Map-based data on the energy consumption of residential buildings
15 April, 2013Within the Academy of Finland’s Research Programme on Climate Change (FICCA), a model has been developed that facilitates the computational estimation of the energy consumption and emissions for all residential buildings in any given area.
Mixing it up with renewables
04 April, 2013Sustainability Matters talks to Ivor Frischknecht, CEO of ARENA, about the current and future trends for the renewable energy mix in Australia. ARENA is an independent statutory authority tasked with the objectives of improving the competitiveness of renewable energy technologies and increasing the supply of renewable energy in Australia.
Data centre temperature rise during a cooling system outage
03 April, 2013The data centre architecture and its IT load significantly affect the amount of time available for continued IT operation following a loss of cooling. Some data centre trends may actually increase the rate at which data centre temperatures rise.
Australia must heed global warning on energy savings, experts say
08 March, 2013Influential experts from Europe, USA and China meeting in Sydney last week agreed that energy efficiency is the biggest, cheapest, fastest way to cut greenhouse gas emissions and cut energy costs. But time is running out for Australia to heed the advice.
Swinburne University of Technology adopts trigeneration
30 January, 2013Simons Green Energy has been awarded the contract to supply and install a 230 kWe natural gas fired trigeneration plant at Swinburne University of Technology in Victoria. The plant will form part of the $100 million Advanced Manufacturing Design Centre (AMDC) at Swinburne’s Hawthorn Campus that is currently under construction.
Energy Action launches Energy Price Index for Australian businesses
24 January, 2013Launched this week, the Energy Action Price Index (Business) will give businesses granularity and transparency on retail electricity price fluctuations.
Energy-efficiency design for 6-Star green star office tower
10 January, 2013Located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, the office tower at 1 Bligh Street has set a new benchmark for sustainable office design. To integrate all the energy efficient systems, Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure platform was used to achieve the convergence of the building’s energy-efficient technologies.
Prospecting unwanted energy from industry
10 January, 2013What is the largest source by far of affordable, low-carbon energy available for development? If people think the answer is wind or solar or even hydro, University of Canterbury mechanical engineering professor Susan Krumdieck in New Zealand says they might be surprised.
GHD merger means more power
09 January, 2013Engineering, architecture and environmental consulting company GHD has merged with Hill Michael, an Australian firm specialising in the development and operation of electricity supply systems.
Environmental Upgrade Agreement signed for 470 Collins Street retrofit
13 November, 2012EUA finance through Low Carbon Australia, National Australia Bank and Eureka Funds Management will enable the Suleman property development group to make a 30% saving in energy costs for its 15-storey office block in one of Melbourne’s most sought-after business locations.
When to retrofit vs when to replace with data centres
29 October, 2012Emerson Network Power has released guidelines for organisations to consider when deciding to retrofit or replace a data centre in the quest for greater efficiency.
Financing energy-efficiency improvement works
16 October, 2012 by Chris Nunn, NDY Sustainability Leader*Rising energy prices are foremost in people’s thoughts these days and although most are aware that investing in energy efficiency ‘pays back’, split incentives can be a barrier to investment. Environmental upgrade agreements (EUAs) are a new finance mechanism that promises to overcome this barrier.
Airius Air Pear thermal destratification fan
05 October, 2012The Airius Air Pear thermal destratification fan thermally equalises the space while also moving air around. The air is moved in any direction without turbulence and noise (or ducts) and in many cases in non-conditioned buildings the unit will be more effective to run than ceiling fans.
Optimising energy at wastewater plant in South Australia
05 September, 2012The Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is claimed to be the largest wastewater treatment plant in the Adelaide region, processing almost 70% of Adelaide’s metropolitan wastewater. The South Australian Government has approved a $25.8 million project for SA Water to optimise the energy utilisation on the site. This project will provide a major upgrade to the WWTP power supply by the installation of on-site electricity generation fuelled with the digester gas produced during the treatment plant process. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and support for renewable energy projects are aligned with the state’s strategic plan.
Clean energy crucial for avoiding higher prices and lost investment, says CEC Chief Executive
06 August, 2012Energy prices will be higher and investment will be lost without continued binding targets, policy stability and bipartisan support for clean energy, according to new Clean Energy Council Chief Executive David Green.
