Energy

Renewables still setting strong pace in South Australia

The April shelving of a major solar thermal plant has done little to slow the pace of renewable energy projects being proposed in South Australia. Andrew Spence In the past three months, applications for almost 1.7 gigawatts of renewable energy generation across six projects have been assessed by the South Australian Government’s State Planning Commission. Of these, the 280MW Cultana Solar Farm – the first large scale project in billionaire industrialist Sanjeev Gupta’s plan to generate one gigawatt of dispatchable renewable energy in South Australia – was approved by State Planning Minister Stephan Knoll last month. The other five projects still awaiting ministerial consent include: RES Australia 176MW solar farm and 66MW battery storage facility near Murray Bridge; Neoen Australia(Crystal Brook Energy Park) 125MW windfarm, 150MW Solar Farm and 130MW lithium-ion battery near Crystal Brook; Energy Projects Solar (Bungama Solar) 280 MW solar PV and 140MW battery storage plant to integrate into the National Electricity Market through a 275 kV connection to ElectraNet’s Bungama Substation near Port Pirie; Energy Projects Solar staged development of a 500MW solar farm with 250MW storage near Robertstown, and; RES Australia (Twin Creek Wind Farm Project) 183MW wind and 50MW battery storage near Kapunda. Two other South Australian projects – the 95MW Tailem Bend Solar Project and stage one of the 220MW Bungala Solar Farm near Port Augusta started exporting power to the national grid earlier this year. There are also dozens of micro solar farms up to 5MW being constructed across the state. South Australia is home to Tesla’s 100MW/129MWh battery, which became the “world’s largest lithium-ion battery” when it was installed at Neoen’s Hornsdale Wind Farm in December 2017. South Australia already leads the nation in the uptake of wind energy and roof-top solar with renewable sources accounting for more than 50 per cent of the electricity generated in the state. However, […]

Coal consolidates in Asia which is a boost for Australia

Statement by Greg Evans Chief Executive – Coal Council of Australia In good news for the Australian coal industry both global coal consumption and production rose in 2018 according to the newly released BP Statistical Review of World Energy, 2019. The better news is that most of the action and strength was in our key markets at our doorstep in Asia including India and China. Asian economies are expanding and need affordable and reliable electricity which coal provides, this growth is being driven by the construction of high-efficiency low emission (HELE) power stations. The BP report showed a continued bounce back in coal in 2018 with consumption up by 1.4% and production increasing by 4.3%. This increase is at the fastest rate for five years. This is further evidence of the strong demand fundamentals for Australia coal which is high quality and in close proximity to markets. Those coal industry detractors who repeatedly say demand for coal is languishing need to understand the facts and appreciate our coal industry has a long future and will remain an important part of regional NSW and Queensland. Consumption growth in 2018 was led by India and China, with Asia now accounting for over three-quarters of global consumption. The report shows strong consumption growth in 2018 in a range of important Australian markets with Vietnam up 23%, India up 8.7%, Malaysia up 9.4% and the Philippines up 5.2%. This represents an encouraging picture for Australian coal producers. Coal production rose in China, Indonesia and India with these countries providing the largest increases.

Smart technologies can improve safety in the oil and gas industry

By Gaurav Sharma, Head of Industries Business, ANZ, Cognizant Employee safety remains a key concern within the oil and gas sector. The nature of tasks and activities makes it a riskier industry than others. Workers’ fatigue is another factor increasing that risk. However, the oil and gas industry is in a prime position to take advantage of technologies such as robotics, wearables, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) to minimise some of the risks, as well as drive innovation. The risks of fatigue Fatigue is a major contributor to safety incidents in the oil and gas industry. An oil and gas worker’s job includes inherently risky routine and physically demanding tasks such as positioning heavy equipment, climbing on scaffolds, and physical inspections and maintenance. Characteristics specific to the oil and gas industry are also factors increasing that risk, such as fly-in fly-out and shift work conditions, dealing with time zone changes and 24/7 operations, handling hazardous chemicals or working in extreme weather conditions. Research indicates that the injury rate of Australian shift workers is two times higher than other workers, due to fatigue-related factors such as insufficient sleep, disrupted sleep patterns, and extended working hours. Using digital technologies to predict fatigue risk There is an increasing awareness across risky industries that digital technologies have an important role to play in improving work safety. Leading oil and gas providers are now looking to improve their current standards even further through data collection, monitoring, and automation. However, there is still a long way to go to full adoption, as estimates suggest that just one percent of the data currently captured by operators is being used for improvement purposes. These technologies can provide companies with better control on workplace hazards and better training, while improving onsite communications and overall workforce and business […]

There’s still time to enter the Premier’s Sustainability Awards

Entries in the 2019 Premier’s Sustainability Awards close at 5pm on Thursday 13 June. Finalists will be announced mid-August. All finalists are invited to attend the awards’ ceremony on Thursday 10 October – a night of celebrating sustainability leadership, creativity and innovation across 11 categories. 2018 finalist in the Awards’ education category was Albert Park Pre-School for their program, Keeping our Promise to Bunjil, a creator deity, to take care of the children and the land. Jenny Whelan, Administration Director, from Albert Park Pre-School said, “Attending the Awards dinner provided a wonderful opportunity to pause and celebrate as a team. To listen and learn from the stories of others and share time with people dedicated to caring for our world inspired us to dream big.” Finalists and winners are provided with media releases, photos and social media graphics to help promote their involvement with their staff, their customers and their communities. Now in its 17th year, the Premier’s Sustainability Awards continue to grow and reflect action happening across industry, business and community from regional to metropolitan Victoria. So, what are you waiting for? Get the team together, see category criteria and profiles of previous entrants, then lodge your entry at www.sustainabilityawards.vic.gov.au.

Electric vehicles to recharge Australian manufacturing

An Australian company will begin assembling electric vehicles in Adelaide, South Australia for export. Bension Sieber An ACE-EV cargo electric vehicle. Australian Clean Energy Electric Vehicle Group (ACE-EV) has signed a deal to begin assembling carbon fibre composite and plastic electric vans at the Aldom manufacturing plant in Wingfield, north of Adelaide’s CBD, this year. ACE-EV managing director Greg McGarvie said he was determined to bring the electric vehicle industry to Australia for the sake of his grandchildren’s future. McGarvie said the company had orders for 100 electric delivery vans to be assembled at the plant, and hoped to scale up to 15,000 electric vehicles by 2025. He said ACE-EV would employ between 10 and 18 people in its first year and use about 3000 square metres of Aldom Motor Body Builders’ 12,000 sqm Wingfield site, where Aldom currently designs and manufactures custom commercial vehicles. “This state will be the first in Australia that will be manufacturing electric vehicles,” he said. “We’ve been working on this for four years. “It’s the right thing to be doing for my grandkids.” McGarvie said the vehicles would mainly sell on the export market and aim to use local suppliers, but that it had partnerships with companies in Germany and Taiwan. He told InDaily the South Australian Government had been the most “proactive” in seeking to attract his company to the state – but that politicians generally have been “gun-shy” to publicly support electric vehicles. He said the South Australian Marshall Government had helped his company by setting up important business contacts, and was offering more “help” – but McGarvie declined to say what other assistance was on the table. “It’s very encouraging what they’re offering to do to help,” he said. He said he was not actively seeking investment from government, but rather, “electric-vehicle friendly” policy from […]

Labor needs to put country first not activists

Statement by Greg Evans, Chief Executive Coal Council of Australia If Labor aspires to national leadership it needs to show the way and drag the Queensland government to support the development of the Galilee Basin. The latest environmental manipulation by the Queensland government to delay the Adani coal mine development is a betrayal of the communities in central and northern Queensland. The stalling tactics by the Queensland Labor government reflects poorly on Australia and Queensland as an investment destination and in the case of mining investment, this can be directed to other countries. Other industries and mine owners and developers should receive little comfort that this latest treatment is confined to a single coal mine in the Galilee Basin. It shows that where a concerted activist campaign is waged government will cower to those interests. The agriculture, oil and gas, tourism and other industries with large investment proposals need to be wary that local job providing development and the national interest ranks below appeasing noisy activists. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Resources Minister Matt Canavan have expressed support for coal and the advancement of the coal industry including the Adani Carmichael coal mine. The Labor Party at both federal and state level needs to do the same without qualification. Australia has the opportunity to participate in an unprecedented expansion for coal demand from Asia in the next decade of an additional 500 million tonnes annually by 2030. If we capture just 20% of this increase this will represent a major economic dividend, unfortunately, Green and Labor policies are working to frustrate this benefit to the detriment of the working men and women of Queensland.

Thermal energy storage system converts biogas from wastewater treatment plant

Energy storage company 1414 switched on its gas thermal energy storage system (TESS) at the Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant in Adelaide today, its first commercial pilot site. The company says the technology is the first in the world to solve the issue of effectively storing biogas as thermal energy to produce heat and electricity on demand. TESS technology takes gas or electricity from any source and stores it as latent heat in silicon which melts at 1414°C. The energy from the latent heat can then be reclaimed and distributed as electricity and/or heat when required. A 10MWh storage unit is about the size of a 40-foot shipping container. 1414 Degrees Executive Chairman Dr Kevin Moriarty said biogas from wastewater management to agribusiness and landfill gas was an increasingly important source of energy globally. “This marks a pivotal phase in the commissioning process, firing the burners for the first time and heating up the thermal energy store. Importantly, we will pay for the biogas we use and sell electricity at market prices to test the revenue model,” he said. “The wastewater management industry is watching closely, as are many other heat dependent industries looking to reduce energy costs, save jobs and lower environmental impacts. “Renewables are about more than wind and solar. It’s time to put our vast sources of biogas to more efficient and sustainable use. Naturally occurring biogas has the potential to lower the cost and increase the stability of energy with reduced demand on fossil fuels.” Biogas is produced when organic waste, including human waste, is broken down in an anaerobic environment with the help of bacteria. The 10MWh GAS-TESS is co-funded by the South Australian Government’s Renewable Technology Fund and … Re

200 kilometres in eight minutes: powering the e-mobility revolution

What started as a small start-up in one of ABB’s business units almost a decade ago is now an integral part of the company’s innovative push for sustainable mobility. One innovation after another is coming from ABB developments in electric-vehicle (EV) chargers. The Terra HP is the world’s fastest EV-charger, adding up to 200 kilometres of range to an electric vehicle in just eight minutes. With the number of electric vehicles on the road rising, the global demand for powerful and energy efficient vehicle charging stations is ever increasing. ABB EV-chargers, like the Terra High Power charger, are the driving force behind the efforts of nations to reach sustainability targets and charges have become a critical part of sustainability policies. With more than 7,000 DC fast charging stations installed in 60 countries, ABB is a global leader in that segment. The technology behind e-mobility is truly coming of age, which is also shown in ABB’s partnership with the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. ABB is bringing its name, innovation and technology leadership to the first fully electric motor sport series. The ABB FIA Formula E Championship perfectly supports ABB’s belief that we can run the world without consuming the earth. The series’ next race will be in Zurich on June 10. The ascendance of sustainable mobility and the charging infrastructure required to keep electric vehicles moving is evident by the increasing number of ABB EV charging projects around the world. German energy supplier EnBW alone has 185 EV fast chargers on German motorways and in April, ABB was selected to supply its Terra HP charging stations as part of the biggest electric vehicle infrastructure project to date in the United States. The chargers were selected for deployment by Electrify America, which plans to place hundreds of charging stations within and around 17 […]

Labor’s climate policy: a decent menu, but missing the main course

Bill Shorten and his colleagues are offering a broad suite of policies, but little explicit mention of cutting out fossil fuels. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas. Nicky Ison, Research Associate, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney. The federal Labor Party this week released the details of its keenly awaited climate policy package. With a commitment to cutting climate pollution by 45% on 2005 levels by 2030, compared with the Coalition’s 26-28% target, there was never a doubt that Labor’s policy agenda was going to be more ambitious than the government’s. But what exactly does it include, how does it stack up against the scientific imperatives, and what’s missing? By offering a broad platform, Labor has moved away from a single economy-wide policy solution to climate change, such as a carbon price or emissions trading scheme. Instead, it has opted for a sector-by-sector approach. This is smart politics and policy. By developing a climate plan for each major sector – industry, electricity, transport, and agriculture and land – it is possible to modernise each sector in a bespoke way, thus driving more innovation and job creation while also cutting carbon pollution. Emily Nunell/Michael Hopkin/The Conversation Industry Labor has taken the politically safe option of expanding the Coalition’s “safeguard mechanism” to lower industrial greenhouse emissions. Under this scheme, big emitters are required to keep their emissions below a prescribed “baseline” level, or to buy offsets if they exceed it. Labor has lowered the threshold for the scheme, meaning it will now cover all businesses that emit more than 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year (the cutoff is currently 100,000 tonnes). From there, all of these companies will have to lower their emissions by 45% by 2030 on 2005 levels. Some details are still to be determined, including the precise trajectories of emissions reductions, […]

Construction and mining the next frontier of robotics adoption

In the past, for heavy industry-related locations like mines, robots were controlled by teleoperation or navigate autonomously across uneven terrain or within subterranean interiors with little to no human interaction. This was the same for construction sites, where robots must understand changing floor plans, keep track of inventory, and navigate stairs. Thanks to advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), wireless telecommunications, location-based technologies, and navigation systems, this is being realised. Modern robotics tend to be associated with either indoor environments like factories and warehouses, or in the home. But there is a multitude of other, less structured and more challenging environments where AMRs are only just beginning to proliferate. Advanced mobility enabling autonomous navigation will empower robotics vendors in construction, extraction and elsewhere. While in 2018, 28.7% of commercial robots’ shipments had some degree of autonomous navigation, in 2027, the percentage will be 79.3%. Construction robots may be involved in specific tasks, such as brick-laying, painting, loading, and bulldozing. We can expect hundreds of AMRs in the next 2 years, mainly doing haulage. These robots help to protect workers from a hazardous working environment, reduce workplace injuries, and address labour shortages. For the robots to operate in challenging, hostile, and unsafe environments without human assistance, the key beneficiaries will be OEMs who choose to adopt navigation-providing operation systems (OS) from third-party providers. Specialist robot companies have a greater opportunity to attract capital due to increased interest, and with the formulation of cloud services from AWS and Google, have more opportunity than ever to develop advanced capabilities like mobile manipulation and advanced analytics. However, they will struggle to get an in-house solution off the ground without partnering with third-party providers on localisation and navigation technologies. Given the complexity of localisation, mapping, and navigation alone, a delegation of responsibility to third-party providers is […]

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