Archived material from historical editions of The Generator
A far north Queensland bio-fuels company says it is unable to keep up with demand for its environmentally friendly diesel. Reefuels says it will construct a new plant at Mossman, in conjunction with local company Evergreen, to meet the growing demand for bio-diesel. They are hoping to produce about 360,000 litres of fuel every week Continue Reading →
It was a small sensor on a giant transmission tower near the tiny settlement of Tolmie in Victoria’s rugged high country – and in a matter of seconds it left a third of the state without power, reported Gary Hughes in The Australian(18/1/2007, p.4).
The Department of Environment and Conservation has confirmed that another mysterious bird kill occurred at Narembeen, 300km southeast of Perth, earlier this month, reported The Australian (18/1/2007, p.3).
Treemartins succumb in second wave: Unlike in the first incident, the dead birds at the tiny wheatbelt town more than 400km west of Esperance have been identified as treemartins, similar to swallows, which are migratory insect-eaters known to enjoy moderate climates. They can be vulnerable to cold temperatures and wet conditions.
Too late for autopsies: But because the deaths happened two weeks ago and were only reported to environment and agriculture authorities last week, scientists have been unable to carry out any detailed tests on a small number of decomposing remains to establish whether they died of exposure or something more mysterious.
Emergency measures to secure water supplies in drought-ravaged south-eastern Australia by banning external watering in some towns, creating a temporary weir on the Murray and draining wetlands could be enforced this year, reported The Age (13/1/2007, p. 1).
By Ben Russell, Independent
All new homes will have zero carbon emissions within a decade, Gordon Brown announced yesterday, as he unveiled a drive to create a new generation of "green" housing.
He said Britain would be the first country in the world to make the zero carbon commitment. Stamp duty worth thousands of pounds will be waived for zero-emission dwellings, to ensure that eco houses become the norm for new developments. Ruth Kelly, the Secretary of State for Communities, will announce details next week.
Ministers are planning a raft of reforms to Britain’s building regulations. Houses contribute nearly 30 per cent of Britain’s total carbon emissions, pumping 41.7 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year. Treasury officials estimate that eight million tons of carbon emissions a year could be saved by 2050 if all new homes are zero-carbon rated by 2016.
They hope the stamp duty concession will help to kick start the development of new low-carbon technology. At present, there are only about 200 zero-carbon homes in Britain, such as the Bedzed development in south-west London.
But ministers hope to make the new Thames Gateway developments a showpiece for low-zero carbon technology.
Energy consultant Peter C. Fusaro, chairman of New York-based Global Change Associates Inc. and co-founder of the Energy Hedge Fund Center, was among the first to notice the growing role of hedge funds and other financial players in the energy sector two years ago. He talked to Washington correspondent Lorraine Woellert about how the trend is contributing to price fluctuations and where it’s going next.