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Solar eclipse expected to have impact on solar output as shadow sweeps across Australia on Thursday.

The post Solar eclipse expected to cut more than 1GW of PV as shadow sweeps across Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.

An avian alert | Serge Gainsbourg’s best song | Longer John Silver | Voter ID | Woke Windsor

Mark Cocker’s eloquent article (Look up, listen, and be very concerned. Birds are vanishing – and their crisis is our crisis, 17 April) should be required reading for Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, and for all those working for Defra, and all farmers and landowners in this country. It brought me to tears.
Helen Owen
Ludlow, Shropshire

• How could Alexis Petridis (Serge Gainsbourg’s 20 greatest recordings – ranked!, 13 April) have ignored Gainsbourg’s beautiful, clever tribute to Prévert’s Les Feuilles Mortes in his song La Chanson de Prévert? To my mind, his true poetic gift and his ability to parody and to rhyme are at their peak in this song, written in the 60s.
Jennifer Symien
Bedford

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Discovery of carbon-capturing organism in hot springs could lead to efficient way of absorbing climate-heating gas

A microbe discovered in a volcanic hot spring gobbles up carbon dioxide “astonishingly quickly”, according to the scientists who found it.

The researchers hope to utilise microbes that have naturally evolved to absorb CO2 as an efficient way of removing the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. Ending the burning of fossil fuels is critical in ending the climate crisis, but most scientists agree CO2 will also need to be sucked from the air to limit future damage.

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Sun Cable administrators give extra time to short listed bidders to crunch the numbers on world's biggest solar and battery project.

The post Sun Cable bidders given more time to crunch numbers on world’s biggest solar project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Shadow infrastructure minister says road user charging should not be ruled out and accuses government of ‘stalling’ with consultation

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The Nationals’ shadow infrastructure minister, Bridget McKenzie, has described Labor’s electric vehicle policy launch as a “missed opportunity” to achieve national consistency and warned the government not to rule out road user charging.

McKenzie made the comments after Labor announced a further consultation period for fuel efficiency standards, which some clean energy and transport stakeholders fear could push the long-anticipated reforms into next year.

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A timelapse video shows the 100MW/200MWh Chinchilla battery taking shape in Kogan Creek, next to the coal generator of the same name.

The post Chinchilla big battery takes shape next to country’s biggest coal unit appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New net zero study says Australia needs up to 3,000 gigawatts of new wind and solar to meet its 2050 target, or turn to gas and CCS.

The post Net zero study finds Australia needs nearly three terawatts of wind and solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Money could come from carbon markets, donor countries and philanthropists, but radical action is also needed from legislators

At least $130bn (£100bn) a year is needed to protect the most at-risk areas of tropical forest by the end of the decade, alongside reductions in beef and dairy consumption and government bans on deforestation, a thinktank has warned.

From the Amazon to the Siberian taiga, financing dedicated to forests must be rapidly scaled up if governments are to meet their target of halting and reversing deforestation by the end of this decade, a nonbinding aim agreed by more than 140 world leaders at Cop26 in 2021, which is crucial to limiting global heating well below 2C and halting biodiversity loss.

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The strategy is long overdue but falls short of meeting the urgent need to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles. Hussein Dia, Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Latest data puts Australia at just over 1.1kW of solar per person, giving it top spot on that metric. But China's "remarkable" PV market growth eclipses all.

The post Australia again tops global solar per capita, as world installs 240GW of PV in 2022 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Thailand’s PTT has signed a carbon credit derivatives framework agreement with a Thai state-owned bank, the country’s national oil company (NOC) has announced.

Canberra is aiming to be fossil fuel-free by 2045, and has struck a deal with Choice to help owners of existing homes make switch to electric.

The post ACT turns focus to old houses as it seeks to kick gas out of national capital appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Fortescue Future Industries tips funds into Spanish engineering firm whose innovations include a self-erecting wind turbine tower and modular blade technology.

The post Fortescue backs wind energy innovator behind “self-erecting” and modular turbines appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New Zealand’s main opposition party has launched a high-level farming policy ahead of the upcoming election that would ban foreign direct investment in forestry, in a bid to stop companies buying up agricultural land and converting it to forests that generate carbon credits.

First turbine installed at a “super-hybrid” offshore wind project that will include floating solar, battery storage, and green hydrogen production.

The post First turbine goes up at “super-hybrid” offshore wind project, with floating solar and battery appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Griffith University researcher captures video of five whales doing ‘bizarre rolls’ on the sea floor as they exfoliate and socialise

Whales have been caught on camera enjoying a marine version of a day spa, returning to their favourite spot off the Gold Coast to scratch off itchy skin and parasites, and catch up with their cetacean buddies.

Griffith University whale researcher Dr Olaf Meynecke and his colleagues were trying to shed light on the behaviour of competing pods of humpbacks that use Gold Coast waters to rest, breed and socialise.

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The carbon bill alone may kill at least gas project that is still in the planning stages.

The post Woodside’s carbon bill from new gas fields could hit $63bn by 2050, report says appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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After more than 15 years and several court challenges, the first stage of the massive 1300MW Golden Plains wind farm is underway in Victoria.

The post First sod turned at Australia’s biggest wind and battery project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Ambitious targets to halt the decline in nature may already be slipping out of reach, research suggests.