The myth that renewable energy sources can’t meet baseload (24-hour per day) demand has become widespread. After all, the wind doesn’t blow all the time, and there’s no sunlight at night. But detailed…
Four times Australia’s GDP could be hiding in here.
AAP
Rare earth elements (REEs), for so long ignored by big mining companies, have recently become incredibly popular. But, contrary to what their names suggests, they are not particularly rare. They do, however…
The process of extracting REE from the ocean floor presents a Catch 22.
STR/AFP
News outlets recently reported a new paper in Nature Geoscience from a Japanese team documenting very large amounts of Rare Earth Elements (REE) in the mud at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. REE are essential…
In the lead-up to release of the carbon tax package, the government signaled a desire to end renewable energy support measures and rely solely on a carbon price to transform the Australian energy sector…
While direct geothermal energy is extensively used in other countries, it is rarely encountered in Australia. This might be because we have cheap sources of energy (although, regrettably, not the cleanest…
Researchers hope to use piezoelectricity – which is generated by mechanical pressure such as fingers tapping a screen or blood pressure – to power gadgets like iPads or pacemakers.
Flickr
There is much hypocrisy in the statements of those who wish to terminate subsidies to renewable sources of energy through the certificate scheme associated with the federal Renewable Energy Target and…
Plants are expert photosynthesisers, but humans are catching up.
Galactic Circus Diplodocus/Flickr
Plants have been making fuel and food from sunlight, water and carbon dioxide for billions of years. Oil, coal, wood and natural gas can be called “old-photosynthesis” fuels. As the human population approaches…
This week, unpublished estimates from the International Energy Institute showed that 2010 was the most carbon-intensive year in human history. Chief Economist of the IEA Dr Fatih Birol responded to the…
Renewables or fossil fuels, we’ll send them offshore when it makes sense.
Flickr/nosha
Australia is a major energy exporter. Are we going to continue to increase our contribution to Asia’s energy mix? Will it be clean energy? And is it possible that our best renewable energy resources will…
Wind turbines are often billed as one of the world’s best solutions to climate change. And why not? They are a mature and effective means of generating large amounts of electricity with next to zero carbon…
Large-scale solar could be Australia’s dominant renewable technology by 2030.
AAP
Australia has a huge solar energy resource. Solar collectors spread out over a square 50 km could generate all of Australia’s current electricity demand. Of course in practice, we would need a mix of renewable…