Energy security requires both short and long planning. Recent gas and hydro announcements are a promising start towards some proper joined-up thinking.
Some states are poised for a 500% growth in rooftop solar panels by 2030.
AAP Image/Tracy Nearmy
A new report predicts a boom in household solar and batteries as Australia’s electricity networks move to a more sustainable footing, with some states poised for a 500% boost in rooftop solar.
Solar energy is now powering much of the world.
kenlund/flickr
New research shows it only takes a few countries to kick-start the kind of global transformation required to meet the Paris Agreement’s long-term goals.
The islanders of Eigg bought out their absentee landlord for £1.5m in 1997 and the island has been thriving ever since.
Ginger Inc
The success of Eigg’s community purchase demonstrates how people power has rejuvenated an island in decline
Over a period in which the Australian economy saw around 600,000 additional people get jobs, employment in the renewables sector has been going backwards.
AAP Image/City of Sydney, Damian Shaw
Estimates released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics suggest that the number of direct full-time equivalent jobs in renewable energy activities has continued to fall from its 2011-12 peak.
Malusi Gigaba has been appointed as South Africa’s finance minister.
EPA
Massive new coal plants planned for Pakistan will further harm the environment in a country already suffering the effects of climate change. Solar energy is a clear alternative.
Former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, now leading a clean energy research center at Colorado State University, explains why clean energy will keep growing despite President Trump’s focus on fossil fuel.
To manage renewable energy efficiently, all weather variation need to be taken into account.
Greg Clarke/Flickr
Relying less on fossil fuels is one of the key challenges of energy transition, and taking weather variations into account can help increase the overall efficiency of a renewable-energy system.
Wind turbines require massive structures that are polluting to produce and can harm ecosystems, but these impacts compare favorably with those of fossil alternatives.
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Edgar Hertwich, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Anders Arvesen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Sangwon Suh, University of California, Santa Barbara e Thomas Gibon, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
No energy source is perfect, but solar and wind have a much lower health and environmental footprint than fossil fuels, a study finds. Biopower, though, is a mixed bag.
The long view: energy policy needs to stay firmly focused on the horizon.
Mattinbgn/Wikimedia Commons
The current flurry of energy policy aims to make power cheaper and more reliable. But it will take more than that to meet vital longer-term goals like cutting carbon while keeping future prices low.
Cultana, South Australia: scene of the nation’s next big hydro scheme?
Roger Dargaville
A planned expansion to the Snowy Hydro scheme is grabbing headlines. But a new plan could build oceanfront hydro power in places without mountains - including South Australia.
The Snowy Hydro scheme already provides back-up energy to NSW and Victoria.
AAP
South Australia has unveiled its keenly awaited energy plan, featuring battery storage, a state-owned gas power station, and a thumb of the nose to the federal electricity rules.
SA energy minister Tom Koutsantonis (left) and Premier Jay Weatherill have outlined their vision for the state’s electricity.
AAP Image/David Mariuz
Jeffrey Sommerfeld, Queensland University of Technology
South Australia is investing $550 million in a plan to improve the reliability of its electricity. But the side-effect is that the National Electricity Market will now be even harder to run.
No matter how hard we dig, the Earth’s resources are ultimately finite.
Mining image from www.shutterstock.com
As Donald Trump promises to pull America out of the Paris climate agreement, we need concerted civil action to turn our atmosphere into a public trust.