The Victorian Government has furthered its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promising that 25% of electricity generated in the state will come from renewable energy by 2020. [ + ]

Scientists have shown that pretreating a battery's lithium metal electrodes with an electrolyte salt solution extends the battery life and increases performance and safety. [ + ]

The Victorian Government has pledged a long-term emissions reduction target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. [ + ]

TAP. Wine has announced a fresh approach to 'wine by the glass' service, preserving varietals in stainless steel wine cylinders before pouring wine from custom-designed towers. [ + ]

UTS researchers have found that a new green wall system is particularly effective at removing the harmful airborne chemicals found in modern workspaces. [ + ]

As Australia's east coast is ravaged by storms, UNSW engineers have got some bad news — due to climate change, flash flooding from such events is becoming more likely. [ + ]

This year, the Banksia Sustainability Awards will be closely exploring the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their importance in taking Australia towards a more sustainable future. [ + ]

Carnegie Wave Energy has announced the successful completion of the CETO 5 Perth Wave Energy Project, which has achieved over 14,000 hours of operation over the past 12 months — the highest amount ever recorded for the global wave energy industry. [ + ]

The University of Sydney and start-up company Licella have developed Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor (Cat-HTR) technology to convert waste biomass into a stable biocrude oil. [ + ]

Sustainable Brands, a global learning, collaboration and commerce community, will be convening in Australia this month for the first time. [ + ]

The ALP has announced its plan for community renewable energy, promising to spend almost $100 million on creating up to 10 Community Power Hubs across the nation. [ + ]

Australia's top solar cell researchers have called on both major political parties not to unintentionally kill solar cell research in Australia by cutting off grant funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. [ + ]

Westpac Group has priced its first climate bond, raising $500 million to fund renewable energy and low-carbon commercial property in Australia. [ + ]

Shoppers in Auckland, Hamilton and the Waikato have dropped off over 25 tonnes of used soft plastic packaging at 93 locations. This is equivalent to around 4.5 million units of soft plastic bags, wrappers and pouches. [ + ]

The Climate Council has issued a 'report card' on the renewable energy progress of Australia's states and territories, grading them on their renewable energy policy settings and performance across indicators such as rooftop solar penetration, large-scale capacity per capita and percentage of renewable electricity. [ + ]