In April, power and automation technology group ABB announced its agreement to acquire Power-One, a provider of renewable energy and of energy-efficient power conversion and power management solutions. The acquisition has now been completed. [ + ]

Industrial group Atlas Copco has presented its Environmental Award for 2012 to the team that developed the company’s GA VSD+ compressor, launched in April this year. The compressor is said to cut energy consumption by roughly half compared to traditional devices. [ + ]

The Rudd government has released an exposure draft of legislation to implement an earlier start to emissions trading. [ + ]

Waste Expo, to be held from 9-10 October at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, has announced a subsidised education program to take place in the ‘Waste Summit’ theatre at the show. [ + ]

Enviropacific Services has announced that its shareholders have signed a binding share sale agreement for the sale of Enviropacific to Ramky Environment Pty Limited (REPL), a subsidiary of Ramky International Singapore Pty Limited (RISPL). [ + ]

MWH Global has announced two new appointments to its Australian transport business. Stephen Moore has been appointed transportation leader, Government and Infrastructure for New South Wales and Victoria; and Alex Iljin is business manager for infrastructure planning. [ + ]

Native species of algae have been identified as potential candidates for the development of cheap, efficient and commercially viable alternative fuels. [ + ]

Industry market research firm The Freedonia Group has released the report ‘Water Treatment Equipment’, predicting future trends in the US water treatment market. [ + ]

A new education program, designed to raise the bar for New Zealand construction practice, is being launched at Otago Polytechnic. The course strives for the creation of beautiful, inspiring buildings that are net zero (energy, water and waste) and built from non-toxic, locally sourced materials. [ + ]

A study conducted at the University of Queensland’s (UQ) Global Change Institute has identified the ideal tilt and angle for solar panels on Brisbane rooftops. It is the first time a study analysing photovoltaic (PV) systems has focused on the region of Queensland. [ + ]

The solar business of Schneider Electric has announced two recent major project wins in Thailand and France. [ + ]

Scientists at the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NCGRT) are using heat to measure the extent to which some of Australia’s inland rivers and streams could dry up due to over extraction of groundwater. [ + ]

Greening Australia has launched an educational website, called the Green Hub, in partnership with Hydro Tasmania and TasWater. [ + ]

A more energy-efficient rendering plant and directing all of its organic waste through a digester to generate clean energy from biogas will reduce Bindaree Beef’s carbon emissions by 95% and deliver annual operating cost savings of $2.44 million. [ + ]

The Australian Greens have welcomed reports that the World Bank will no longer fund coal-fired power stations in poor countries. [ + ]