Articles
Managing disasters at the emergency operations centre
When a natural disaster or major incident occurs, it is vitally important that emergency services personnel have a safe and secure base from which to manage their response and recovery operations. With this requirement in mind, the Queensland Government has constructed a new emergency operations centre to provide front-line staff with enhanced capacity to meet increasing operational demands and to support large-scale disasters. [ + ]
Two solar retailers sued for false claims
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued proceedings against P & N (Euro Solar) and Worldwide Energy and Manufacturing (Australian Solar Panel) over allegedly false or misleading claims about the country of origin of the solar panels they supply. [ + ]
Wireless ‘smart-skin’ sensors could provide remote monitoring of infrastructure
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are developing novel technology that would facilitate close monitoring of structures for strain, stress and early formation of cracks. Their approach uses wireless sensors that are low-cost, require no power, can be implemented on tough yet flexible polymer substrates and can identify structural problems at a very early stage. [ + ]
Electrical equipment for machine safety
Any industrial machine that may cause accidents must be safeguarded. The addition of electrical equipment such as electromechanical sensors and switches that can activate safeguarding mechanisms - to keep operators at a safe distance or halt operation automatically in case of danger - can prevent accidents occurring or reduce their severity. [ + ]
Solar discovery sets new record for low-grade silicon
Solar engineers from UNSW have developed an innovative method to dramatically improve the quality of low-grade silicon, which will lead to a significant increase in electrical efficiency and reduce the cost of solar panels. [ + ]
ABB to power one of Africa’s largest PV solar plants
Automation and technology group ABB has won an order worth around $25 million to supply electrical and control systems for a new 75 MW photovoltaic (PV) power plant in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. [ + ]
Stop the silent killer
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, odourless, tasteless and extremely toxic gas. It is absorbed by red blood cells in the lungs in preference to oxygen - this results in rapid damage to the heart and brain from oxygen starvation. [ + ]
Rydges Sydney Airport Hotel cogeneration installation complete
Simons Green Energy has completed the installation of a 70 kWe cogeneration system at the soon-to-be-opened Rydges Sydney Airport Hotel. The hotel has adopted a range of environmental initiatives in line with the Sydney Airport Environmental Management Strategy. [ + ]
Protection against electromagnetic effects
Lightning is a huge natural electrostatic discharge between electrically charged areas within a single cloud, from one cloud to another or between a cloud and the earth. The discharge is accompanied by a flash or strike, can result in serious injuries or fatalities when people are exposed to it and can cause serious damage to equipment, installations and buildings when it hits the ground. [ + ]
Organic photovoltaics will remain a small market
Organic photovoltaics, although potentially a disruptive technology, do not currently offer very high efficiency levels or lifetime and these characteristics limit their market uptake, says a recent IDTechEx Research report. However, OPVs can offer versatility in form factor, improved indoor performance and low capital expenditure for large-scale manufacture. [ + ]
Top electrical safety mistakes contractors make
This article discusses the top nine electrical safety mistakes contractors make, from PPE to maintenance. [ + ]
Data centre location affected by forces other than power availability and cost
Four out of five fastest growing territories in terms of data centre power requirements are the ‘BRIC’ economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China), reveals a recent report by DCD Intelligence. [ + ]
Distributed intelligence - the new paradigm in lighting control
Smart lighting control systems make a significant contribution to the effective operation of commercial buildings. As the race towards new technologies for lighting control continues, the prospect of creating smarter, more intuitive controls is seemingly straightforward - all a system really needs to do is to make decisions about which lights to switch on, and how brightly, based on information in the space beneath them. [ + ]
ASIS releases two new ANSI Standards for private security
ASIS International, an organisation for security professionals, has released two new ANSI standards: Maturity Model for the Phased Implementation of a Quality Assurance Management System for Private Security Service Providers (PSC.3) and Quality Assurance and Security Management for Private Security Companies Operating at Sea - Guidance (PSC.4). [ + ]
Building an energy-efficient medical research institute
The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) is building a diamond-shaped facility designed to foster researchers’ creativity and productivity. [ + ]