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Big solar output breaks above 5GW for first time, representing an 18-fold increase in little more than four years.

The post Big solar output bursts through 5GW for first time, 18 times more than in 2018 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A domestic carmaker has agreed to work with South Korea’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries to develop and promote blue carbon projects in a bid to sequester CO2 and protect biodiversity.

Australia-based Gelion, whose non-flow zinc-bromide energy storage technology was spun out of the University of Sydney, has a new CEO.

The post Gelion names new CEO to take “breakthrough” Aussie battery technology global appeared first on RenewEconomy.

WA state-owned water utility kicks off shift to renewables with deal to buy and build a 150MW wind farm to help power its operations, including desalination.

The post State owned water utility to build new wind farm to provide power for desalination appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Why is bird flu so bad this year and why are scientists so concerned?

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

A startup tech company that secured $28.5 million in its Series A funding round this month has teamed up with a project developer to build a blockchain-based carbon exchange, with plans to launch a new standardised nature-based product for its target audience of institutional investors.

First concrete poured to support first of 1,500 steel towers that will make up Australia’s largest electricity transmission project.

The post First concrete poured for 1,500 steel towers in renewable superhighway appeared first on RenewEconomy.

As the voluntary carbon offset market grows, price risk is becoming a bigger factor. “Having a clear price signal is important for companies, giving them the confidence to move forward.”

A Canadian sustainable commodities supplier is launching an international environmental commodities trading desk.

Compliance entities added to their California Carbon Allowance (CCA) position in the lead up to the release of the Q4 WCI auction results, while financials shortened their CCA holdings and added to their RGGI length, according to US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data published Monday.

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A US-based forest carbon tech firm has laid off nearly half of its workforce as a result of sluggish voluntary credit demand and widespread buyer cynicism surrounding nature-based solutions.

National Highways has obtained an injunction to ‘prevent unlawful protests’ until November 2023

A high court injunction has been granted that would impose fresh penalties on Just Stop Oil activists for demonstrating on the country’s busiest motorway until November next year.

National Highways said it had secured the civil order to “prevent unlawful protests” on the M25, after a series of actions by the environmental group caused significant traffic disruption.

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The spacecraft travels further from Earth than any previous vehicle built for astronauts.

Report identifies risks of modern slavery in clean energy supply chains, and calls for Australia to focus on its own minerals and manufacturing opportunities.

The post Modern slavery: The grim problem facing Australia wind, solar and battery supply chains appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A ‘certificate of origin’ scheme could counter concerns about renewables supply chains, says Clean Energy Council

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The Australian clean energy industry has warned of growing evidence linking renewable energy supply chains to modern slavery, and urged companies and governments to act to eliminate it.

A report by the Clean Energy Council, representing renewable energy companies and solar installers, has called for more local renewable energy production and manufacturing and a “certificate of origin” scheme to counter concerns about slave labour in mineral extraction and manufacturing in China, Africa and South America.

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About 2.6 million Uyghur and Kazakh people have been subjected to coercion, “re-education programs” and internment in the Xinjiang region of north-west China, which is the source of 40-45% of the world’s solar-grade polysilicon. A report by the United Nations office of the high commissioner for human rights three months ago found Xinjiang was home to “serious human rights violations”, and the US has listed polysilicon from China as a material likely to have been produced by child or forced labour.

On batteries, there were major issues with the mining of between 15% and 30% of the world’s cobalt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Amnesty International found that children, some as young as seven, were working in artisanal cobalt mines, often for less than $2 a day. Mining conditions were reportedly hazardous, and workers often did not have adequate protective equipment and were exposed to toxic dust that contributed to hard metal lung disease.

On wind energy, there had been rapid growth in demand for balsa wood used in turbine blades that had reportedly led to workers in Ecuador’s Amazon region being subject to substandard labour conditions, including payment being made with alcohol or drugs. The demand for balsa has also reportedly increased deforestation, and affected the land rights of Indigenous people in Peru. Some balsa wood suppliers have more recently provided Forest Stewardship Council certifications, which verifies responsible forest management and fair wages and work environments.

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Prompt carbon credit prices edged lower over the past week, but the slight moves masked a much heavier bearish step identified by data aggregator AlliedOffsets, which flagged a slide in transactional value that likely reflects bargain hunting at the expense of fresher and more expensive vintages.

The European Commission is honing its support policies for clean hydrogen and other low-carbon solutions – with the first pilot Contract for Difference (CfD) expected next year – but uncertainty over the future volume of the Innovation Fund leaves questions hanging over the best design details.

A multi-gigawatt tender for wind and solar capacity in Spain flops due to a "secret" price cap that failed to take into account rising costs.

The post Multi gigawatt wind and solar tender flops, undermined by “secret” price cap appeared first on RenewEconomy.