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Nov 30

EU in ‘Mexican standoff’ over independent checks on car emissions

The Guardian, 29 November 2016
Plans for independent checks of how much pollution new cars emit are being killed off by EU member states, according to leaked documents seen by the Guardian. After the Dieselgate scandal, the European commission proposed empowering its respected science wing, the Joint Research Centre, to inspect vehicles separately from national authorities, which are paid by the car manufacturers they regulate. But an EU pledge to “organise and carry out” emissions tests has been deleted from a draft regulation, which will be discussed by EU ministers this week in Brussels.

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Nov 29

UK fuel poverty to last a lifetime, report says

The Guardian, 29 November 2016
A child born in Britain today may never see fuel poverty eradicated, according to a report backed by the star of I, Daniel Blake –Ken Loach’s critically acclaimed film about the benefits system. The report, published by charity National Energy Action to kick off its Warm Homes Campaign, documents stagnating efforts to solve fuel poverty. The government has pledged to make as many “fuel poor” homes as possible achieve a minimum standard of energy efficiency by 2030, in an attempt to end fuel poverty.

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Nov 28

Oil Industry Anticipates Day of Reckoning

Wall St Journal, 27 November 2016
This month, European oil company MOL Group delivered a stark message to investors: Demand for fuel in its key markets is bound to fall. So-called peak oil demand is a mind-bending scenario that global producers such as Royal Dutch Shell PLC and state-owned Saudi Aramco are beginning to quietly anticipate. But MOL has a transformation plan that is among the most explicit responses to the trend, indicating how the landscape may change for big energy providers over the next decade.

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Nov 28

Toyota imports Mirai and refueller to sell hydrogen story to Australia

REnew Economy, 25 November 2016
Toyota has imported three Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell sedans to demonstrate the technology to Australian officialdom and motorists over the next few years. The Mirai – which means future in Japanese – is already sold in Japan, the US and parts of Europe (Britain, Germany, Denmark and Belgium), but it will not be available in Australia until refueling infrastructure is built.

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Nov 28

BA boss shocked to find out that third Heathrow runway will raze his HQ

The Guardian, 23 November 2016
The boss of Heathrow’s biggest customer, British Airways, only discovered that building the airport’s planned third runway would require the demolition of his airline’s head office after looking at a map. Willie Walsh, the chief executive of BA’s parent company IAG, claimed that despite the group being responsible for about half of all flights at the London hub, he received no formal warning of the proposed demolition. He said: “We were never actually informed or advised by Heathrow that they intended to knock down our headquarters.”
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Nov 28

Sweden will offer 60% subsidy for residential battery storage costs

REnew Economy, 23 November 2016
Sweden says it wants to stop burning fossil fuels to make electricity by the year 2040. Policies and goals are wonderful things, but taking action to implement those policies and goals is where the hard work comes into play. Now Sweden is putting its money where its mouth is. It has announced a government subsidy that will cover 60% of the cost of installing a residential energy storage system up to a maximum of 50,000 kroner or $5,600. The credit applies to the battery, wiring, control systems, smart energy hub, and installation work for homes with rooftop solar systems.

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Nov 28

How our cars outgrew our car park spaces

The Guardian, 23 November 2016
If you haven’t had a ding, you’ve probably had a job squeezing yourself out of your car, pushing limbs through the door like an octopus escaping an aquarium. At its worst, car parking can be a trial of stress and bodily contortion. What’s to blame? Fat cars.
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Nov 28

Active Transport Victoria

13 October 2016
The Victorian Government has established Active Transport Victoria (ATV), a unit within Transport for Victoria, to promote the benefits of walking and cycling in Victoria.

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Nov 23

Is decentralisation regional sprawl by another name?

Crikey, 14 November 2016
Decentralisation is a perennial political favourite because intuitively it seems sensible; but current proposals look a lot more like regional sprawl than regional development.
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Nov 23

Ethanol From Carbon Dioxide Is Still A Losing Proposition

Energy Trends Insider, 27 October 2016
If I told you that I had created a process to extract pure gold from seawater, you might deem it an amazing accomplishment. If I issued a press release stating these facts, it very well could go viral. In fact, the oceans do contain an estimated 20 million tons of dissolved gold, worth close to a quadrillion dollars at the current spot market price. But you may have noticed that I have omitted a very important fact.

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