Articles
Power profiles help electronics go green
New and better ways of measuring high-tech energy consumption could lead to significant environmental and economic gains, a study from The Australian National University has found. [ + ]
Thermo-breaking - beyond keeping the weather out
Canberra’s ‘Compass House’ is showcasing Europe’s thermally broken aluminium curtain-wall system THERM+ by RAICO. This externally glazed aluminium system does much more than simply keeping the weather out. [ + ]
Glass recycling behind the bar
Bar staff know that empty bottles are noisy, bulky and hard to handle behind the service area. BottleCycler provides a solution which quietly reduces glass bulk by 80% and deposits the crushed glass into a sturdy Sulo 60 L compact wheelie bin for collection and recycling. [ + ]
Cogeneration technology set to power urban district energy project in Melbourne
One of GE Energy’s natural gas-fired Jenbacher gas engines will be powering a cogeneration plant that will provide electricity and thermal energy for a major urban revitalisation initiative in Dandenong, Victoria. Built by Cogent Energy, the plant will play a pivotal role in the VicUrban-led Revitalising Central Dandenong (RCD) initiative that is rejuvenating the south-east region of Melbourne. [ + ]
Sydney retrofit Grade B building ahead of the curve
Local Government Super (LGS) has announced one of its upgraded commercial properties has been awarded a 5.5 star NABERS rating (without factoring in its use of Green Power) and is now one of the lowest energy-intensity office buildings in any Australian CBD. [ + ]
Harnessing nature’s solar cells
Photovoltaic panels made from plant material could become a cheap, easy alternative to traditional solar cells. David L Chandler, MIT News Office [ + ]
Whitsunday sewerage treatment upgrade project
Tenix has been awarded a contract by Whitsunday Regional Council to design and construct two sewage treatment plants in northern Queensland. Following construction, Tenix will operate and maintain the upgraded plants under a long-term contract with the council. [ + ]
Industrial waste can power desalination
Victoria University scientists have shown the viability of a new desalination technology that uses almost no electricity and has the potential to save huge amounts of water. [ + ]
Aussies 'want to reuse stormwater'
Australians may strongly support the recycling of stormwater, according to evidence from three local water surveys. [ + ]
Pumping out new technology
The laboratories at the AWMC (Advanced Water Management Centre) at The University of Queensland are set up to cater for numerous experiments to develop sustainable techniques for water management. For the range of biological and process experiments that are conducted at the university, it was important for the laboratory to have pumps that were accurate, flexible to be used in different applications and easy for the researchers to set up and integrate, with technical assistance if required. Watson-Marlow pumps were selected for this purpose. [ + ]
Regional NSW installs mobile glass crusher
A mobile glass crusher has been installed at the Wellington Resource Recovery and Transfer Station. The Komplet MT5000 mobile glass crusher will increase glass recycling rates by processing glass bottles and jars collected through kerbside recycling and drop-off facilities and re-use the recovered crushed glass (RCG) locally in civil construction applications. [ + ]
Getting it sorted
The UniSort line of sorting machines developed by RTT Steinert uses a range of detection and separation technologies to automatically sort waste at different points along the recovery and recycling path. [ + ]
Aussie green jobs hit a record high. So do carbon emissions.
The pursuit of green-collar jobs - employment that contributes to protecting the environment and reducing humanity’s carbon footprint - is a key social and economic driver here in Australia. Currently, green job ads are at an all-time high. But as carbon emissions and temperatures continue to rise, we must continue looking for new ways in which to reach a green future. [ + ]
NICTA leads $5m geothermal ‘big data’ analytics initiative
NICTA is leading a multimillion-dollar, ICT-enabled, geothermal energy initiative announced by the Australian Centre for Renewable Energy (ACRE). [ + ]
Toyota unveils super-efficient and affordable hybrid future
Toyota has heralded an affordable compact hybrid car that will cut fuel use and emissions in half without resorting to expensive technologies or manufacturing methods. Toyota’s FT-Bh Concept, which is having its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show, is about the same size as a Yaris but has shed well over 200 kg to tip the scales at 786 kg. The FT-Bh, which stands for Future Toyota B-segment hybrid, targets fuel economy of just 2.1 L/100 km and CO2 emissions of just 49 g/km - almost twice as good as the Prius. [ + ]