Category: Archive

Melbourne’s Solar Systems signs up with Boeing

admin /16 August, 2006

A Melbourne solar energy company has moved a step closer to a $2.5 billion roll-out of its technology across the region, after signing a commercialisation agreement with United States giant Boeing on August 14, reported The Australian Financial Review (15/8/2006, p.4).

Government involvement: The deal between Solar Systems and Boeing was co-signed by Environment Minister Ian Campbell and the United States’s chief climate negotiator, Harlan Watson.

Strong market position: This has put Solar Systems in a strong position to win contracts in outback Australia, the US and China as part of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate.

AP6 August meeting: The regional partnership on climate change – which was launched on January 12 this year and comprises ministers from Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea and the US – meets in Sydney on 15 August to discuss support for renewable energy projects across the six member nations.

Victorian project too: Solar Systems has also sought funding from the government’s $500 million Clean Development Fund to build a 154-megawatt solar power station in north-west Victoria.

World’s best: Solar Systems chief executive Dave Hughes said his company had developed the world’s most efficient, large-scale solar power stations.

The Australian Financial Review, 15/8/2006, p.4

Source: Erisk Net  

Hot fractured rock energy has great energy potential

admin /16 August, 2006

The Centre for International Economics, funded by Geodynamics, reported that Australia’s Geothermal Hot Fractured Rock (HFR) energy could generate 10 per cent of the nation’s electricity and inject more than $10 billion into the economy by the year 2030, reported The Australian (15/8/2005, p.21).

Economic benefit of HFR over $103bn:. The report said a low estimate of Australia’s recoverable HFR resources equated to the nation’s electricity consumption for 450 years. As well as the estimated net economic benefit of $103 billion, there would be an added $43 billion benefit from extra mining development encouraged by increased electricity supply to the Moomba and Adelaide corridor. Geodynamics’s "hot rocks" drill site is located near Moomba, SA.

The Australian, 15/8/2006, p.21

Source: Erisk Net  

AGL’s Dollar wind farm in political doldrums

admin /16 August, 2006

Victorian Planning Minister Rob Hulls, who attacked Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell for waiting 450 days before blocking the Bald Hills wind farm, has delayed approval of the Dollar wind farm for the same amount of time, reported The Australian (12 August 2006, p.2). Politically sensitive site: Both projects are in the Gippsland-based federal seat Continue Reading →

Bird brained scheme measures smog in California

admin /14 August, 2006

Pigeons wearing tiny backpacks and mobile phones roamed the skies of northern California last weekend as part of an unusual project. Equipped with miniature smog sensors, the birds were set to transmit air pollution data to a "pigeon blog" website, reported The Sydney Morning Herald (11/8/2006, p.10).

Thought-provoking method: Beatriz da Costa, an assistant professor of arts, computation and engineering at the University of California, Irvine, came up with the idea as a playful way to get people thinking about the health hazards of smog. The first flock of feathered aviators took off on Tuesday 8 August for a 30-minute smog reconnaissance mission over the Silicon Valley.

Light, $US250 backpacks: A second flight was scheduled for 12 August. Professor da Costa and two graduate students spent a year developing bird-sized mobile phones, GPS tracking devices and air pollution monitors. Each smog-sniffing backpack weighs less than a tenth of a pigeon’s bodyweight and costs $US250 ($A325).

Mobile relay: Measurements of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide are relayed to earth via pigeon mobile phone.

Animal rights objection: The use of bird backpacks has drawn fire from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In a letter to university’s chancellor, Michael Drake, last week, it said the "heavy and cumbersome equipment" strapped to the racing pigeons could cause "injury and exhaustion for the birds". University officials defended the project, saying it was reviewed by an animal ethics panel and deemed harmless.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 11/8/2006, p.10

Source: Erisk Net  

Lack of snow means higher sea levels

admin /14 August, 2006

A major international study shows increased snowfall has not eventuated, forcing a revision of projections of global sea surface rise, reported The Australian (11/8/2006, p.3).

Antarctica’s not so good a sponge: "We should be seeing something like an extra 6mm of snow and we’re not seeing it," said Australian co-author of the study Tas van Ommen. "Sea-level rise predictions to 2100 are in order of half a metre and … Antarctica is not going to soak up some of that extra."

Sea-level rise underestimated: "So (sea-level rise) is probably going to be on the higher side of what they’d been predicting." This was likely to mean at least an extra few millimetres of sea-level rise each decade.

Long-ranging study: The research, published in Science on 11 August, is the work of 16 scientists from Australia, the US, China, Germany, Italy, Norway and Russia. It uses weather data and measurements from ice cores to obtain a picture of Antarctic snowfall since 1955.

More information needed: However, Dr van Ommen, principal research scientist at the Hobart-based Australian Antarctic Division, said further ice core samples, covering centuries of snow deposits, were necessary to obtain a clearer view.

The Australian, 11/8/2006, p.3

Source: Erisk Net  

Rolls-Royce gets into electrifying cars

admin /14 August, 2006

On 8 August Rolls-Royce announced that it has continued its development strategy in electrical systems by concluding an exclusive licensing agreement with Magnetic Systems Technology Ltd (MST), a company specialising in power dense electric drives, permanent magnet motor systems and power electronics. The Rolls Royce announcement said that as part of this agreement, Rolls-Royce also took a minority shareholding in MST.

Give and take agreement: Under the agreement, Rolls-Royce will assist in the development of electric drive systems, and provide manufacturing and marketing expertise for customers in aerospace, defence, marine and energy markets, including hybrid electric military vehicles. MST will continue to provide electric drive systems for land based civilian and industrial applications.

Hybrid advantages: Hybrid-electric drive vehicles combine conventional engines and electric motors and can provide benefits such as increased power, improved fuel economy and auxiliary power for electronic systems on-board the vehicle.

More electric options for RR: Jim Vickerman, managing director of Rolls-Royce Distributed Generation Systems, said: "This agreement provides access to leading technologies and brings a useful addition to the electrical capabilities of Rolls-Royce. It complements our existing power generation and distribution capability and recognises the growing importance of electrical systems."

Technology application: Marcus Jenkins, chairman of MST said: "The arrangement will allow MST to further develop its state-of-the-art technology for the military and aerospace markets and for Rolls-Royce customers while strengthening its capability to supply its civilian customers with electric and hybrid drives."

Electric driving: An electric drive system converts electric energy into mechanical energy at adjustable speeds. Power dense electric drives have three main components:

• an electric motor,

• an electronic power converter, and

• a drive controller.

Reference: For further information please contact: Rachel Connor, Head of Marketing, Rolls-Royce Distributed Generation Systems, ph: +44 0 1606 597440, email: rachel.connor@rolls-royce.com website: http://www.rolls-royce.com

Erisk Net, 9/8/2006