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Investment needs to double to more than $600bn a year by 2030 after ‘decade of stagnation’, says agency

Ministers have been urged to “open their eyes” to the need to build a vast network of new electricity grids to allow countries to hit climate goals, the chief of the world’s energy watchdog has said.

Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), has warned that the equivalent of the entire global electricity grid – 80m km of grid – needs to be added or refurbished by 2040 to hit climate targets and ensure reliable power supplies.

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As the argument goes, we owe fossil fuels for supercharging development. But what if there was a viable alternative, sabotaged by fossil interests from its very inception?

The post If the first solar entrepreneur hadn’t been kidnapped, would coal have been king? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

AER dismisses complaints about the process used to determine the route for the VNI West transmission project, delivering a win for AEMO and Transgrid.

The post Regulator rejects community challenge to VNI West transmission plans appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The European Commission aims to cut plastic pellet pollution by 74% by the end of the decade

The EU has announced further plans to crack down on microplastics after its ban on glitter came into force.

The proposal, which tackles tiny pellets used in nearly all plastic products, aims to cut plastic pellet pollution by 74% by the end of the decade. Overall, it would lead to a 7% reduction in Europe’s microplastic pollution, according to the European Commission.

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Electricity and gas network company aims to halve its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2045 – while also still supplying gas for "decades to come."

The post AusNet sets new emissions reduction targets, but hedges bets on future of gas appeared first on RenewEconomy.

As AEMO calls for emergency rooftop solar controls for all parts of the NEM, we look at how it works, why it's needed and who it's coming to next on the grid.

The post Rooftop solar switch-off: Why and where it’s being used – and where it’s headed appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Shares in world's biggest offshore wind developer slump again after pleas by multiple project developers to adjust costs for offshore wind projects rejected by regulator.

The post Ørsted shares plunge again as New York knocks back cost adjustment for offshore wind appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Wind and solar supply nearly 70 per cent of generation on Australia's main grid, as fossil fuel output pushed to a new low.

The post Wind and solar close to 70 pct of Australia’s main grid as fossil fuels sent to new low appeared first on RenewEconomy.

High priced events on the wholesale electricity market are normally the result of bidding by fossil fuel generators and hydro plants. Now a new actor has emerged, battery storage.

The post Did big batteries break the fossil fuel cartel on the grid, or did they just join it? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

EnBW will also consider making a similar pledge for all new wind projects, and look into retrofitting existing wind farms with battery storage.

The post German energy giant says all new solar projects to have batteries included appeared first on RenewEconomy.

After decades of absence, crocodiles are now being seen off Bali, Lombok and Java. That’s good for the species – but what about us? Brandon Michael Sideleau, PhD student studying human-saltwater crocodile conflict, Charles Darwin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

Investment in climate tech is down 40% on the year as economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions dent investor confidence, according to research published Tuesday, though the report found that this is more a reflection of overall market conditions than a move away from climate tech.

Environment ministers from the 27 EU member states on Monday agreed on a negotiating mandate for the year-end COP28 UN climate talks with an updated nationally determined contribution (NDC), while settling on a collective position on a directive to revise up CO2 targets for heavy-duty vehicles. 

As EU ministers try to reach a united position on the bloc's divisive electricity market design reforms this week, provisions for the bloc's heavy industry are increasingly featuring in the talks alongside efforts to shield citizens from higher costs and make prices less dependent on fossil fuels. 

RGGI Allowances (RGAs) held steady once again over the week amid a continued dearth of volatility, with market participants reporting uncertainty from numerous directions, though they expressed a split over whether a pre-Q4 auction lull was hindering further gains.

The Brazilian Amazon is seeing greater numbers of wildfires this year despite lower deforestation rates, threatening progress to conserve the biome, researchers said in a letter published Monday.

Holding global temperature increases to below 1.5C would save hundreds of trillions of dollars in benefits, while nearly 1 quadrillion in climate damages would result if Paris Agreement targets are not met, according to analysis published Monday.

Record-setting wildfires in Canada this year have released significant volumes of CO2 into the atmosphere, but experts gave Carbon Pulse different opinions as to whether the country should alter its existing emissions reporting practices to account for this.

Australian is experimenting with marine cloud brightening to cool and shade the Great Barrier Reef. Here’s how it works. Daniel Patrick Harrison, Senior Lecturer, Southern Cross University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.