To support its entry in to the Australian housing sector, Ichijo Technological Homes selected a Passivhaus-certified unit supplied by Stiebel Eltron Australia as the foundation for its heat recovery ventilation system, enabling it to build an energy-efficient house that achieved over 8 stars in NatHERS rating. [ + ]

Stanford researchers have developed a solar cell made entirely of carbon, an inexpensive substitute for the pricey materials used in conventional solar panels. [ + ]

The signposts are all pointing in one direction - and that direction is greater sustainability for both individuals and organisations. So, what lies ahead for Australia’s built environment?  Where do the opportunities and risks lie? [ + ]

Last week at the 2012 Australasian Carbon Expo in Melbourne, the government confirmed that Australia is ready to sign the next phase of the Kyoto Protocol, joining countries around the world that are taking action to combat climate change. The first commitment period ends on 31 December this year; a second commitment period to restrain greenhouse gas emissions will begin on 1 January 2013. [ + ]

Opinions are divided on whether or not Hurricane Sandy was fuelled by climate change, but the fact is this extreme storm in the US in October caused a massive amount of destruction and loss of life. According to scientists storms such as this will become more common and one factor that caused Sandy to swell was that ocean waters were about 1° warmer thanks to man-made climate change. Catastrophes such as this call for innovative solutions and technology from companies such as Xylem to help monitor the situation and control the clean-up in its aftermath. [ + ]

Global ICT services and solutions provider Dimension Data has announced the availability of an e-waste removal service as part of its newly expanded Technology Lifecycle Management Assessment that helps organisations better manage their inventory. [ + ]

The installed price of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the United States fell substantially in 2011 and through the first half of 2012, according to the latest edition of Tracking the Sun, an annual PV cost-tracking report produced by the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). [ + ]

Anglican Retirement Villages (ARV) has signed a letter of intent with recycling company Relivit. This measure will help bring Relivit’s recycling process to Australia. ARV will then be able to tackle its largest and most expensive waste stream - continence pads - helping ARV reach its target of recycling 80% of its waste by 2014. [ + ]

The Perth Research Hub for an innovative new research centre has been officially launched at The University of Western Australia (UWA) by the state Minister for Water, Bill Marmion. [ + ]

Dig underneath the Snowy Region Visitor Centre and you will find the secret to its energy efficiency: a geothermal heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) unit. The unit was installed in the late 1990s by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) when the Jindabyne regional headquarters and Snowy Region Visitor Centre was built. Although the geothermal unit is very energy efficient even by today’s standards, the results of an Energy Saver audit are helping NPWS to run the system and the buildings even more efficiently. [ + ]

The Australia in the Asian Century white paper presents the notion that Australia should develop closer relationships with its Asian neighbours. At the Australian Sustainability conference and exhibition, the benefits of such relationships were examined in terms of sustainability. [ + ]

Bicentennial Park in Glebe has become the first park in Sydney to be installed with new GE LED lights. This is part of the rollout of a $7 million project secured by GE Lighting and its Australian partner UGL earlier this year to replace 6450 street and park lights in the City of Sydney over the next three years. [ + ]

Barcelona’s Saint Joan Despi Water Treatment Plant is currently trialling a pilot plant built by Xylem Spain to assess the potential of ultrafiltration to treat a portion of the city’s water supply. Meanwhile, the small town of Taralga, located 2.5 hours’ drive southwest of Sydney, was having its water supply filtered and treated with UV. Todd Miklich thought the water treatment plant (WTP) he had seen on his trip would be a suitable fit for the town. [ + ]

Anaerobic wastewater digestion technologies respond not only to industry’s need to thoroughly clean up the wastewater it discharges to the environment, but also to the need for industry to break free from the cost and pollution of fossil fuels. [ + ]

The introduction of membrane technology solutions for the treatment of municipal wastewater fundamentally changed the requirements on mechanical wastewater treatment systems. Conventional screening systems with bar spacings or perforations from 6 mm were not sufficient to guarantee the stable and low-maintenance operation of downstream membrane plants.This extract article describes the history of fine screens as pre-treatment systems for membrane plants, with particular emphasis on the importance and influence of operational experience. [ + ]