Energy Smart
Tesla bids $3.75b for SolarCity panel maker
Russ Mitchell and Ivan Penn The electric carmaker makes a bid for the biggest US solar panel maker to become a force in sustainable energy.
Is Australia a future electric car power?
James Hall Australia's high-cost economy and small market potential provide a sobering reality to the Greens' policy, according to experts.
Latest wind auction winner promises millions in benefits to economy
Tom McIlroy Wind power will be provided for another 48,000 Canberra homes as part of the government large-scale reverse auction.
More than 16,000 homes in the ACT have rooftop solar
More than 16,000 homes in the ACT have rooftop solar systems, new figures from the Clean Energy Regulator show.
Australia sinks on 'most credible' environmental index in the world
Peter Hannam Australia's global ranking has dived on an international survey that Environment Minister Greg Hunt had described as "the most credible, scientifically based" analysis in the world.
Solar and wind just did the unthinkable
Tom Randall The world is now adding more power capacity from renewables every year than from coal, natural gas, and oil combined.
Home solar battery revolution an economic and emissions game changer
David Ellery The emergence of affordable home batteries that can be hooked up to solar electricity systems will make coal fired power stations obsolete users have said.
US town rejects solar farm after sunlight, cancer fears
Michael Koziol World leaders may have committed to ambitious climate targets in Paris at the weekend, but that in small-town America, all that solar hocus pocus is still viewed with a healthy dose of slack-jawed cynicism.
ActewAGL partners with Panasonic in the solar power revolution
David Ellery ActewAGL teams up with Panasonic for the next step in the solar power revolution.
Clover Moore tells Paris that government needs to get out of the way
Peter Hannam While the prognosis can be apocalyptic for some, cities such as Sydney say they are making inroads on cutting emissions - and could do more given more leeway.
Savings add up for household solar
David Potts Solar panels are landing on rooftops just as the Hills Hoist invaded backyards. If you're not solar-powered, you're not with it.
Abbott government's 'blue tape' costs consumers billions, report finds
Peter Hannam A drop in energy use by Australians has slashed billions of dollars from energy bills since 2010, but those savings are threatened by policies by the Abbott government and some conservative state governments, a report by The Australia Institute finds.
French renewables power grid pilot reveals limits of batteries in Europe
A major pilot project by Europe's largest power network operator to integrate power from rooftop solar panels into the grid has shown that battery storage of renewable energy is not yet economically viable in Europe.
Renewable energy target slashed in bipartisan deal
Elise Scott A bipartisan deal - agreed to last month after a lengthy political stalemate that hamstrung the clean energy sector - will slash the renewable energy target from 41,000 gigawatt hours to 33,000.
Green utopia: Lord Howe island shows the mainland how it's done
Nicole Hasham Residents of Lord Howe Island have gone dirty on diesel and now have an ambitious target for renewable energy.
Tesla home battery 'a wake up call' for Australia
Lucy Cormack The company's new battery that charges using electricity generated from solar panels will cost half what analysts expected.
Oil downturn slows progress in bringing solar power to mines
James Paton High oil prices spurred mining companies to look at renewable energy to cut their diesel fuel bills. With crude plunging, it's a different story today.
Eclipse switching off solar panels to test Europe's power grids
The eclipse due to bring most of Europe into deep shadows on Friday morning will put an unprecedented strain on the region's electricity grid, turning off thousands of solar panels essential to power supply and rocking electricity markets. The moon will cross in front of the sun, blocking about 80 per cent of its light across Europe from 8 am to 11 am London time. In Germany, the eclipse will briefly turn off thousands of panels, which provide about 40 per cent of the nation's power on the most sunny days.
Solar industry gets $33.3m boost to fuel commercial take-up
Peter Hannam The flagging Australian solar industry will get a $33.3 million boost as the government's green investment bank combines with a Chinese partner to spur companies to take up more photovoltaic panels.
Fuelling hope: Vitol finds a future in Australian refining
Peter Ker Newcomer Viva Energy believes a local focus and more niche products can see Australian oil refineries withstand the pressure from foreign competitors
Solar power holds its own as clouds gather
Peter Hannam Australia’s small-scale solar energy industry held steady in 2014 although uncertainty about the Abbott government’s support for renewable energy and rising costs for imported panels as the dollar wilts are casting a cloud over the sector.
Coalminers returning to profitability, but for how long?
Peter Ker The cost of producing coal in Australia has fallen sharply in recent months, but views are mixed over whether prices will improve in 2015.
Energy
Shareholders strike out at remuneration as commodity boom fades
Peter Ker Shareholders say remuneration is out of sync with sliding commodity prices.
Soaring gas prices spur expansion of energy savings plan
Peter Hannam Soaring gas prices have prompted the NSW government to expand its energy efficiency support program to include gas as well as electricity.
Energy efficiency in buildings to lead Australia's G20 climate response
Peter Hannam Climate change remains all but absent from the G20 summit, with a related energy efficiency plan omitting mention of global warming as a motivation for curbing energy use, according to a draft of the plan.
UNSW smashes electric vehicle speed record
Peter Hannam A team of undergraduate engineering students at the University of NSW has smashed the world speed record for electric vehicles, with their Sunswift car averaging more than 100 km/h over 500 km on a single battery charge.
Insulation report finding on fires cheers battling industry
Peter Hannam Confirmation by the Royal Commission into the Home Insulation Program that the rate of house fires did not increase despite a more than 10-fold jump in installations has been welcomed by companies struggling to recover from the industry's boom and subsequent bust.
Canberra will consider its own rooftop solar scheme, says Corbell
Kirsten Lawson ACT Environment Minister Simon Corbell has condemned the Warburton report as ''dangerously radical and extremist''.
Canberrans ignorant of potential power savings
Markus Mannheim Competition between power companies is not helping Canberrans, many of whom believe they must buy from ActewAGL.
Solar giant to close Australian R&D; unit
Peter Hannam A giant Chinese solar panel maker originally based on Australian technology plans to close its local research arm amid on-going concerns about the future of renewable energy in the country.