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China boosts solar goal for 2015 as it fights pollution

Sydney Morning Herald, 19 March 2015

China will push this year to install almost 2 1/2 times as much solar capacity as the US added in 2014 in a race to clear its increasingly polluted air. The world's biggest emitter of carbon aims to install as much as 17.8 gigawatts of solar projects in 2015, the National Energy Administration said Wednesday on its website. The NEA previously estimated 15 gigawatts would be added this year, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified, citing confidentiality requirements.

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Sustainable Suburbs? Best practices from Canada: Wed 29 Apr 6pm

UWA Woolnough Lecture Theatre, 29 April 2015- 6pm

A public lecture by
Dr David Gordon, Professor and Director Queen’s University School of Urban and
Regional Planning, Canada and 2015 IAS Distinguished Visiting Fellow. 

http://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/sustainable-suburbs-best-practices-from-canada-tickets-15778986373?aff=eac2

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Light rail, freight form Freo plan

Business News, 16 March 2015

The City of Fremantle is investigating the possibility of developing a light rail network, part of a comprehensive new transport strategy for the port city, at the same time as the state government ponders a policy shift from trams to buses.

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The argument for divesting from fossil fuels is becoming overwhelming

The Guardian, 16 March 2015

The world has much more coal, oil and gas in the ground than it can safely burn. That much is physics. Anyone studying the question with an open mind will almost certainly come to a similar conclusion: if we and our children are to have a reasonable chance of living stable and secure lives 30 or so years from now, according to one recent study 80% of the known coal reserves will have to stay underground, along with half the gas and a third of the oil reserves. If only science were enough.

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Why fewer drivers are likely to use WestConnex than predicted

The Conversation, 16 March 2015

Road infrastructure is very expensive to build, with projects like WestConnex in Sydney costing many billions of dollars and often causing political headaches. Governments therefore need to carefully assess the costs and benefits of proposed roads, and be confident they have a realistic picture of how many drivers will actually use them. But a glance through the sad history of inflated toll road user projections in Australia shows that governments often get these numbers badly wrong.

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A Better Cycling Future

WA Labor, 15 March 2015

WA Labor's discussion paper – 'A Better Cycling Future' – examines ways to increase participation in cycling by making it safer and more accessible. The paper emphasised the need for safe separation between bikes and motor vehicles by using clear lane markings and enhanced separation devices. http://www.markmcgowan.com.au/files/A_Better_Cycling_Future.pdf

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REX turbo-prop confused coal loader for airport in Newcastle stuff up

Crikey, 13 March 2015

The ATSB has dissected the confused performance of two REX pilots who set up their SAAB 340 turbo-prop to land on a coal loader they had mistaken for Newcastle Airport in an incident in November 2012. The small airliner eventually landed safely at the airport after being spotted by an air traffic controller about 11 kilometres from the airport in failing daylight made worse by a cloud bank obscuring the western horizon below which the sun had just set.

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Tax Per Mile Cometh!

Peak Oil, 14 March 2015

Oregon – home of things uber trendy – has become the first state to begin dunning motorists by the mile rather than by the gallon. The “pilot” program begins July 1 — and will be implemented by the Oregon DOT in partnership with something called Sanef ITS Technologies America and Intelligent Mechatronic Systems. Sounds a lot like Cyberdyne Systems from the Terminator movies, doesn’t it? And the similarities run a lot deeper than that.

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Solar Impulse Plane Embarks On First Fuel-Less Flight Around The World

Huffington Post, 9 March 2015

A Swiss solar-powered plane took off from Abu Dhabi early Monday, marking the start of the first attempt to fly around the world without a drop of fuel.

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Solar Power To Form 25% Of Indiaӳ Installed Power Capacity By 2022

Cleantechnica, 9 March 2015

A recently announced capacity addition target could make India one of the largest solar power markets in the world. The Indian government formally confirmed the solar power capacity addition target for 2022 as 100 GW. The current installed solar power capacity stands at around 3 GW, or about a tenth of the total renewable energy capacity, and just over 1% of the total power capacity of the country.

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