in Utah

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Brush turkeys are often the last holdouts against gentrification. But they still face peril in urban environments and researchers are enlisting citizen scientists to understand how they can better survive

It’s hard not to look at the brush turkey as the avian archetype of the Aussie battler – persisting and thriving, even though the odds are stacked against it. These birds’ work ethic in the face of almost impossible living conditions, environmental hardship and sometimes outright hostility is truly something to behold.

And without diminishing the likely (and deserved) victory of the majestic white ibis in this year’s Bird of the Year poll, it must be said that this year there has also been a lot of talk about – and love and loathing aimed at – the Australian brush turkey.

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UK government study finds electricity would be nearly a third pricier than it would from plants such as Hinkley Point C

Electricity from the first mini nuclear power stations in Britain would be likely to be more expensive than from large atomic plants such as Hinkley Point C, according to a government study.

Power from small modular reactors (SMRs) would cost nearly one-third more than conventional large ones in 2031, the report found, because of reduced economies of scale and the costs of deploying first-of-a-kind technology.

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The remains of the extinct sea creature include an early form of the eye seen in many of today's animals.

Dr Julian Hume draws extinct animals with scientific accuracy

There was not a lot of love for the ibis on the red carpet for the 2017 Aacta awards in Sydney on Wednesday. Nominees were asked to cast their votes in the Australian bird of the year poll – and passions ran high.
• Lion blitzes Aacta awards as Russell Crowe comments cut from broadcast

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Chinese restrictions from January will hit UK recycling efforts and risk plastic waste being stockpiled or ending up in landfill, warn industry leaders

A ban on imports of millions of tonnes of plastic waste by the Chinese government from January could see an end to collection of some plastic in the UK and increase the risk of environmental pollution, according to key figures in the industry.

Recycling companies say the imminent restrictions by China – the world’s biggest market for household waste – will pose big challenges to the UK’s efforts to recycle more plastic.

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Bishop Auckland, Durham Gnarled, leafless branches reach out like those menacing trees in Arthur Rackham’s fairytale illustrations

The flow of Coundon burn is constricted by farmland and by a tunnel under a road and disused railway embankment for much of its course, but once inside Auckland park it remains free to meander for the final half-mile before joining the river Gaunless, close to its confluence with the Wear.

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