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EnergyAustralia's new climate action plan leaves the closure date for the Mt Piper coal plant at 2040, but says it might operate as a kind of "battery" in its dotage.

The post EnergyAustralia won’t retire Mt Piper coal before 2040, but may run it like a battery appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Osmi Australia proposes final tweaks to planning permits for 200MW Delburn wind farm, as it seeks to reach financial close and start construction.

The post Latrobe Valley wind farm seeks final permit tweaks as construction date nears appeared first on RenewEconomy.

In the desert town of Rancho Mirage, close to Palm Springs, a city that typically gets around 4.6 inches (12 cm) of rain in an entire year could receive 6-10 inches from this one storm. "It's quite amazing. I've never seen anything like this. And the tropical storm hasn't even hit us yet," said one resident.

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New Zealand is in a 'development cycle' for electricity as a rapid rise in demand requires speedy solutions.

The post New Zealand’s biggest energy retailer signs up for three big solar farms appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia is approving coal mine expansions because of their “very small” impact on global heating. It doesn’t stack up. Simon Campbell, Senior research fellow and lecturer, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

After reaching financial close on a merchant basis, the massive Golden Plains wind farm has snared its first power purchase agreement – and it's a big one.

The post Australia’s largest wind project seals energy offtake deal with Snowy Hydro appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A deal between AGL and the Victoria government to lock in a 2035 closure date for Loy Yang A kills hopes that the country could accelerate its path to 100 pct renewables.

The post Closure deal on Australia’s dirtiest power station kills hopes of early 100pct renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.

In some cases, adding a battery to your rooftop solar system will pay off. But to be sure of this, households need information about many factors – and there’s no single reliable place to find it. Asma Aziz, Lecturer in Power Engineering, Edith Cowan University Daryoush Habibi, Professor and Executive Dean, School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A group of NGOs are calling for funding to jump-start a global biodiversity fund at an international environmental assembly week, a move that they see as essential to stem biodiversity loss.

EnergyAustralia teams up with global consortium to propose a giant 5W offshore wind project in Victoria.

The post EnergyAustralia joins rush to offshore wind with massive 5GW project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Thinking about getting your home off gas, but don’t know where to begin? Here’s a few handy tips to get you on your way. Trivess Moore, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Alan Pears, Senior Industry Fellow, RMIT University Nicola Willand, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

CEFC invests record amount in wind, solar and storage in last year, but in coming years the big ticket items will be on the grid.

The post CEFC spends record $1.2 billion on renewables, as focus turns to the grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Kemi Badenoch wants gender-specific lavatories in new venues, but is it wise to release more excrement into our fatally compromised sewage systems?

There are important questions to be asked about lavatories, and Kemi Badenoch is certainly the Tory best suited to answering them. A report in the government’s Daily Telegraph mouthpiece announced that a new government initiative would see the equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, appoint a Tory lavatories tsar, a task that would doubtless make her flush with pride. But the Independent then reported that the government had “distanced” itself from this appointment, for fear of increased bureaucracy, and also, presumably, across-the-board toilet tsar-based ridicule.

Apparently, Kemi Badenoch’s Tory lavatory tsar would have ensured that all new offices, schools, hospitals and entertainment venues have separate male and female lavatories; a big job and a massive piece of business. But our children’s generation seem largely ambivalent about gender identity, and the practical lavatorial considerations that come with it; first-wave feminists, in contrast, are understandably anxious that women’s hard-won recognitions are not, as they see it, eroded; meanwhile, some young women tell me they fear the loss of certified spaces in nightclubs and pubs for crying, vomiting up alcopops and avoiding young men; most young men, however, seem comfortable with the idea of urinating indiscriminately on the floor, while simultaneously passing wind, in any toilet, however Kemi Badenoch choses to designate the toilet’s gender.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk

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Countries with the greatest biodiversity richness are the ones spending the least on nature, the UNEP Finance Initiative (FI) has found, urging investors to identify whether they are contributing to the trend.

Remote sensing technology shows 70% of tree coverage moved uphill between 2000 and 2010

Mountain treelines are rising in response to the climate crisis, a study has found.

Scientists from the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, used remote sensing to map the highest points of patches of tree coverage on mountains. They found that 70% of mountain treelines had moved uphill between 2000 and 2010.

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Exclusive: Assessment that used to happen annually will now take six years despite rising concerns

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

A wide swath of industry, non-profits, and utilities have all called for a California cap-and-trade allowance budget adjustment to achieve at least 48% emission reductions by 2030, according to public comments to submitted to state regulator ARB this week.

A Massachusetts-headquartered start-up on Thursday announced it has successfully procured $10.6 million in Series A fundraising as it intends to bring its soil carbon measurement technology to commercial deployment.

Offset standard Climate Action Reserve (CAR) on Friday published its draft China adipic acid production protocol, arguing new design measures can safeguard against integrity concerns that resulted in the EU ETS forbidding the use of such carbon credits a decade ago.