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Our former environment correspondent had solar panels installed in 2010 and later added a heat pump. He’s totted up the energy generated and cash saved over the years

An abiding memory of a day in August 2010, the first time my solar panels were connected to the grid, was of the builders downing tools and watching the electricity meter whiz round backwards.

It was a sunny day and they were supposed to be finishing the plastering and insulation, but the novel sight of the old-style electricity meter in reverse was too entertaining.

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AEMO reveals windfall contract details that will underpin the cost of building the biggest battery project in Australia.

The post The windfall contract that will underpin the cost of building Australia’s biggest battery project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Bell Bay wind farm wins state approval and will now go through the federal process, with impacts to be assessed on eagles and other species.

The post Tasmania fast tracks Bell Bay wind project as it head for federal review appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Eight Australian sea lions were enlisted to map the ocean floor by sticking cameras with satellite tracking to their backs. Almost 90 hours of footage and 500km later, conservationists hope to have much clearer ideas on how to protect the sea lions.  “I can watch this stuff for hours,” says Prof Simon Goldsworthy. “It’s like the best slow TV ever. You just don’t know what you’re going to see next.”

• NSW shark nets to be removed a month early as more turtles head south in summer

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Eight females from two seal colonies have filmed almost 90 hours across more than 500km, helping scientists map 5,000 sq km of habitat

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The Australian sea lions glide and dart through underwater tunnels, over seagrass beds and rocky reefs, searching for a meal and dancing with dolphins around a giant bait ball of fish – all the action captured by a camera stuck on their back.

“I can watch this stuff for hours,” says Prof Simon Goldsworthy. “It’s like the best slow TV ever. You just don’t know what you’re going to see next.”

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Gardeners and pest controllers say wasps, important predators and pollinators, appear to be in sharp decline

The UK is not doing enough to track wasp populations as numbers appear to plummet, a leading expert has warned.

While there were national monitoring schemes for some invertebrates, including bees and butterflies, there was no such programme in place for wasps, said Dr Gavin Broad, principal curator of wasps at the Natural History Museum.

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Swedish-Israeli wave energy developer launches construction of a a 1MW generator in waters off the city of Porto in Portugal.

The post Work begins on world-first megawatt-scale wave energy project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Videos have surfaced appearing to show people feeding a crocodile in the same area where a crocodile killed a man who slipped from the river bank into the water. Brandon Michael Sideleau, PhD student studying human-saltwater crocodile conflict, Charles Darwin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The focus on community benefits should not distract developers from the fact that people need to be heard and to have their concerns and contributions taken on board.

The post From social license to community benefits: Are we losing nuance in race to renewables?  appeared first on RenewEconomy.

FRV is building its first big battery project after landing a major funding deal. The BESS comes with a grant to install grid-forming inverters.

The post Solar developer FRV hits go on first big battery after landing $1.2 billion funding round appeared first on RenewEconomy.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, on Tuesday selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) as her vice presidential candidate, garnering support from green groups that have commended the state leader’s climate efforts since he took office in 2019.

The first stage of what will be the country's biggest wind farm when completed enters grid management system, a lot faster than its "biggest" rival.

The post First stage of what will be Australia’s biggest wind project gets ready to inject power into grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

California’s energy regulator has laid out policy options to ensure an affordable supply of gasoline as the state transitions away from fossil fuels under its low carbon fuel standard (LCFS), cap-and-trade compliance, and expanding zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandates.

A sustainable investments firm founded by Bill Gates has raised $839.4 million, according to recent US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, which will go to a new fund focused on climate.

The UK’s coin-maker opens a new industrial plant to extract gold from old circuit boards.

China will apparently use cameras mounted at wind farms to spy on Australian people, cows and crops, according to one group of opponents.

The post China will use wind farm cameras to spy on people, cows and crops, say opponents in new conspiracy theory appeared first on RenewEconomy.

One of the most serious marine heatwaves on record hit the Great Barrier Reef last summer. Now a new report shows that coral cover was high before the impacts of cyclones and mass bleaching. Daniela Ceccarelli, Reef Fish Ecologist, Australian Institute of Marine Science David Wachenfeld, Research Program Director – Reef Ecology and Monitoring, Australian Institute of Marine Science Mike Emslie, Senior Research Scientist in Reef Ecology, Australian Institute of Marine Science Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) barred several methodologies from its integrity stamp on Tuesday, rejecting a renewable energy methodology responsible for a substantial proportion of Latin American credit supply.

A Colorado company announced last week that it has successfully completed 1,000 hours of testing for its cryogenic point-source carbon capture and storage (CCS) system that removes CO2 from flue gas before its release into the atmosphere.

A new initiative launched on Tuesday aiming to create and maintain rigorous standards for the carbon removal (CDR) industry.