Feed aggregator

Pulborough Brooks, West Sussex The sun is slowly dropping towards the horizon and the air is cooling. The sandpipers are still feeding, making the most of this important stopover site on their route

Ripples flow across the golden grass as the stems bend back and forth in the breeze. A pair of common blue butterflies – the male sky blue, the female rusty brown – dance over the field. It’s quiet, apart from the tinkling of parties of goldfinches flying over, and the relentless buzz of crickets and grasshoppers rising up from the ground alongside the footpath.

I follow the track around the field and into the woods, and walk uphill to the Hanger, the viewpoint that looks out over the pools and channels of the brooks. Two young grey herons battle over the fishing rights to their small pool, raising the crests on their heads, holding their wings wide and barking sharp “frarnk” calls. Finally one gives way and heaves itself into the air, flapping slowly into the distance.

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Dr Kerry Schott AO as Independent Chair and Clare Savage as Deputy Chair of the Energy Security Board.

EnergyAustralia says profits fell as it got hit by having to buy gas, but it was offset by increased gains from its retail business as consumer bills surged.

Chantek could also clean his room, make and use tools and learn the route to a restaurant.

Tomago smelter wants a new coal generator, subsidised by the government. If it really wants coal power, why doesn't it write out a contract itself?

The Clean Energy Regulator is targeting the installation of unapproved solar PV panels in the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES), in line with our 2017 Compliance Priorities.

Solar Citizens is urging all sides of politics to commit to policies that support all South Australians, regardless of income, to have access to rooftop solar with storage as it becomes more affordable than ever.

The Palaszczuk Government has secured gas and started recruiting staff to bring the Swanbank E power station back on line to generate more electricity for Queenslanders.

As PM Malcolm Turnbull prepares for his meeting with the big energy retailers, here is how the conversation might pan out.

It’s safe to go back in the water, says marine biologist who identified the miniature attackers as lysianassid amphipods

The “meat-loving” marine creature that ate at the legs of a Melbourne teenager has been identified as a flesh-eating sea flea, known as a lysianassid amphipod.

Marine biologist Dr Genefor Walker-Smith said the creatures, which left 16-year-old Sam Kanizay with significant bleeding from his legs, were a small, scavenging crustacean that usually fed on dead fish or sea birds.

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Tesla, Zen, Lyon and others slam South Australia's proposed energy security target, saying it lacks technical expertise and will deliver windfall profits to incumbent gas generators, and not encourage new technologies like battery storage.

The interesting takeaway from EnergyAustralia's interim results, and other news from the NEM week that was.

Tesla says battery storage can deliver many grid services provided by gas generators, and thinking otherwise is like supporting paper records over digital files.

Tesla is emphasising profitability from its solar business, which has undergone significant transformation since the company bought SolarCity.

In “Australasian first”, 250kW Tesla Powerpack added to 660kw wind turbine, to provide 75 per cent of energy for NZ salt manufacturer.

There are huge uncertainties in greenhouse gas totals due to inaccurate data, the BBC finds.

His legs and feet were bleeding profusely after he went for a paddle at Brighton beach in Melbourne on Sunday.

Recognition of barred grass snake as distinct species different to common cousin increases native total to four

England is home to four kinds of wild snake, not three as was previously believed, according to scientists.

The barred grass snake, Natrix helvetica, is now recognised as a species in its own right distinct from the common or eastern grass snake (Natrix natrix).

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The meat-loving marine creatures that feasted on the legs of a Melbourne teenager have been identified as sea fleas, lysianassid amphipods. Marine biologist Dr Genefor Walker-Smith says they are small, scavenging crustaceans that usually feeds on dead fish or sea birds.

• Australian teen just ‘unfortunate’ to be attacked by meat-loving sea fleas

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We should beware of myths about electric vehicles, says David Bricknell; but John Richards still worries about the environmental impact of their batteries

Your editorial perpetuates a number of myths about electric vehicles (Car drivers are heading into a future far from their dreams, 7 August). You say “Tesla has just started selling its first electric car aimed squarely at the middle classes”, reinforcing the views recently posted online by fossil fuel lobby groups that EVs are only for the rich while being subsidised by the poorer. The Tesla 3 is directly cost competitive with similar cars with internal combustion engines and cheaper when including running costs, and there is now a growing second-hand market.

You say Tesla sales are “a remarkable figure for a machine with a fairly short range and a very limited number of specialised charging stations”. The Tesla 3 has an EPA rated range of 310 miles – this is not a “fairly short range”.

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