An opinon piece published in Queensland's Courier Mail last week takes aim at government plans to put itself in direct competition with the state's 10,000+ licensed electricians and 1200 registered solar installers. [ + ]

Momentum Energy has agreed to pay $54,000 in penalties after the ACCC argued its advertising campaign gave misleading information to consumers about how it supplied renewable energy. [ + ]

The Netherlands is the latest nation set to phase out new petrol- and diesel-powered cars by 2025, having recently passed a motion through parliament. This follows on from a similar initiative in Norway late last year. [ + ]

Better electricity tariffs are needed to unlock the full potential of distributed energy, according to the Energy Networks Association (ENA). [ + ]

The Coalition Government has successfully abolished the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, after much debate. [ + ]

Last November's building industry forecasts were not optimistic, projecting a $2–4 billion downswing over the next three years. Times have changed, it seems, with the upcoming Australian Construction Industry Forum's forecasts painting a more buoyant picture. [ + ]

Improvements in energy storage are happening quickly and threatening to disrupt existing business models and entire sectors. Consider the new Model Tesla 3 electric car — over 200,000 were ordered within 24 hours of its release. [ + ]

The revision of the Australian and New Zealand wiring rules for electrical installations is now open for public comment. [ + ]

A research agreement between Siemens, Queensland University of Technology and the Australian Government's Defence Science and Technology group has produced prototype high-temperature superconductors. [ + ]

Tasmania's energy woes may be alleviated shortly, thanks to a new contract for supply of three clean-burning dual fuel gas turbines. [ + ]

Plans are underway to develop a new ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standard for consumer warranties, providing guidelines for development of clear and effective warranty statements. It hopes to improve purchaser, retailer and manufacturer confidence and smooth the way for better trade. [ + ]

The CSIRO is furthering its environmental credentials with the rollout of a green fleet. The first two of 10 petrol-free electric cars and electric bikes has been delivered to the Discover Centre at Black Mountain in Canberra. [ + ]

Tytec Recycling (TR) has announced a soon-to-be launched solution that addresses the efficient disposal of worn off-the-road (OTR) tyres as used in mining and agriculture. Tyre recycling has always been a difficult and time-consuming task for standard tyres and near-impossible for OTR varieties. [ + ]

The NSW Government’s recent appointment of external fleet providers will deliver $1 billion in taxpayer savings, according to claims. [ + ]

Luxoft has announced the acquisition of automotive software developer Symtavision. The acquisition expands Luxoft's embedded software automotive offerings as the company seeks to fulfil its targeted end-to-end offering. [ + ]