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Increase of virus in wild birds is driving evolution and spread of new strains, researchers found

The epicentre of deadly bird flu outbreaks has shifted from Asia to Europe and Africa, a new study has found.

For 25 years, bird flu viruses typically emerged from Asia, but major changes in the virus and its spread among wild birds mean the outbreaks are shifting. Research shows that while outbreaks in 2016 and 2017 started in China, two new H5 viruses emerged in 2020 in African poultry and in 2022 in European wild birds.

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The Clean Energy Finance Corporation committed a record amount of finance to renewables and grid projects in 2022-23, but says the task ahead is huge.

The post Bigger and faster: CEFC says more than $120 billion needed to decarbonise the grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Taxing electric vehicles was always a bad idea. But the High Court’s ruling against Victoria’s law could make state-based road user charges impossible. John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

CSIRO says a "curtain" of falling ceramic particles may deliver the extreme heat needed to deliver the low cost "solar battery" long promised by CST technologies.

The post CSIRO says “curtain of ceramic particles” could finally unleash solar thermal technology appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Conservation groups have delivered a statement to the Australian parliament calling for “urgent and sustained” funding toward efforts to conserve and restore biodiversity, alongside wider calls for greater transparency in the country’s environmental law reform process.

Australia is going through a major debate right now about the closure timings of the country’s big coal fired power stations. Harnessing consumer and distributed energy resources - solar, batteries and EVs - are part of the solution.

The post Webinar: Now is the time for a smarter grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Battery storage has become Tesla's highest margin business, and has more than doubled in size over the past year.

The post Battery storage is now Tesla’s most profitable product, but the solar business is tanking appeared first on RenewEconomy.

To have any chance of hitting our overall emission reduction targets, we must speed up the rollout of renewables. There's an obvious solution to this problem.

The post RET is still the best: Why it’s time to renew Australia’s renewable energy policy appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Treasurer Tim Pallas says refunds being considered after high court ruled charge was unconstitutional

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Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas says the government will consider refunding a tax paid by electric vehicle owners after the high court deemed it invalid, but suggests registration costs could rise or a national levy could be implemented in its place.

The high court on Wednesday ruled in favour of two electric car drivers who argued the imposition of the Victorian tax, charged per kilometre ​driven, was unconstitutional because the states do not have the power to impose such excise taxes on consumption.

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The argument of wind and solar diversity for the big new transmission link from Victoria to NSW doesn't hold water.

The post The diversity argument for this new transmission link doesn’t stack up appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The coal and gas we provide internationally makes us powerful – and we waste it being craven to the mining industry

The Australian government likes to say we can be a renewable energy superpower, but it ignores that we already are an energy power that fails utterly to use that power for good.

The past weekend was the 10th anniversary of the Abbott government releasing the draft legislation to repeal of the carbon tax, and also of a report noting that IPCC suggested that “global warming could kill thousands of Australians”.

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Newly published UNSW research is the first to quantify climate change’s impact on solar resource reliability in Australia over the next century.

The post Climate change will affect solar power and grid stability across Australia – here’s how appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The company released untreated sewage at dozens of sites, including near a bottlenose dolphin habitat.

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Targeting EV drivers is not good for consumers nor the country’s targets for decarbonising transport – something more coherent and jurisdiction wide is needed

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The looming electrification of road transport is something that motorists, fleet managers, bus operators, logistics companies, transport agencies, automotive manufacturers, and all levels of governments are grappling with.

Wednesday saw a landmark case showing just how precarious it can be with a major setback for the Victorian government and any other states thinking of introducing road user taxes for electric vehicles.

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A carbon contracts for difference (CCfD) programme under consideration by the Canadian government should avoid undermining the country’s CO2 price, including by cutting out the oil industry and carbon capture projects, numerous green groups and academics said in a letter this week.

After hitting their lowest point in nearly three years last week, US biofuel credit (RIN) prices under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) have since turned around, with market participants indicating the potential for supply constraints and a macro slowdown to put a floor under prices.

Record levels of solar is taking pressure off the grid and pushing down prices, but regulator says there is a "pressing need" for new investment" in large scale wind and solar.

The post Record rooftop solar output slashes wholesale electricity prices appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Oregon Clean Fuels Program (OCFP) credit values continued their weeks-long descent in recent days as traders reported the market seems more balanced, following on from even greater losses in neighbouring Washington state earlier this month.

Nature’s ultimate coral predator could benefit from climate change by surviving heatwaves and lie in wait for the right moment to feast on the reef. Matt Clements, PhD Student, University of Sydney Maria Byrne, Professor of Developmental & Marine Biology, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.