Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) and Isle Utilities have announced a partnership to deliver the Technology Approval Group (TAG) to Australian water utilities. TAG is an innovation forum designed to accelerate the commercialisation of new water technologies. [ + ]

Curtin University researchers have been awarded a $1.4 million grant to independently assess the injection capacity of carbon dioxide (CO₂) at selected sites, to assist local communities, industry and government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. [ + ]

The 2012 NABERS training series for people to become accredited assessors or simply better understand how the NABERS rating tools work are now open for registration. Courses are being held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra.

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, the Hon Greg Combet, has announced the appointment of Chloe Munro as Chair/CEO of the new Clean Energy Regulator with effect from 2 April. The Clean Energy Regulator will implement and administer the carbon price mechanism, the National Greenhouse Energy Reporting Scheme, the Renewable Energy Target, the Australian National Registry of Emissions Units and the Carbon Farming Initiative. [ + ]

Law reform and tougher legal sanctions to stop greenwashing are critical, according to a leading intellectual property expert from The Australian National University. [ + ]

The Australian National University School of Art is set to shine in the sustainability stakes with a new solar panel array. The 40 kW array will produce about 70,000 kW hours of electricity annually (enough to power about 10 houses), cutting the school’s carbon emissions by more than 5%. [ + ]

The Honourable Martin Ferguson AM MP, Federal Minister for Resources and Energy, has launched Curtin University’s Fuels and Energy Technology Institute (FETI) at Technology Park, Bentley. FETI will carry out fundamental research and technology development to provide solutions to the energy and environmental issues facing Australia. [ + ]

Residents of the Kariong area of the New South Wales Central Coast have been warned of the presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the water supply. A Boil Water Alert has been issued to the area, with boiled or bottled water to be used for activities such as drinking, cooking, washing raw foods and cleaning teeth. [ + ]

An interactive web resource to help people easily access information on the status of water planning across Australia has been launched by the National Water Commission. [ + ]

Australian and Indian scientists, sociologists and economists are creating a strategic plan to ensure marine fisheries in both countries remain sustainable while facing climate change. [ + ]

MBD Energy Limited, which proposes to recycle waste CO₂ emissions from coal-fired power stations and other forms of heavy industry into commercial production of algae biomass, has appointed Australia’s former Chief Scientist, Robin Batterham AO, to its board as a non-executive director. [ + ]

First Solar has set a new world record for cadmium‐telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) solar module efficiency, achieving 14.4% total area efficiency. [ + ]

Siemens Australia has presented a fully electrified high-performance motorcycle, the eChopper, to Australia at the Pacific 2012 Maritime Exposition in Sydney. [ + ]

Arcadia Biosciences has been awarded a five-year, $4.5 million grant from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop salt-tolerant rice and measure greenhouse gas emissions from conventional rice fields in Bangladesh and nitrogen use efficient (NUE) crops in Indonesia. [ + ]

Rising human carbon dioxide emissions may be affecting the brains and central nervous systems of sea fishes with serious consequences for their survival, an international scientific team has found. [ + ]