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Strict new standards predicted to make household battery storage "really hard, really complicated and really expensive," and will likely put a massive brake on demand.

The post Is this the end of household battery storage in Australia? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Surprise findings have revealed that Australia's cars are getting less fuel efficient. This is bad news for the hip-pockets of motorists - and for the climate. John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Robin Smit, Adjunct professor, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The influential Electrical Trades Union has demanded that the Queensland government put an immediate halt to all large scale renewable and energy projects until it has put together a “just transition plan” and a detailed energy policy. The demand from the ETU came just days after the Queensland government celebrated reaching 4GW of solar power in...

The post Union demands halt to new wind and solar projects in Queensland, but it’s already happened appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Ships entering German port cities will have to turn off their combustion engines for the duration of their stopover and use electricity from the local grid instead.

The post Germany to oblige ships to turn off engines in ports and use power grid instead appeared first on RenewEconomy.

German cabinet settles on climate action plan which includes target of 98GW of solar by 2030, and zero emissions target for 2050.

The post Germany adopts major new climate law, set 98GW solar target for 2030 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

As part of its succession planning, the Board undertook a search process which identified Mr George as a new Director. Mr George will stand for election to the Board at the AGM in 2020 as a new independent Non-Executive Director with the unanimous support of the Board.

The post Spark Infrastructure appoints Miles George to board of directors appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Infigen says new Tesla big battery at its Lake Bonney wind farm finally energised and registered, and should be fully commissioned by end of the year.

The post Infigen says Lake Bonney big battery energised and registered appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

A global temperature rise of 2 degrees C could be avoided if large emitting countries collectively adopt a carbon tax of $75/tonne by 2030, as well as other ambitious actions, according to a report by the International Monetary Fund.

Victory follows similar win by Sydney protesters, including former senator Scott Ludlam

Extinction Rebellion activists charged in Melbourne with blocking streets as part of the “Spring Rebellion” climate change protest have won a battle to have their bail conditions revoked, following a similar court victory in Sydney.

The bail conditions placed on those charged in Melbourne were not as onerous as those for the Sydney protesters, including the former Greens senator Scott Ludlam. But according to the bail conditions document seen by Guardian Australia, police were seeking to prevent the protesters from participating in similar protests blocking roadways in Melbourne while on bail.

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Coal baron Trevor St Baker has the ear of the PM and the energy minister, and he is again rattlling off dubious predictions about the energy sector.

The post Coal barons say the darndest things: St Baker rattles off dubious claims about future of coal appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Fund says tax more cost-effective in mitigating climate crisis than ‘feebate’ models

Australia will fail to meet its Paris agreement emissions reduction target even with a carbon price of US$75 a ton, the International Monetary Fund has warned.

The IMF made the observation in a report on mitigating climate change which concluded that a carbon tax is still a more cost-effective solution than “feebate” models, which impose fees on activities with above-average emissions and subsidise those with below-average emissions.

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ARENA CEO Darren Miller hopes hydrogen can become the 'Netflix of energy', driving a fundamental shift in the energy system.

The post Can renewable hydrogen become the ‘Netflix of the energy sector’? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia is facing numerous coal plant closures but no one really knows how much new dispatchable generation is needed to replace it.

The post How much new dispatchable generation does Australia need? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Critics say rules give water systems decades more time to replace dangerous pipes and fail to boost urgency for cleaning up lead

The Trump administration is proposing new rules for lead in drinking water, overhauling the regulations for the first time in three decades, following crises in Flint, Michigan, and other US communities, but critics say the changes appear to give water systems decades more time to replace pipes leaching dangerous amounts of toxic lead.

The Environmental Protection Agency would require water systems to notify customers if levels exceed 15 parts per billion. And it would require water testing at schools and daycares.

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RGGI allowance (RGA) prices rose by double digits this week after Pennsylvania announced plans to design an ETS compatible with the Northeast US carbon market, while California Carbon Allowances (CCAs) continued to decline on the secondary market.

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government has dithered on rolling out its climate plan unveiled nearly a year ago, with weaker industry carbon pricing standards and no progress on an emission reduction fund underscoring those delayed efforts, according to a report published Thursday.

US survey found particle pollution downwind of eateries was higher than from major roads

Many of us have a favourite cooking smell. Maybe yours is baking bread or frying bacon but new types of equipment are revealing how restaurants contribute to our air pollution.

Problems were initially found with meat barbecuing, grilling and charbroiling but we now know that other cooking methods are implicated. Particle pollution from cooking was first identified in the air in London and Manchester about 10 years ago. Predictably, this was greatest at lunchtime and in the evenings; a phenomenon confirmed by more recent measurements.

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A Senate committee is looking at jobs for the future in regional areas, as the Morrison Government tries to encourage migrants to move to the regions and as existing fossil fuel industries face eventual shutdown.

Labor will not win an election by cozying up to coal or weakening its climate target. Instead, it must find the common ground uniting workers in the cities and the regions - job insecurity. Fabio Mattioli, Lecturer in Social Anthropology, University of Melbourne Kari Dahlgren, PhD in Anthropology, London School of Economics and Political Science Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.