Energy

Sense and Landis+Gyr partner for flexible energy transition in Australia and New Zealand

Sense, a leader in embedded intelligence that transforms the relationship between people, homes and the grid, and Landis+Gyr, a leading global provider of integrated energy management solutions have announced an Asia Pacific regional partnership. The partnership will initially focus on the fast developing Australian and New Zealand markets to support the energy transition to consumer energy resources (CER) systems. Landis+Gyr will extend Sense’s software into the company’s Grid Edge ready smart meters in Australia and New Zealand, leveraging Landis+Gyr’s proven and leading-edge deployments in North America with Sense to provide unprecedented, real-time analytics by utilising high resolution waveform sensing capabilities for utilities and consumers to manage energy more proactively. “The future of the grid is flexible, decarbonised, integrated, and powered by machine learning. With Australia leading the world in the uptake of rooftop solar and more than 80 per cent of New Zealand’s electricity generated by renewables, our partnership with Sense positions Landis+Gyr well to support distribution networks, retailers, metering services providers, and consumers to unlock more benefits from the future flexible grid with real-time insights,” explains David Maclean, Senior Vice President of Asia Pacific, Landis+Gyr. With Sense’s machine learning software integrated in Landis+Gyr’s Grid Edge ready smart meters, utilities will have improved visibility on the grid to identify fault conditions, predict peak demand and provide proactive safety alerts that ultimately support the growth and integration of consumer energy resources – areas where utilities need most visibility in the energy transition. For consumers, this will deliver real-time information through the identification of different household devices while integrating with other smart devices such as solar, batteries and EVs, enabling them to monitor, control, and track their energy usage.

Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels continue to increase

Global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from fossil fuels have reached a record high in 2024 but total emissions from fossil fuel and land use changes over the last decade have stabilised, according to the Global Carbon Budget. The report is produced by leading research international organisations, including CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, as part of the Global Carbon Project. It provides an overview of the global carbon cycle, including both natural and human-induced emissions. CO₂ is a long-lived greenhouse gas, and along with methane and nitrous oxide, it leads to human-driven climate change. It can persist for hundreds of years in the atmosphere. CSIRO’s Dr Pep Canadell, Global Carbon Project Executive Director, said the report shows global CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels continue to rise despite significant increases in the adoption of renewable energy. “We have seen a 0.8 per cent increase in global CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels in 2024, compared to 2023,” Dr Canadell said. “This equates to a total of 37.4 billion tonnes of CO₂ projected to be emitted in the atmosphere from fossil fuel use this year alone.” Key findings: · The growth in 2024 fossil emissions comes on top of a 1.4% growth in 2023 emissions. · CO₂ emissions from land-use changes such as deforestation have on average declined over the past decade. This means total emissions from both fossil fuels and natural sources have stabilised over the last decade. · Globally, fossil fuel CO₂ emissions come from coal (41 per cent), oil (32 per cent) and gas (21 per cent). · China contributed 32 per cent of total global CO₂ emissions, followed by the United States (13 per cent), India (8 per cent) and the European Union (7 per cent). · By the end of 2024, CO₂ concentrations are projected to reach 422.5 parts per […]

Science breakthrough using plants as fuel without impacting food security

CSIRO’s Dr Thomas Vanhercke, has been working on the project for more than a decade, An Australian-led scientific breakthrough to increase oil yield from plants will help advance the production and use of biofuels, such as sustainable aviation fuel. Developed over a decade by scientists from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, the technology was acquired by Australian agricultural innovation company Nufarm. The Biomass Oil Project has Nufarm leading a new global research partnership to further develop the technology. Oils from plants are produced by specialised seeds and fruits, but CSIRO scientists looked at extending that to the biomass of the plant, including the leaves and stem. CSIRO’s Dr Thomas Vanhercke, who has been working on the project for more than a decade, said the technology would have the potential to create an important new global energy source. “We were inspired to develop this technology in response to the world’s need for increased production of plant oil without impacting on food security,” Dr Vanhercke said. “With CSIRO’s existing expertise in the area and the partnership with Nufarm on the Omega-3 canola project, we started thinking about how to extend that to the challenge of developing industrial scale feedstock oil from plants. “We took the genetics for seed oil production and incorporated them across a range of crops with promising success.” Current project lead, Dr Xue-Rong Zhou, said the world-leading research in boosting oil yield from plants is a major breakthrough for Australia and beyond. “This development of new biofuels and renewable oils will support a sustainable future,” Dr Zhou said. “We are looking forward to working with Nufarm and our global research partners to deploy the technology into high biomass energy cane and sorghum varieties and make it a reality.” Nufarm CEO, Greg Hunt, said the company is now bringing together researchers […]

Free commercial heat pump upgrade now available in Victoria

Victorian businesses now have an un-missable opportunity to upgrade their old gas-powered hot water systems to energy-efficient heat pumps at no cost. It comes courtesy of the Victorian State Government’s Commercial Heat Pump Rebate program. This initiative is part of the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) scheme, which aims to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions across the state. Victoria has a 2050 net-zero carbon target. Efficient Energy Group – Victorian Energy Upgrades Partner Efficient Energy Group (link)https://www.efficientenergygroup.com.au/free-commercial-hot-water-system-for-businesses-vic/ (EEG) is committed to helping Victorian businesses switch to energy-efficient hot water systems. The company offers a free upgrade to a heat pump system in commercial buildings with gas hot water systems that are at least 10 years old. This offer is exclusive to commercial properties. Home offices do not qualify. CEO Joshua Liptak encourages all eligible Victorian businesses to take full advantage of this rebate, which covers both the cost of the heat pump system and its installation. He explains, “Switching fromgas to a heat pump is a win-win for businesses. It reduces your energy bills while contributing to a more sustainable future. This is a very simple but very effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and future-proof your business against rising energy costs.” Maximise Energy Efficiency with Heat Pumps Why heat pumps? Liptak explains, “Heat pumps heat water using ‘thermal transfer’. So, essentially, they extract heat from the air, and transfer it to the water. This makes them significantly more energy- efficient than traditional gas systems.” He adds, “By only using electricity as part of the heat extraction process and not to directly heat water, these pumps can produce up to three times more heat energy for the electrical energy they consume! This not only lowers operational costs but also helps businesses reduce their carbon footprint.” Key Benefits of […]

Climate smarts:The role of Australian companies in addressing climate change through technology

by Ross Thompson CEO, Greenbox Manufacturers across the Asia Pacific region – from Singapore to Sydney, Adelaide to Auckland – are central to decarbonisation. If Australia and its business ecosystem doesn’t ride the opportunity winds to its 2050 net zero target, don’t expect too much wealth and health to flow through the Australian economy in the years ahead. Current events and latest polls tell us that Federal and State Policies have taken too long to implement. Meanwhile, a majority in our households and the workplace are thinking ‘just get on with it.’ As the presidential election approaches in the US, should the Democratic Party keep its control, it is likely that significant investment into cleantech will continue off the back of President Biden’s administration signing into law the largest clean energy investments in America’s history. Add to this that the globally agreed target limit of 1.5C to avoid damaging climate change impacts was recently breached across an entire year for the first time, according to the European Union’s climate service, and it seems clear we need to take action – and soon. How we create and use technology is the biggest lever to manage climate change. The International Energy Agency estimates that 35% of the emissions cuts needed to meet 2050 climate goals will have to come from technologies not yet available. The window will close as governments and firms jostle for gamechanger tech in this great clean energy economy. Given the enormity of the task at hand to decarbonise Australia, there will always be pressing trade-offs as Australia looks to leverage its abundance of gas reserves as the transitional fuel towards its 2050 net zero targets (latest policy, backing gas until ‘2050 and beyond’). Aussie smarts should and must supply the inexorable demand created by the global transition to […]

Arrow Energy Surat Gas Project North expansion to start in late 2024

Arrow Energy has a major expansion of its 27-year Surat Gas Project (SGP) to an area north-east of Miles in Queensland’s Western Downs. Known as SGP North, the development will bring more than 130 terajoules of additional gas to market per day for long-term contract and domestic customers. The expansion is part of the SGP development, which will have the capability to produce more than 4000 petajoules of gas over the life of the project. Construction on SGP North is scheduled to begin later this year, with infrastructure to include up to 450 new gas production wells, a new field compression station, 27km of pipeline, and road and infrastructure upgrades over two phases. Arrow CEO Zhengxin Peng said he was pleased to receive sanction by its shareholders for SGP North, with first gas targeted for 2026. “At a time when more gas is needed for homes, businesses and industries, the SGP North development will solidify Arrow’s position as a major producer of natural gas on the east coast,” Mr Peng said. “Natural gas is an important part of the energy transition, and the expansion demonstrates the faith our shareholders have in our ability to manage and deliver large scale projects.” Mr Peng said the Miles region would benefit from up to 400 jobs to be created from the development. “It means more jobs, more opportunities for local contractors and suppliers, including Indigenous businesses, and other economic benefits for the local community, including upgrades to local roads. “Like the first phase of the SGP, we will be minimising our environmental footprint and impact to the community through our agreement with Shell QGC, which enables us to use existing facilities and infrastructure.” The SGP North development will include: • up to 450 production wells and associated gathering • a 121 TJ/d four-compressor […]

Building Australia’s EV battery future in Queensland

Gold Coast to become heart of EV battery manufacturing as eLumina’s $20 million facility nears completion. The Gold Coast will be home to Australia’s first factory capable of producing both community lithium batteries and EV chargers as eLumina’s $20 million manufacturing facility approaches completion. The factory will produce 300 batteries a year and create 300 jobs on the Gold Coast, capable of serving up to 100 Queensland households with reliable and cheaper renewable energy. Chief Executive Officer of eLumina, Lisa Marsh, said on-shore manufacturing of critical EV technology, such as chargers and batteries, was essential to Australia’s energy future. “Global demand for batteries is soaring. We have record solar uptake and energy generation in Australia, but we need battery storage at scale to harness its full potential,” she said. “Through battery storage we can capture this energy and ensure reliable and cheaper off-grid power to all Australians. This insulates communities from power outages and saves them money.” Ms Marsh said eLumina was proud to be building the factory in Queensland and grow the local industry. “Queensland has the potential to become a world leader in next-generation battery manufacturing and research and development. Our centre is just the start of that. We are committed to making a fundamental difference to Australia’s clean energy economy,” she said. “We’re building this facility using local talent and locally sourced parts and materials. Once it’s completed, it will support 300 high-skilled jobs, which will draw on the region’s talent.” “Our world-class research and development training centre will al so upskill hundreds of Queenslanders with the expertise to contribute to our evolving battery and EV charging sector.” Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the Gold Coast had an ambitious plan to secure a larger slice of the clean energy sector and the high skilled jobs it’s […]

Climate Impact Corporation announces 10GW renewable hydrogen projects in South Australia and Northern Territory

Climate Impact Corporation (CIC), a leading international developer of renewable energy and green hydrogen projects, has announced its intention to develop two 10GW green hydrogen projects in central Australia utilising its proprietary renewable hydrogen production modular technology. The announcement is backed by CIC’s development, in partnership with GE Vernova, of self-contained modules that produce zero-carbon hydrogen. The deployment of the two projects is supported by CIC’s secure equipment supply chain including the onshore manufacturing of equipment. Compared to traditional renewable hydrogen production, which typically sources vast quantities of water from piped water sources and grid electricity, CIC’s modular hydrogen production units are designed to operate entirely off-grid, reducing demand on governments and communities to fund supporting infrastructure. Each module contains solar panels, atmospheric water generators, electrolysers and supporting infrastructure to produce hydrogen as an individual standalone unit. Crucially, the use of atmospheric water allows hydrogen to be produced anywhere where solar radiation is abundant, opening up new locations in central Australia as potential renewable fuel hubs. David Green, Chairman and Co-Founder of CIC, said the approach would unlock inland hydrogen production opportunities in solar-rich locations such as the Northern Territory and South Australia. “Renewable hydrogen production requires a significant amount of energy and water, which aren’t often found together in places like Australia,” Mr Green said. “Rather than repeating the same approach, we’re looking to solve this challenge by creating modules that use Australia’s abundant solar resources, combined with proven atmospheric water generation technology. It’s an approach that solves one of the biggest challenges Australia has faced in becoming a renewable hydrogen superpower, and we’re excited to be bringing it to market first in Australia.” CIC has recently achieved several key milestones for its Australian projects as it plans to begin manufacturing renewable hydrogen modules in Australia. CIC recently announced […]

The Budget 2024: Comment and Feedback on Energy Policies

Attributed to Jack Curtis, co-founder of Neara Cost of living/bill relief p“The Albanese government’s $3.5 billion energy bill relief scheme will alleviate pressure on households and small business owners across Australia struggling to manage rising electricity prices. Yet despite the short-term financial support, concerns are rising around the growing cost of the energy transition. The clean energy transition is crucial to Australia’s future. But years of rising energy costs and reduced reliability as we transition from fossil generation to renewables are becoming harder to justify for many. The $300 energy bill relief package for home owners is a great initiative, but it’s not enough. The cost of the clean energy transition could easily blow out within the next six years and continue to increase financial pressure on consumers. Equal focus and investment must be applied to the underlying drivers of rising energy costs, particularly those related to the energy transition, and what can be done differently to mitigate them. To offset costs and stabilise energy prices, the government must source the most efficient, cost-effective pathway to 82% clean energy by 2030. This means embracing a holistic strategy encompassing all generation and network capacity sources whilst leveraging new technology that can optimise both. Put simply, more money needs to go further. Australia doesn’t have the same depth of funds as our overseas counterparts, specifically compared with the United States Inflation Reduction Act. Federal and state governments need to work closely on the strategic deployment of funds by stress-testing each proposed pillar of the energy transition and its potential cost before rolling out the initiative. The renewable energy infrastructure toolkit we’ve been relying on is essential, but it’s expensive, time-extensive, and continues to face increasing headwinds. Australia has alternative solutions to stress-test costs and bring renewable energy online faster. We must actively explore […]

Xefco Q & A: Tom Hussey, CEO and Co-Founder

What is your role at Xefco and what does it involve? Xefco was born to transform the textile industry by tackling problems of functional performance and sustainability in fashion. Traditional wet dyeing and finishing is a huge part of the textile supply chain with the process making up about 36% of the industry’s carbon footprint and about 3% of all global carbon emissions. What’s more, it’s an extremely water and chemical-intensive process leading to about 20% of all industrial wastewater. With Xefco’s innovative technologies, Ausora and XReflex, we are creating advanced materials for a sustainable future. In my role as CEO and co-founder, I drive the business forward through innovation and as we commercialise our solutions. This means working with investors, building and leading a motivated team and ensuring we’re working efficiently with innovation at the forefront of everything we do. I’m currently focused on using our latest capital to grow the team and commercialising Ausora, which is a novel way of dyeing and finishing textiles without water. How is Ausora is benefitting the environment? Ausora is a waterless dyeing and finishing solution using a unique shower plasma process to produce the same look, feel and performance properties without the environmental footprint. Ausora’s solution not only eliminates the use of water but cuts energy, chemical consumption and cost compared to conventional wet dyeing and finishing. In removing the need for water, Ausora is also removing polluted water from being discharged back into waterways. The shower plasma process also consumes 97% less chemistry and uses 90% less energy compared to conventional wet dyeing and finishing processes. As such, Ausora has the potential to stop millions of tonnes of waste entering our waterways and CO2 from entering our planet. Reducing cost production of textiles. How does this work? Within textile production, the […]

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