Last month, Australia hosted its first meeting of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Task 37: Energy from Biogas.
The group seeks to promote the deployment of anaerobic digestion (AD) technology for renewable energy production and environmental protection, and the provision of expert scientific and technical support to policy makers in member countries.
Globally, there is no single driver for the production and utilisation of biogas. Read more
GDT’s Destructive Distillation process is able to convert end-of-life tyres – a wasted resource and environmental hazard – into high demand valuable raw material by recycling the materials into oil, carbon and steel.
QUT mechanical engineers tested the oil extracted from the old tyres and found that when blended with diesel it would produce a fuel with reduced emissions and no loss of engine performance – more here. Read more
When WMAA announced Sloan’s appointment in October, the association said it was a “credit to the waste and resource recovery sector that WMAA has been able to attract such a high calibre senior manager to the role”.
The association added that Sloan is a policy expert who has filled senior roles in both government and industry. Read more
Whereas previously annual growth in peak demand (the relevant metric for network investment) could be taken as given, consumption which relies on the grid has largely stalled since 2012 due to a perfect storm of improvements in efficient home appliances and lighting, widespread adoption energy efficiency improvements including insulation in existing housing, and rooftop PV installation, improved heating, cooling and water efficiency in new homes, adoption of in-home demand-side management systems, and economy-wide shifts from manufacturing to service industries. (See Figures 1 & 2) Read more
Golder is working with clients in New Zealand’s North and South Islands on the MAR trials, which focuses on conjunctive management of ground and surface water at the catchment-wide scale.
Drought is estimated to cost the Australian economy $6.3 billion a year, and the pilot studies are showing potential long-lasting benefits for drought-hit large-scale water users, farmers, and the greater community across Australasia. Read more
The proposed microgrid by Western Power would include a large-scale battery with a minimum capacity of 2MW/h, as well as renewable generation sources such as the Kalbarri wind farm, and rooftop solar on Kalbarri households.
According to Energy Minister Mike Nahan, Kalbarri was chosen because of its reliability issues stemming from being on the end of a very long feeder line.
“Kalbarri is a very popular tourist spot – the population always goes up and down, but it is at the end of a 140km power line that has issues,” Nahan said. Read more
Lewis reflects on her time at ABRI, the lessons she’s learnt, and tells Inside Waste (IW) about her book that will be published shortly.
IW: You’ve been a prominent figure in the sector for a while now, thinking back on when you first started, what drew you to the industry? Read more
For now, the council comprises five foundation members – Cleanaway, JJ Richards, Remondis, Suez, and Veolia – and convenor Max Spedding told Inside Waste invitations have been sent to seven other companies to join the council.
Inside Waste has received a copy of the invitation, which amongst other things, stipulates that membership will be open to companies that are a financial member of three or more state-based organisations.
“The reason for that is to try to make sure that council members are not state-focused in their business and understand the difficulties in operating across more than one state,” Spedding explained. Read more
In the December issue of Inside Waste, now ready for download, Malan says growth is in large part due to the money that is flowing out of state governments. Just last month, the NSW government announced that it was extending its Waste Less Recycle More initiative which received $465.7 million in phase one. $337 million will now be allocated to the levy-funded initiative to take it to 2018.
“The funds are directly flowing to our customers who are getting plant or equipment,” Malan said.
“That’s good news for us because it effectively cuts the price of our equipment and de-risks the project for our customers. Read more
Aspiring to effectively become a one-stop-shop for landlords and tenants looking to drive down building costs and operations, the business was started in 2014 by co-founder’s Daniel Barber and Toby Greenane.
The duo combine technologies, products and services – including energy audits, lighting upgrades, energy storage, and solar panel installations – to help clients reduce and manage their energy needs. Read more