Regional community votes 98% in support of solar over gas
23 July, 2012Residents of Port Augusta in South Australia’s ‘Iron Triangle’ have voiced strong support for a proposal that would keep hundreds of power jobs in Port Augusta, and protect people’s health and the environment. This week, 3550 residents voted for solar power in the Repower Port Augusta Community Vote.
National events to highlight carbon capture and storage progress
23 July, 2012With a range of events being planned around Australia, the 2012 National Carbon Capture and Storage Week will highlight major developments supporting the commercialisation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.
Envirovision Enviroview Energy Monitor
20 July, 2012 | Supplied by: EnvirovisionThe Enviroview Energy Monitor is an energy management solution for residential and commercial applications. It accurately monitors electricity, gas and water usage in real time, empowering the user to identify wasteful practices, reduce their carbon footprint and save money.
Overhaul for ageing wastewater infrastruture
18 July, 2012 | Supplied by: Schneider ElectricHunter Water needed to improve the efficiency of its Burwood Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) due to ageing water infrastructure and tougher environmental legislation. The enhancements included migrating the automation control system over a tight eight-week time period, allowing no room for error or plant downtime.
Range anxiety leads electric vehicle infrastructure to step up a gear
16 July, 2012Electric vehicle (EV) drivers suffer from the fear of being stranded, as charging facilities leave a lot to be desired, claims a report by power experts GlobalData. The report suggests that this fear could be mitigated by the further implementation of charging stations, which will hopefully encourage electric vehicle usage.
Wave-energy project to be developed in Victoria
13 July, 2012Wave-energy technology company Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) and global security company Lockheed Martin have entered into a teaming agreement with the goal of developing a 19 MW wave-energy project in Portland, Victoria. It is said to be one of the largest wave-energy projects announced to date and could provide energy to approximately 10,000 homes.
Hybrid power station installed in remote location
12 July, 2012 | Supplied by: Powerbox Australia Pty LtdAEG Power Solutions’ New Caledonian ecopx hybrid power station is now fully operational. The complete integrated solution was part of a contract signed with OPT (Office des Postes &Telecommunications) in New Caledonia last year. It combines solar and wind energy with batteries, and a genset as emergency back-up.
Australian rooftop solar power: down but not out
11 July, 2012Residential solar PV will be around as long as the sun shines, but long-term growth could be constrained by the limits of the electricity network. That’s the conclusion of energy research specialist Energeia, which recently found that the the residential solar PV market is falling 56% in 2012, after growing 58% in 2011.
Smart power produced from wastewater
09 July, 2012Victoria’s Smart Water Fund has enlisted the methane-producing potential of algae and Flinders University expertise in a move to reduce the carbon emissions and the power bills of the state’s water sector through increased renewable energy use.
Energy management in the cloud for tenants
05 July, 2012 | Supplied by: LendleaseLend Lease Apartments’ luxury Convesso Concavo development in Victoria Harbour, Docklands, Melbourne, had to meet a number of design criteria to achieve an industry rating of ‘4 Star Green Star’ for Multi-Unit Residential buildings, as defined and audited by the Green Building Council of Australia. By adopting a cloud-based energy management solution, Lend Lease with Fujitsu and Switch Automation were able to integrate new networking, automation and monitoring technologies together to enable a solution that residents could easily use to manage and monitor their own energy usage. The design team at Lend Lease now has the potential to collate this data and make ongoing design refinements.
BlueScope Steel raises the bar on integrated solar roof technology
05 July, 2012Supported by a grant from The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) Emerging Renewables Program, BlueScope Steel will develop a low-cost building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system for Australian residential, commercial and industrial rooftops.
Carbon tax making solar look even cheaper
02 July, 2012With the carbon tax now operating and energy price rises kicking in, the economics around solar power are making it look even cheaper.
Lecture on coal seam gas: alternative energy source or environmental hazard?
02 July, 2012Better understanding of the groundwater and surface water impacts of coal seam gas production is essential, according to Professor Sue Golding from the University of Queensland, an international expert on coal seam gas and carbon sequestration in sedimentary basins.
New transportation fuel switch methodology approved
29 June, 2012VCS has approved a new methodology to quantify and credit GHG emission reductions from projects that substitute gasoline with ethanol in commercial fleets of flex-fuel vehicles.
UOW partners with Ecotech to measure greenhouse gases around the globe
27 June, 2012A University of Wollongong (UOW) invention will help governments around the world measure greenhouse gases following the university’s decision to commercialise its greenhouse gas analyser - the Spectronus - in partnership with Australian environmental monitoring solutions manufacturer Ecotech.
