Renewable Energy

Climate Change Committee chair says measures needed to cut energy bills will also help reach net zero

Tackling the cost of living crisis requires insulating British homes as a matter of urgency and deploying renewable energy generation faster, the chair of the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has said.

Lord Deben, a Conservative former environment secretary, said the measures needed to bring down energy bills were the same as those needed to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Loss-making venture led by Amit Gudka eyes continent as countries move towards using renewable power

The co-founder of collapsed energy supplier Bulb is planning to expand his loss-making battery storage venture into Europe as the energy crisis escalates.

Amit Gudka hopes to develop Field Energy, the business he set up after leaving Bulb in February 2021, on the continent as countries attempt to switch toward renewable power.

Jan Rosenow on his research that found the gas to be unsuitable for heating homes

The letter from Prof Gordon E Andrews responding to an article covering my recent research on hydrogen and home heating contains a number of errors 28 September). First, he states that the International Energy Agency and the UK government believe that “hydrogen should be a major part of the road to net zero carbon, as it is the only way to decarbonise heating in the next 20 years”. That is incorrect. In the IEA’s Net Zero 2050 report, hydrogen makes up less than 2% of energy demand in buildings in 2050. And, as my study showed, all independent studies do not see a significant role for hydrogen.

Prof Andrews says that it is impossible to retrofit the 24m properties heated by gas with heat pumps in a sensible timescale, stating that 27,000 heat pumps are installed every year. But the government has a target for 600,000 heat pumps to be installed every year, as outlined in the Heat and Buildings Strategy.

The economist’s new book proposes an expanded Renewable Energy Target and an energy reserve system to ensure grid reliability

• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcast

In his landmark 2019 book Superpower, Ross Garnaut, an economist prominent since the Hawke government years, opened with a projection of Australia’s future that seemed a tad optimistic at the time.

After touring the then desiccated Murray-Darling Basin, Garnaut hailed the tumbling prices for renewable energy as offering a feasible path to cut carbon emissions and halt climate change without stalling the economy.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Most now see opportunity instead of job losses – but Labor will have to match ambition with action if it’s to deliver on 80% renewables by 2035

• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcast

The mayor of Mackay, Greg Williamson, wasn’t convinced by renewable energy.

About four years ago, I asked him about the energy transition; specifically, whether mining hubs like Mackay should start planning early to prevent the sort of economic shocks that would come as fossil fuel industries decline.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning