Articles
Aeration for a cleaner, greener MCG
As part of a multimillion-dollar project to build Victoria’s largest underground recycled water treatment plant at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Compressed Air and Power Solutions (CAPS) Australia was selected to supply aeration blowers for the facility. [ + ]
Cheaper and greener - enough reason to change?
In the last issue of ECD Solutions, we asked the question why bother changing from a CCTV surveillance installation to a more expensive IP solution? Now we take it a step further and take a look at a true decentralised system and a study of the costs involved in implementing all three solutions. [ + ]
Safety in the trenches
Any type of construction site is a dangerous place. Constantly moving heavy machinery and high-pressure equipment, along with toxic and hazardous chemicals, are an everyday part of the industry. With an increasing focus on having a safe and healthy workplace for workers and contractors, considering all of the options available can both save money and minimise the risk of injuries and fatalities on work sites. [ + ]
Delivering power to the world’s highest airport
Power and automation technology group ABB has delivered six Resibloc dry-type transformers rated at 5860 kilovolt amperes (kVA) to facilitate the distribution of power to the Daocheng-Yading airport in the Sichuan Province of China. When the airport opens later this year, travellers will land and depart at an elevation of 4411 metres - 77 metres higher than the current record held by the Bamda airport in Tibet. [ + ]
The trouble with IT networks
IT networks are troublesome; there are so many potential points of failure, so much monitoring, analysis and troubleshooting required. Ask anyone from any business, not just IT professionals, and they’ll tell you that any network downtime spells trouble. [ + ]
Avoid fire hazards with thermal imaging equipment
About a third of all industrial fires are created by electrical problems and electrical fires currently cost Australia $600 million per year. Many insurance companies are now requesting evidence of a Thermal Imaging Report when renewing policies as they see Preventative Maintenance as an extra step in reducing the instances of electrical fires. [ + ]
Cutting back power consumption
Data centres are power-hungry beasts; here are a few factors that influence overall consumption and show how effective design can help lessen energy usage. [ + ]
Clean and green
As we veer away from a reliance on fossil fuels in a quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy is moving to the forefront. For all the benefits that renewable sources provide, the move to clean and green is not as easy as you would think. [ + ]
‘Energy efficient’ water heating
When a building design includes a large number of individual spaces such as apartments or offices, developers are always on the lookout for ways to reduce construction costs. There will always be a project expense for supplying hot water to a large number of units, but the installation and ongoing costs can be minimised with the appropriate choice of heating system. The main options for supplying hot water to apartments in medium- or high-density developments are a centralised gas-fired water heating system or instantaneous heating systems installed at, or very near, the point of use. [ + ]
The importance of ‘buying local’ and boosting your credibility during times of crisis
As a series of storms, floods and fires recently swept across the country, Master Electricians Australia (MEA) has called on insurance companies to buy local when they are sourcing contractors for repair work. [ + ]
Major changes to cabling regulation
In 2012, the telecommunications regulator - the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) - introduced major changes to the Cabling Provider Rules (CPR) that will affect most cablers across the country. [ + ]
Testing in the enterprise: how hard can it be?
You get a patch or an upgrade for your firewall from the vendor. They say it fixes that one problem that’s been bugging you for the last few months. But you can’t just install the update, right? You have to test it first. [ + ]
Get sporty
Lapp cable products are in demand in large sporting facilities. From energy chains to solar cabling, Lapp products can be found in the homes of champions worldwide. [ + ]
Connecting France’s largest solar plant
France’s largest solar plant, with a total installed capacity of 105 MWp, is the Toul-Rosières Solar Park project located on a former military base near the city of Nancy in the Lorraine region. Developed by the French renewable energy provider EDF Energies Nouvelles, the photovoltaic power plant covers an area of more than 400 hectares and will generate 105 MWp, which is enough to provide for the electric power needs of a town with 62,000 inhabitants. [ + ]
What goes down when the lights go out
One in four power outages and four of the five most significant blackouts occurring in Australia and New Zealand during 2012 were the result of severe weather. The causes included once-in-a-decade storm winds in Perth that left 161,000 people without power, severe winds that damaged poles and brought down lines in Taranaki, North Island, and damaging winds and torrential rainstorms in Sydney. [ + ]