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In states with competition between retailers, the energy regulator is promising savings for most customers on the default plan. But it’s small change compared to price hikes. Here’s what to expect. Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

How can we expect people to care for the countryside if they are denied access to it? We must fight for our right to roam

When people ask me where I’m from, I wryly tell them “the middle of nowhere”. So, imagine my surprise when I saw that my old landlord and the remote place where I grew up were making national headlines over a court battle for the right to wild camp on Dartmoor.

Alexander Darwall bought the 1,619-hectare (4,000-acre) Blachford estate on southern Dartmoor in 2011. Dartmoor is the only place in England where wild camping is allowed, in designated areas, without permission from a landowner. Darwall successfully contested this right in court, arguing that the right to wild camp – as opposed to walking or picnicking – on the moors never existed. Then an appeal restored it. Now, he’s taking the case to the supreme court.

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Indonesia’s national carbon exchange has remained quiet in the first two months of this year, according to newly published data, but market sources believe the exchange will open itself up to international trade later this year.

There has been another step towards low-carbon fuels this week, as two groups signed agreements to develop e-fuels, or synthetic replicas of traditional fossil fuels made with captured CO2 and renewable energy.

Chevron and JX Nippon Gas have signed a non-binding agreement to look at capturing CO2 in Japan and sending it to Australia and other nearby nations for permanent sequestration.

Court of appeal’s removal of ‘consent’ defence means defendants on trial for criminal damage can no longer use it

It took a matter of minutes in the court of appeal, where demonstrators were strangely absent, for the dial to shift once more on the rights of protest in England and Wales.

The decision taken on Monday by the court of appeal to, in effect, find in favour of the attorney general, the Conservative government’s premier legal officer, has removed a defence for climate protesters that had been available on the statute books since 1971.

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Researchers claim new bifacial solar technology offers greater efficiency than traditional solar at significantly less cost than existing solar panels.

The post New bifacial solar technology generates more power at much reduced cost appeared first on RenewEconomy.

In a grid reshaped by wind and solar, and rooftop PV in particular, there is a lot of space for fast and flexible "firming" capacity, but not for baseload technologies like nuclear.

The post Rooftop solar ducks would eat nuclear’s lunch. So will Coalition slow PV or pay to store it? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Almost all countries failing to meet mark for PM2.5, tiny particles expelled by vehicles and industry that can cause health problems

Only seven countries are meeting an international air quality standard, with deadly air pollution worsening in places due to a rebound in economic activity and the toxic impact of wildfire smoke, a new report has found.

Of 134 countries and regions surveyed in the report, only seven – Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand – are meeting a World Health Organization (WHO) guideline limit for tiny airborne particles expelled by cars, trucks and industrial processes.

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Engineering firm signs deal with renewable energy retailer Flow Power that will see its NSW sites powered by locally sourced wind and solar.

The post Ampcontrol signs deal to power industrial sites entirely with NSW wind and solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New Zealand’s plants and animals are globally unique and underpin primary production and tourism. The government’s fast-tracking proposal threatens to erode the natural capital the economy relies on. Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Jo Monks, Lecturer in Ecology, University of Otago Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

As renewables drive down wholesale electricity prices, questions are raised over why consumers will get only marginal bill relief in the coming year.

The post Consumers to get “marginal” bill relief despite rooftop PV driving big falls in wholesale power prices appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Zen Energy begins construction of its first major battery project, which will help accelerate South Australia's push to net 100 pct renewables in three years.

The post Construction starts on second biggest battery in world’s most renewable grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

We should focus on rooftop solar – Australians love it

A missing element from much of the debate about whether Australia should embrace nuclear power is that – unless the Labor rank-and-file have an extraordinary change of heart – the issue is already dead on arrival.

John Howard and Scott Morrison knew the score on this. Unless there is bipartisan support, a nuclear industry has virtually no chance of being developed. And as things stand there is no chance of the ALP changing its position.

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Singapore energy company presses go on first Australian solar project, and is developing plans for a billion dollar renewable hub.

The post Singapore’s Metis kicks off Australia renewable plans with first big solar project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Two CO2 transport and storage bills are making their way through the Illinois legislature as state lawmakers seek to capitalise on CCS opportunities in light of regulatory issues that have recently blocked major projects in North and South Dakota.

RGGI allowance (RGA) prices bolted to fresh all-time highs last week after the scheme’s Q1 auction results cleared at record levels, exhausting the year’s Cost Containment Reserve (CCR) allowances.

Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory are overcoming pre-paid electricity metres, regular disconnections, power outages and reliance on diesel.

The post SwitchedOn Podcast: Nations communities and the big switch to renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Sungrow and Supply Partners Group have entered into a distribution agreement.

The post Supply Partners Group Distribution Agreement with Sungrow appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New Zealand is one of the first countries in the world to reach an electrification tipping point, as high petrol and high gas costs make electric homes and EVs more affordable than fossil fuelled alternatives.

The post It is now cheaper to run a fully electric home and EV in NZ than to use fossil fuels appeared first on RenewEconomy.