February 26, 2020
Seasonal pumped hydropower storage means pumping water into a deep storage reservoir, built parallel to a major river, during times of high water flow or low energy demand. When water is scarce or energy demand increases, stored water is then released from the reservoir to generate electricity. IIASA research published in the journal Nature Communications showed that compared with other mature storage
...February 25, 2020
Despite being a major overhead, most businesses still don’t fully understand exactly how, when or where they use energy, or know how much it’s going to cost in five years’ time. The energy landscape is also changing rapidly: as energy managers know well, new regulations, supply security and sustainability demands present new challenges.Image: Channels: Business
...February 25, 2020
PepsiCo and Clean Up Australia have joined forces, launching the three-year program ‘Greening the Green’ aimed at educating consumers on soft plastic recovery and increasing soft plastic recycling across Australia. Although the nation’s recycling rate has increased more than 50% since 1996, waste to landfill has not decreased. The Australian Plastics Recycling Survey from
...February 25, 2020
To shed light on the current state of recycling and to help advance the circular economy, Hi-Cone, a leading manufacturer of beverage multi-packaging solutions, presents its first annual report on The State of Plastic Recycling. Findings of the report show that only one third of adults across four territories reported recycling all of their plastic waste, with over half reporting they found recycling different
...February 24, 2020
A new fund has been announced by Qualitas to finance the construction and management of energy-efficient, low-emissions, build-to-rent (BTR) residential buildings. Backed by up to $125 million from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), the initiative aims to boost clean, green rental stock and extend the benefits of clean energy to Australian renters. The Qualitas Build-to-Rent Impact Fund
...February 20, 2020
Australia needs a roadmap to get its energy system ready for an electric vehicle future, said the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC). Releasing an issues paper as part of its 2020 Retail Energy Competition Review, the commission said planning for the boost in energy use from electric vehicles will ensure the new technology has a positive impact on the energy market. “Electric vehicles
...February 19, 2020
Another report has been released confirming that better recycling standards and specifications are needed in Australia. According to the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR), the report prepared by Equilibrium for the Department of Environment and Energy simply reiterates what industry has been saying for many years. WMRR said that Australia not only lacks
...February 18, 2020
A University of Queensland (UQ) team has developed quantum dot solar cells that can be made into thin, flexible films and used to generate electricity. The technology converts solar energy to electricity via the use of tiny nanoparticles called ‘quantum dots’, which pass electrons between one another and generate electrical current when exposed to solar energy in a solar cell device. The
...February 16, 2020
Thermocells are devices that convert environmental heat, such as that lost from the human body, into electricity via a thermal charging effect. Although inexpensive and efficient, thermocells have historically produced temperature-dependent low output voltages — just tens of millivolts (mV). Researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan have now improved the energy-harvesting
...February 13, 2020
Sydney-based A Plus Plastics has acquired stormwater management company Ausdrain in a strategic move to expand its injection moulding manufacturing capacity. A Plus Plastics Managing Director and owner Matthew Holloway is fervent about manufacturing in Australia and approached Ausdrain to propose the acquisition. “I actually picked up the phone and rang the owner of Ausdrain, Gerard Jorna,
...February 11, 2020
Last year’s report on progress towards the New York Declaration on Forest’s goal of ending deforestation by 2030 made for grim reading. Instead of progress, the global rate of gross tree cover loss has increased by 43% since the declaration by governments, NGOs and 60 major companies was signed in 2014, with an area of tree cover the size of the UK lost every
...February 11, 2020
Big brands have found themselves in the eye of a consumer storm over their use of palm oil ever since UK retailer Iceland launched its boycott at the end of 2018, borrowing an emotive ad from a Greenpeace campaign featuring a homeless orangutan, which went viral.Image: Channels: Supply ChainsTags: IcelandGreenpeaceUnileverRainforest Action NetworkMighty
...February 3, 2020
A well-planned infrastructure will be the key to unlocking CASE’s potential and meeting mobility challenges in Australian communities. By 2056, the population of Australia will have hit 30 million people, with major implications for our transport systems. In Sydney alone, the NSW Government predicts there will be twice as many daily vehicle and public transport trips as today, and cars will account
...February 3, 2020
Biotech start-up Provectus Algae will open a new research and development foundry in Noosa next month to further its groundbreaking work with algae as a platform to grow biologics. The facility is reported to be the first of its kind in the world. By programing algae biology, Provectus Algae is working to create new biosynthetic solutions for the production of medicines, vaccines, plant-based foods and
...February 2, 2020
Procter & Gamble products fare particularly badly on the National Resource Defense Council’s toilet paper sustainability scorecard, which looks at factors like the percentage of recycled content in a product, the toxicity of the bleaching process, and how much of its virgin forest fibre is sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified
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