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. [ + ]

Unilever has announced that it is currently sending zero non-hazardous waste to landfill across more than 600 sites in 70 countries, including factories, warehouses, distribution centres and offices. [ + ]

Standards Australia has announced that it will embark on the process of developing an Energy Storage Roadmap with the support of the COAG Energy Council. [ + ]

Stantec has announced the acquisition of MWH Global, an engineering, consulting and construction management firm focused on water and natural resources for built infrastructure and the environment. [ + ]

The 2016 EECA Awards have honoured winners in 10 categories for a range of projects across business, community and the public sector. [ + ]

Dr Pierre Verlinden has been announced as the winner of the 2016 William R Cherry Award, one of the most distinguished awards in the solar photovoltaic (PV) energy industry. He is the third Australian to win the award. [ + ]

Energy services company Verdia has been appointed the manager of Westpac's Energy Efficient Financing Program. The agreement combines Verdia expertise in energy efficiency and solar projects and network of energy equipment partners with financial expertise from one of the world's most sustainable banks. [ + ]

A new solar cell configuration developed at UNSW has pushed sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiency to 34.5%, establishing a world record for unfocused sunlight and nudging closer to the theoretical limits for such a device. [ + ]