Company News

Invention could save old coal stations by running them on zero-emissions ‘Lego’ blocks

As climate change worsens, the future of fossil fuel jobs and infrastructure is uncertain. But a new energy storage technology invented in Australia could enable coal-fired power stations to run entirely emissions-free. The novel material, called miscibility gap alloy (MGA), stores energy in the form of heat. MGA is housed in small blocks of blended metals, which receive energy generated by renewables such as solar and wind. The energy can then be used as an alternative to coal to run steam turbines at coal-fired power stations, without producing emissions. Stackable like Lego, MGA blocks can be added or removed, scaling electricity generation up or down to meet demand. MGA blocks are a fraction of the cost of a rival energy storage technology, lithium-ion batteries. Our invention has been proven in the lab – now we are moving to the next phase of proving it in the real world. Why energy storage is important Major renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power are “intermittent”. In other words, they only produce energy when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing. Sometimes they produce more energy than is needed, and other times, less. So moving to 100% renewable electricity requires the energy to be “dispatchable” – stored and delivered on demand. Some forms of storage, such as lithium-ion batteries, are relatively expensive and can only store energy for short periods. Others, such as hydro-electric power, can store energy for longer periods, but are site-dependent and can’t just be built anywhere. If our electricity grid is to become emissions-free, we need an energy storage option that’s both affordable and versatile enough to be rolled out at massive scale – providing six to eight hours of dispatchable power every night. MGAs store energy for a day to a week. This fills a “middle” time frame between […]

Australia needs to rely more on local innovation and supply chains for a secure future

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption across every industry. It has highlighted risks in the global supply chain and unveiled potential opportunities for Australian manufacturers to reinvigorate the industry and compete more effectively into the future. With so much innovation already occurring in Australia, it’s essential for business and the government to take a locally-focused approach to commercialisation in the future, according to Calix. Calix’s Managing Director, Phil Hodgson, said, “Covid-19 is highlighting the inherent risks of relying too heavily on an international supply chain. Interruptions due to pandemics, geopolitical tensions, or other reasons can affect businesses across the country. With such a heavy dependence on imports, Australia can’t continue to accept the risk that comes with having a hollowed-out manufacturing industry.” Australian manufacturing’s contribution to the economy peaked at just under 30 per cent of GDP in the late 1950s and early 1960s.1 It currently sits at around 5.8 per cent of GDP.2 This contraction could be reversed but to do so will take a concerted effort from government and industry alike. Many Australian organisations can innovate and conduct research and development here but are forced to move offshore when it comes to manufacturing. While Australia’s small economy might not allow local manufacturing to produce everything the country wants, it’s essential for Australian manufacturers to be able to produce everything the country needs. Phil Hodgson said, “Infrastructure, energy, food, and water are all basic pillars of society that local manufacturing should be able to support. The more the supply chain for these needs are offshored, the more risk society must bear. Supply chain interruptions could be catastrophic, in a very short space of time, if it means Australians can’t get essentials such as treated water and clean food. “However, most private and public sector organisations make purchasing decisions […]

There may not be enough skilled workers in Australia’s pipeline for a post-Covid-19 recovery

Scott Morrison wants to overhaul the skills workforce to ensure a better post-COVID-19 recovery. But there may not be enough people with the necessary skills to do so. And travel restrictions, which will reduce migration, will only compound the issue. A Productivity Commission interim report released today found the proportion of people without qualifications at a Certificate 3 level or above decreased from 47.1% in 2009 to 37.5% in 2019. This will not be enough to meet a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) target of 23.6% set for 2020. The report also found while the number of higher-level qualifications (diplomas and advanced diplomas) sharply increased between 2009 and 2012, it has since fallen to its 2009 level. The 2020 target was set out in the 2012 National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development (NASWD), which identified long-term federal and state objectives in skills and workforce development. Australia’s Vocational, Education and Training (VET) sector is underperforming, excessively complicated and suffers from ad hoc policy approaches. The report noted the skills agreement is no longer fit for purpose, and the A$6.1 billion governments spend annually on vocational education and training can be better allocated to improve outcomes. What the report found The National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development was intended to significantly lift the skills of the Australian workforce and improve participation in training, especially by students facing disadvantage. Several targets, performance indicators and outcomes were agreed to. These included to: halve the proportion of Australians aged between 20-64 without qualification at certificate 3 level and below, from 47.1% in 2009 to 23.6% by 2020 double the number of advanced diploma and diploma completions nationally from 53,974 to 107,948 in 2020. The commissioners admit some of the targets agreed to were arbitrary and ambitious. The report says: If targets are unattainable, they quickly […]

Global shutdown could spark Australian manufacturing revival

The COVID-19 crisis has the potential to revive Australia’s manufacturing capabilities and reduce the nation’s reliance on global supply chains, according to leading industry players at the heart of Australia’s defence manufacturing sector. The University of South Australia this month formed a working group of defence primes, SMEs and government representatives to gain insights into the impact of COVID-19 on the local industry. The weekly meetings in Adelaide have so far included representatives from BAE Systems, Naval Group, Defence SA, South Australia Trade and Investment Minister David Ridgway and former Federal Defence Industries Minister Christopher Pyne, who is now an industry professor at UniSA. The COVID-19 pandemic comes at a time when Australia’s manufacturing sector is preparing to ramp up for the next major stages of its $90 billion continuous shipbuilding program in Adelaide. UniSA Defence Director Matt Opie is chairing the industry meetings and said maintaining cashflow had emerged as a key issue, particularly for the smaller defence manufacturing companies. “In South Australia we have hundreds of these defence SMEs and they are all now really starting to look at all discretionary spend and very much focusing on their immediate projects,” he said. “They are stretching the rubber band already but it will become their supply chains, their cashflow, their staffing that will all be stretched the longer it goes on.” Manufacturing has been deemed an essential service in Australia and has so far not been nearly as impacted as many other industries by the coronavirus. However, as almost all supply chains rely on imported components and materials, the pandemic is exposing Australia’s reliance on other nations, many of which have been far more seriously affected. Opie said the current situation was “a bit of a sanity check” for Australia’s sovereign industrial capability. He said major global defence primes […]

Communicating in a post-Covid world

By Jack Mallen-Cooper, Senior Consultant, Whyte Public Relations. Jack joined Whyte PR in 2012 as a media and communications graduate, and has since honed his skills in strategic planning, account management, and communicating to a highly technical, B2B, industrial audience. In the post-Covid era, as Australian industry is being rapidly reshaped (whether it wants to or not), the best communicators will come out on top. Under the guidance of Whyte PR Founder and Managing Director, Brent Whyte, Jack has embodied the company’s self-starting and results-driven attitude that focusses on providing visibility, publicity, and outstanding value for companies in Australasia, South Asia, Europe, America and across the globe. In the post-Covid era, as Australian industry is being rapidly reshaped (whether it wants to or not), the best communicators will come out on top. Companies that can communicate their benefits (particularly hygiene, safety and environmental ones, but others, too) will be the ones that will find they not only achieve greater client retention, but expand to take on new business, where others have gone quiet. So how should you communicate, to stand out from the crowd? And how do you build trust and credibility so that a new customer already knows you’re the real deal before they walk in the door (or join the Zoom meeting)? In our company’s local and global experience – extending for more than 25 years across a diverse base of B2B industries – times of change are times of opportunity. Top 3 post-Covid communication tips Don’t go quiet. The temptation may be to wait and see what happens before committing to any public communication – you don’t want to have to change this later. In reality, wouldn’t it be better to keep a constant line of communication open with your customers, and potential customers? If the situation […]

Golden run continues for Oz Minerals

Strong gold prices matched by higher volumes has helped Adelaide-based miner Oz Minerals record a net profit after tax of $80 million for the six months to June 30. The profit was up 82 per cent on the same period last year. The company, which operates the Prominent Hill and Carrapateena copper and gold mines in South Australia, increased its net revenue by $156.5 million to $575.7 million, as a result of higher gold volumes and price. Gold sales increased by 53,800 ounces and the net A$ gold price was 36 per cent higher. The Carrapateena mine is expected to reach full production of 4.25Mtpa by the end of the year, further strengthening cash flows. The company also announced a fully franked interim dividend of 8 cents per share to the ASX this morning. OZ Minerals Chief Executive Andrew Cole said the strong first-half performance enabled it to last year increase its copper and gold guidance for 2020. “All our sites and has benefited from higher gold production and favourable gold pricing through the period,” he said. “The ramp-up at Carrapateena during the half year has exceeded expectations with a strong performance from the underground materials handling system, production system and plant allowing an increase to production guidance. “The Prominent Hill underground is performing well, and we have seen annualised ore mining rates of ~4.5Mtpa achieved through July.” Oz Minerals shares increased more than 2 per cent in early trade this morning to $14.42 following the announcement. The positive result was no surprise, following five months of strong growth for Oz Minerals. The company’s share price started the year at $10.55 but slumped due to weak copper prices and coronavirus uncertainty, bottoming out at $5.99 on March 23. Since then, Oz Minerals share price has more than doubled as its […]

RS Components collaborates with Jude Pullen to design a global radio receiver like no other

RS Components (RS), a trading brand of Electrocomponents plc, a global omni-channel solutions partner for industrial customers and suppliers with operations in Australia and New Zealand, has released RadioGlobe, an open-source DesignSpark engineering project that features a real globe as its user interface. By turning the globe, users can tune into internet radio stations from around the world. RadioGlobe has been designed and released in collaboration with well-known British technologist and inventor, Jude Pullen. The project was commissioned to celebrate the 10th anniversary of DesignSpark and the release of the latest DesignSpark Mechanical Version 5.0 software, with the goal of enabling human connection through technology. DesignSpark is an online design community and resource centre for makers, students and design engineers. It was launched in 2010 to provide design engineers and students around the globe with a comprehensive range of free-of-charge software design tools, technical data and development resources. Jude commented: “The idea behind RadioGlobe came from RS Components’ roots in supplying spare parts to radio repair shops, which led me to think about how we could make the radio experience more modern in a hyper-connected world using both physical components and digital technology. I think that DesignSpark and other maker communities will love this project, as it is open source and will therefore evolve with a truly global input of creativity and talent.” Jude and his extended engineering team designed RadioGlobe using RS’ free-to-download DesignSpark Mechanical and DesignSpark PCB software and used 3D printing technology for the construction. A Raspberry Pi 4 module interfacing to two high-precision rotary encoders track the longitude and latitude of locators positioned over the globe. This enables the Raspberry Pi to tune into an internet radio station transmitting from any global position. Music fans simply hover on a location to select any of the thousands […]

ASM JV produces high purity titanium metal with significant benefits

Highlights: High purity titanium (Ti) metal 20.8 kg produced assaying 99.83 % Innovative metals process confirms 70 % lower energy consumption ZionTech optimisation increase metal efficiency by 50% Significant environmental benefits of innovative metal process confirmed Australian Strategic Materials’ (ASM) joint venture partner has produced 20.8 kg of high purity titanium metal (99.83 %) confirming the energy usage at approximately 30% of the standard titanium industry processes. This innovative metal technology energy usage is 35 kW per kg compared to the industry standard Kroll process that uses 117 kW per kg of metal, and shows significant environmental benefits. ASM Managing Director, David Woodall said: “Being able to successfully produce high purity metal without incurring the traditional environmental impact is a very significant result for ASM. Our JV team has achieved this result using 70% less energy, with none of the environmental contaminants of comparable titanium industry methods.” “We are focussed at ensuring these high purity permanent magnet metals and titanium metals do not cause the environmental impacts of traditional methods. With our exclusive worldwide licence to commercialise this clean and environmentally responsible metal-refining technology, ASM is well positioned in its strategy to add value to all Dubbo products.” “ASM’s focus is now at commencing a metal plant feasibility which will confirm the optimal size of a plant in Korea, with the opportunity to build additional plants in key manufacturing areas in Australia, North America, and Europe”

The Millennium Droughts and Australian Agriculture

Climate change has its effects on countries all over the world. For Australia, its effects begin at the depletion of the ozone layer which in turn is making ground and soil dryer over time. The 2019-2020 deadly wildfires were fueled by extreme heat and prolonged drought. This lead to over 2 million acres falling victim to the brush fires. But what other ways will agriculture feel the effects of droughts? In the new article “The Millennium Droughts and Australian Agricultural Productivity Performance: A Nonparametric Analysis” in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, authors, Yu Sheng from CCAP-PKU, Robert Chambers from the University of Maryland, and Simone Pieralli from Massey University New Zealand, dive in deeper on what role climatic factors played in affecting the observed slowdown in Australian agricultural total factor productivity growth at the turn of the 21st century. The results show that the productivity slowdown was not associated with a slowdown in technological innovation but with possibly climate-related changes in the diffusion of technological advances. Sheng says, “Our analysis incorporates climate-related factors directly into the productivity accounting exercise that allows us to decompose productivity growth changes into four components: technological advance, scale effects, efficiency (diffusion) effects, and weather-related effects… Successful adaptation to climate change will require improved diffusion of available technological advances and innovations. The drought-relief policies should focus more on improving farmers’ ability to adopt technological innovations in the regions struggling the most to adapt to.”

4 things government can do to help small business

So much for the v-shaped recovery. Australia is set to record its biggest quarterly fall in GDP in history this week. The federal government will extend its JobKeeper wage subsidy program by six months. About 1.75 million workers, including about 1 million Victorians, are expected to rely on it till March. But there’s more to be done, particularly to help the small and medium-sized businesses taking the brunt of the COVID-19 economic impacts. Small and medium enterprises employ about two-thirds of the workforce. They are crucial to the prosperity of local communities. A full third are pessimistic about making it through the next three months, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ most recent survey of COVID-19 business impacts. By comparison only 18% of large companies (those employing more than 200 employees) expect difficulties in meeting their financial obligations. Even at the best of times many small businesses struggle. Yet our research on 223 Australian business owners highlights failure (or success) isn’t just the result of individual entrepreneurs’ personal resources and capabilities. The local business environment plays a significant role. As Malcolm Gladwell puts it in his book Outliers: The Story of Success: The tallest oak in the forest is the tallest not just because it grew from the hardiest acorn, it is the tallest also because no other trees blocked its sunlight, the soil around it was deep and rich, no rabbit chewed through its bark as a sapling, and no lumberjack cut it down before it matured. The same is true for businesses. Even the most resourceful business owners struggle to get ahead when the environment stifles their efforts. This is a thorny problem for governments as they turn from emergency measures to chart longer-term recovery policies. There will, no doubt, be much debate over the usual areas – of subsidies and grants, tax breaks, red tape […]

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