Australia is using the anticipated passage of its carbon pricing scheme to make a renewed push for more ambitious targets on the international stage, writes Giles Parkinson, of Climate Spectator.
Clean energy
Taking the wind out of Ted Baillieu’s clean energy credentials
Recently a series of reforms passed by the Baillieu government seriously diminished Victoria’s capacity to protect its natural environmental and respond to the transitional challenge of cleaner energy production, writes Tom Dreyfus.
Ghosts of climate policy past haunt our Clean Energy Future
It’s an old refrain, but the closer we get to the Clean Energy Future legislation ducking and weaving its way through parliament, the more we are reminded of the ghosts of the current proposal’s stepmother, the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, writes Giles Parkinson of Climate Spectator.
A win for anti-wind farm campaigners in Victoria
The Victorian government has introduced new policies on wind farms, including the ability for households to veto wind turbines located within two kilometres of their homes, reports Larvatus Prodeo.
Fear and greed … the real energy challenge
It’s curious to see how left-wing and right-wing politics have fallen on either side of the clean tech divide, particularly in the US and Australia, writes Giles Parkinson.
Carbon tax just the first real battle in a very long war
Fergus Green, of Inside Story, unpacks the carbon pricing package to discover, at its core, a tension between fundamentally different visions for the future of Australia’s economy and environment.
The wind in the science culture war sails
The science culture war started by tobacco, nuclear and fossil fuel industries took a curious twist this week, with the release of a Senate report into so-called ‘turbine sickness’, writes Dan Cass.
Budget breakdown: the holding pattern on clean-tech investment
In the first of a series of post-budget reports, Fiona Armstrong and Laura Eadie from the Centre for Policy Development explore options to encourage innovation and roll out less mature renewable energy technologies.
Where’s the green boom?
Most investment experts claim that the clean energy sector will boom, but so far most investors remain fearful of putting their money in an industry where government regularly adjusts legislation and the future is uncertain.
Climate policies slashed to pay for a natural disaster
Gillard’s obsession with producing a surplus in 2012/13 is one thing, but the symbolism of slashing $675 million from climate change policies to pay for a natural disaster in the hope that it is a “one-off” is quite another, writes Climate Spectator’s Giles Parkinson.
Australia’s renewable roadblocks: Clean Energy Council reports
The clean energy industry in Australia enjoyed one of its most successful years in 2010, but it’s not entirely clear that it has that much to celebrate, writes Giles Parkinson of Climate Spectator.
Republican-slide stifles clean energy plan
US President Barack Obama’s plans for climate reform look dead and buried by the widespread Republican victories in the nation’s midterm elections. But at least there’s California, writes Climate Spectator’s Giles Parkinson.
Energy task force delivers Australia a power jolt
If the task force recommendations are adopted, it seems certain that Australian business and households are in for something of a culture shock when it comes to energy consumption, writes Giles Parkinson, of Climate Prectator.
Clean energy moves ahead amid climate policy carnage
Passage of the enhanced 20% renewable energy target is one hard fought victory for climate change policy amongst the wreckage littering the corridors of parliament house in Canberra, says Rob Grant.
“Shit for fuel” turns British Airways green
Although cynics said it would never work, British Airways has signed up for a revolutionary biomass-for-jet-fuel process which will power part of its fleet from 2014, reports Ben Sandilands.
China is the world leader on clean energy
Say what you will about its pollution problems, China is now blitzing the rest of the world on clean energy technology, becoming the largest manufacturer of wind turbines and solar panels in the world.
Samso: the self-sufficient island
The small Danish island of Samso is one of the first industralised places on Earth to become totally energy self-sufficient, powered by wind turbines, solar and straw-fired plants.
Crikey Clarifier: What is solar power?
As Australia attempts to plan a future powered by renewable energy, solar power is one the most talked-about possibilities. But could Australia actually be 100% solar powered? Evan Beaver takes a look.
Small wind could become a big deal
GE has just pumped millions into a small company in Arizona that has created backyard wind turbines which allow households to generate their own clean, cheap energy. Could the future of energy be DIY?
A radioactive issue for the Coalition?
Why has Ian Macfarlane completely reversed his opinion on Carbon Capture and Storage — from such a strong advocate of the when in government to his recent denunciation on Four Corners? asks Michael James.
Greenpeace: Our plan for a nuclear-free Australia
Greenpeace’s Steve Campbell says Australia can be powered by clean energy without resorting to nuclear like France, Finland and now the UK. Instead, we should follow the lead of countries like Spain, who can generate more than half of its energy needs from renewables.
How to power the entire planet with renewable energy
Ridding the world of fossil fuels doesn’t have to be a pipe dream, say scientists Mark Jacobson and Mark Delucchi. Here’s their plan to supply 100% of the world’s energy needs with wind, water and solar technologies by 2030.
The beer-powered brewery
German scientists have developed a way to turn beer breweries’ leftover grain into energy, simultaneously reducing their energy costs and the costs of transporting grain to farms.
Back to the Future fan modifies ute to run on waste
A US man who claims he was inspired by the Back to the Future films has modified his 1989 Ford F150 to run on biomass.
Four wheels bad, two wheels good: German town
The south-west German town of Vauban has brought in what The Independent is punningly dubbing an “auto-ban”, forcing residents to eschew cars in favour of bikes and public trams.
