Central Queensland growers will have access to more reliable water after the Liberal and Nationals Government announced it will provide more than $3 million toward the modernisation of the Nogoa Mackenzie Water Supply Scheme. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Michael McCormack, said this was an important project for Queensland, as increased water availability would benefit agricultural […]
A water utility in Victoria has installed a new solar-powered sewer system to provide environmentally friendly toilet facilities at Koonya Beach in the Mornington Peninsula National Park. South East Water, in partnership with Parks Victoria, has upgraded the toilets to a system which runs on 100 per cent renewable energy. This is a first for the national park which has […]
A world-first trial has found the smart use of water to maintain soil moisture and cultivate green space, can reduce average ambient temperatures on warm days by 3ºC and potentially lower heat-influenced costs like air conditioning and aircraft take-off. The study, conducted by SA Water and Adelaide Airport, is in its third year and focuses on sustainable outcomes, with recycled […]
As solar and energy storage technologies become more competitive, they will revolutionise how energy is consumed globally, especially in Australia, says businessman Sanjeev Gupta, who has cemented his place as a champion of renewables in Australia following recent investments in the energy sector. Sanjeev Gupta is the Executive Chairman of the GFG Alliance, majority shareholder of SIMEC ZEN Energy, and […]
The Federal and Labor governments have agreed to deliver the entire Murray-Darling Basin Plan, including the Northern Basin Review. Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, David Littleproud, said, “The government has reiterated its commitment to the 450 gigalitres, with zero negative social and economic impacts, and the process of attaining it can now begin. “There will be annual meetings and […]
More than 60 leading companies in the Australian and global energy storage industry will come together at the Australian Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition (AES 2018) on 23-24 May to explore the innovative energy storage technologies currently in the market and look at what’s next for the sector. The exhibition will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre and feature […]
A new one-megawatt solar farm is now online, sending power to the nearby Barwon Water Black Rock water reclamation plant. The solar farm is the largest ground-mounted array in southern Victoria and will cut operating costs by more than $200,000 a year. The project is Barwon Water’s first large-scale renewable energy endeavour and paves the way for its targets of […]
A $5.1 million groundwater investigation is now underway in Western Australia to look at how to address water needs for horticulture and the environment. The groundwater investigation, conducted by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, will look at how much water is available between Gingin and Moora, and where it can be taken from. Over the next eight months, […]
Southwest and border rural communities and producers in Queensland will have an chance to have their say on new trading opportunities and better water monitoring for their local waterways. Revised draft plans for the Border Rivers, Moonie, and Condamine and Balonne catchments are now available for comment, with five public information sessions scheduled across the region in May 2018. Minister […]
A Goulburn abattoir has teamed up with a Queensland energy provider to turn its waste into energy. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has provided $2.1 million in funding to ReNu Energy to design, construct, own and operate a biogas facility at Southern Meats’ existing abattoir facility. The Goulburn abattoir processes sheep and lambs, using around 20,000KWh of electricity every […]
The Federal Government has announced it will invest $50 million into a world-first Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) pilot project in Victoria’s LaTrobe Valley. The pilot project will turn brown coal into hydrogen as Australia continues to diversify its energy sources. The pilot will create over 400 direct and indirect jobs, and is an initial step towards a commercial-scale hydrogen […]
The Western Australian Government has approved a joint venture with Synergy, infrastructure investment company DIF and Australian industry super fund Cbus for the development of large-scale renewables projects in the state. Under the joint venture, Synergy, DIF and Cbus have established ‘Bright Energy Investments’. The group will deliver stage two of the Greenough River Solar Farm (GRSF2) south of Geraldton, […]
Scientists at Murdoch University in WA have developed a new energy-efficient wastewater treatment method that significantly reduces the industry’s electricity consumption. Dr Ralf Cord-Ruwisch and former PhD and Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Liang Cheng, (now Professor at Jiangsu University in China), together with two PhD students designed a new wastewater treatment system that requires less than half the electricity to […]
Ausgrid is finalising its 2019-24 regulatory submission for the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) that would help deliver a more affordable, reliable and sustainable supply of electricity to customers. Commenting on the Grattan Institute’s report, Down to the Wire: a sustainable electricity network, Ausgrid CEO Richard Gross, said, “Ausgrid fundamentally disagrees with Grattan’s assessment of Ausgrid’s network investment over the past […]
Specialist power and water consulting firm Entura has been engaged by Hydro Tasmania to develop a practical atlas of pumped hydro energy storage opportunities to support development of dispatchable renewable energy generation. The atlas has already been applied to inform and enable Hydro Tasmania to shortlist potential pumped hydro sites for the Battery of the Nation program in Tasmania. Completed […]
SA Water will replace water mains in Port Augusta and Blackwood as part of a $137 million investment to replace around 375,000m of water mains across the state between 2016 and 2020. More than 610m of new pipe will be laid in the Port Augusta CBD under Commercial Road, between Church Street and El Alamein Road, and along Chapel and […]
More than half of Perth’s water over the last two years was sourced from desalination, and demand for connections to water and sewerage infrastructure remained strong, according to a new report. The Economic Regulation Authority’s (ERA) 2016-17 Water, Sewerage and Irrigation Performance report has found that 51.5 per cent of water sourced for Perth came from desalination in 2016-17. This […]
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has released a report outlining how concentrated solar thermal (CST) technology could be a commercially viable form of dispatchable renewable energy within a decade. The report, which was prepared by ITP Thermal, found strong confidence in the future of CST, with a number of global industry leaders interested in being involved in the deployment […]
TasWater is undertaking one of the largest desludging projects in Tasmania’s North West to remove thousands of tonnes of biosolids from the Smithton Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) lagoons. TasWater have entered into an agreement with a local farmer in Smithton, to divert the treated effluent water from the plant for use on grazing land. This means that there will be […]
A groundbreaking renewable electricity and biofuel trial has begun in Queensland which will turn agave plants into energy. MSF Sugar is undertaking the trial and has produced its first crop of over 3500 agave plants at Arriga. “Commencement of MSF Sugar’s agave trial is a major milestone in the company’s journey to develop its $60 million biorefinery complex,” MSF Sugar […]
Carnegie Clean Energy’s Albany Wave Energy Project (AWEP) is continuing to move forward as it enters into the development phase of it’s CETO 6 unit that will help deliver the project. The CETO 6 design builds on intellectual property first lodged by Carnegie in 2013 incorporating on-board power generation and multiple moorings and power take off (PTO) modules. The AWEP […]
The Australian Government will provide $8 million in funding for water-saving projects in New South Wales under its Interim Great Artesian Basin Infrastructure Investment Program. The Great Artesian Basin provides water for more than 180,000 people and 7600 businesses in regional and remote Australia. Federal Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, David Littleproud, said the government’s $8 million investment in […]
Australia’s first utility-led water hackathon, WaterHack18, has uncovered new ideas to get people excited about drinking water. Celebrity infused water, fat finding sensors and using beer are a taste of the ideas that came out of the Queensland Urban Utilities’ led event held over the weekend of February 23 to 25 at Brisbane’s iconic startup hub, Fishburners. Queensland Urban Utilities […]
With a wealth of experience across a number of executive roles and senior leadership positions, Terri Benson was an obvious choice for the role of Managing Director at South East Water. She only joined the utility midway through 2017 but is already making her mark by ensuring technology and innovation remain at the forefront of South East Water’s operations. A highly experienced Chief […]
The Australian Energy Market Commision (AEMC) has made a final rule clarifying how the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) can share information about system restart plans with generators, networks and other key parties involved in restoring the electricity system after a widespread blackout. AEMO is responsible for maintaining power system security. Following a large-scale blackout, AEMO coordinates the restart and […]
The South Australian Government has supported plans to develop Australia’s first straw-fuelled power plant near Ardrossan on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula. The company behind the project, Yorke Biomass Energy, has received a $476,000 Renewable Technology Fund grant towards a feasibility study to be carried out before the company makes a final decision on investment. The straw-fuelled biomass generator will produce […]
The independent Energy Security Board (ESB) has released the first public consultation paper for the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) which provides a framework to deliver more reliable, affordable and cleaner energy to Australian Consumers. The NEG consultation paper focuses on the key issues raised by the Finkel review: the need to improve system reliability, cut power prices, and reduce emissions. […]
A new report from the Climate Council has found that Australia is on the cusp of a reliable renewable energy future, as the cost of energy storage rapidly drops. The report, Fully Charged: Renewables and Storage Powering Australia, shows that the cost of energy storage has dropped by 80 per cent since 2010, and is tipped to halve again by […]
South Australia has cemented itself as the leading state for renewables and energy storage following the announcement of what will be the world’s largest virtual power plant, as well as an innovative microgrid. The impact of these projects will be explored more at the Australian Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition, running from 23-24 May, with early bird tickets now available. […]
The South Australian Government has launched a plan to install solar and battery systems on 50,000 homes across the state which will form the world’s largest virtual power plant. The project will connect thousands of solar and battery systems to make one giant, coordinated virtual power plant. The rollout will begin with a trial of 1100 Housing SA properties, with […]
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