Transport & travel
Beyond the EV: reducing transport sector emissions
It’s not all about electric vehicles when it comes to reducing emissions from transport. Cameron Munro looks at where planning, technology and carrot/stick incentives converge.
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Transport & travel
Planes, buses, ships and trucks: transport goes electric
Back in Renew 139 we looked at the electrification of commercial and public transport. Lance Turner takes a quick look at what progress has been made since then.
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Transport & travel
EVs and the grid
Can our grid cope with the extra charging load if we all switch to electric vehicles? A recent report by Australian company Evenergi examines the issues.
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gardening
Working with contours
Sarah Coles speaks to Guildford local Louise Balaz-Brown about gardening in tough conditions, the importance of contours and the miracle of sheep manure.
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DIY
DIY: Insulating aluminium windows
Many Australian houses feature aluminium-framed windows, which perform poorly thermally. But performance can be greatly improved with a simple DIY project. Glenn Newman explains how his friend Lisa Rime came up with an easy system for DIY double glazing.
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Efficient homes
Emissions intensity of household electricity vs gas
Switching from gas to electricity for heating, hot water and cooking can favour your hip pocket. But what about emissions?
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Scenes from Sustainable House Day
How do you build or renovate a home for comfort and low bills? A record 33,000 people had such questions on their minds when they visited 226 exceptional sustainable homes open across Australia on Sustainable House Day 2018, held on Sunday, 16 September. Watch our video to see what these attendees in Western Australia got out of the day.
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Solar & batteries
Solar gardens
Can solar gardens help more people access the renewable energy revolution? And what are the financial and legal considerations? Pilot studies by the Institute for Sustainable Futures and Community Power Agency are giving some answers.
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Solar & batteries
Built with solar, runs on solar
Designing and building a more sustainable home is fertile ground for innovative ideas. Howard and Libby Elston explain how generators were largely avoided when building three new units.
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Solar & batteries
Making kerosene history Pay-As-You-Go solar energy
While the western world takes electricity access for granted, a large part of the world has no such luxuries. But that is changing. Renew’s Harry Andrews explains.
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Renewable grid
Hydrogen: help or hype?
Australia’s government is currently developing a strategy for including hydrogen in a future low-carbon energy system. Renew’s energy projects team has looked at where it has potential, and where it doesn’t.
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Policy
Load shedding: coming to your area soon?
Why do grid outages occur, how are they managed and how is rooftop solar changing this? Renew's Andrew Reddaway looks at the issue of load shedding.
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Research
All-electric solar homes save thousands over gas: report
New homes that are all-electric and have solar power will save their owners thousands of dollars according to a new report by Renew.
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Advocacy
ACCC misunderstands solar tariffs
The ACCC’s most recent report into the energy sector has misunderstood the history and current economics of solar feed-in tariffs around the Australia, according to Renew.
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Renew basics and buyers guides
Solar & batteries
Know your renewables: off-grid basics
With reducing grid reliability and steadily increasing electricity prices there’s been renewed interest in giving energy companies the flick. Lance Turner takes a look at the how and why of going off-grid.
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Building materials
Strength, stability and performance: The right floor for your build
When building, you may put a lot of thought into the floor coverings, but what about the sub-floor structure? Both are important to ensure a sustainable result. Lance Turner surveys the options.
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Buyers guides
No longer cooking with gas: Induction cooktop mini guide
Induction cooktops can make converts, with power and performance as good as or better than gas. We look at the features to consider when buying one.
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Buyers guides
Hot water savings: Efficient hot water buyers guide
If your old hot water system has seen better days, maybe it’s time for an efficient replacement. We show you how solar and heat pump hot water systems work, what’s available and how to choose one to best suit your needs.
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