The low-carbon economy is likely to have significant financial impacts for all businesses, due to the need to account for existing market externalities such as carbon emissions and adverse environmental impacts. While the UN climate conference in Copenhagen attempted to develop an international approach to mitigating and managing the impacts of climate change, the Australian government has proposed a set of measures as part of its climate mitigation plan, such as the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).

According to the not-for-profit organisation Beyond Zero Emissions, Australia is falling behind in its uptake of viable solar energy technologies.

Many businesses took advantage of the government’s Investment Allowance last year. Although the window is now closed on equipment purchases, it is timely for businesses to sort out their finance to ensure they do qualify for the allowance.

The electric power generation, transmission and distribution industry in the US was one of three industries identified by the EPA as potentially being required to provide financial assurances to fund the clean-up of environmental releases.

Australian employers are reporting considerably stronger hiring intentions for the first quarter of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009, according to results from a recent employment outlook survey.

Data recovery specialist Kroll Ontrack released its sixth annual top 10 data recoveries list of lost and sometimes retrieved data.

Nothing short of an ‘energy revolution’ will be required to successfully transition to a carbon-managed economy while fulfilling its energy needs, according to a VECCI report.

New standards for copper cabling smooth the way for high-performance data transmission in buildings, industrial plants and data centres. However, in order to have a long-term guarantee for the desired performance, the pitfalls in nomenclature need to be considered during project design and component selection.

Industrial environments can pose significant challenges to the safety and effective operation of lighting systems. Luminaire selection and system design must meet performance goals where mechanical strength, weight, thermal, electrical, corrosion resistance, hazardous environment and water and dust ingress requirements must be considered. Designers must gain a firm understanding of all environmental factors that can cause system failures to deliver ‘environmental compatibility’ of lighting.

There’s been a lot of negativity about the job market lately, much of which is fuelled by uninformed speculation. I found that it’s not all bad news, as I researched what’s going on at ‘street level’, especially in the electrical industry.

Recently, a friend of mine who operates an excavator tore through a mains cable as he was digging footings on a commercial site. Not only did he get the scare of his life, but he had a few anxious moments afterwards wondering if he would cop the huge repair bill for the damage he had just caused. Fortunately for him, he called Dial Before You Dig before commencing to excavate.

Eaton, an electrical power quality systems supplier, warns that electrical infrastructures across Australia will experience increased weather-related stresses and offers advice on how to protect against power outages during severe weather, heat, electrical storms and cyclones during the upcoming summer season.

The push for ‘greener’ electricity through more sophisticated electrical technologies has, in many cases, increased the negative consequences of harmonics on our electrical infrastructure. Electronic ballasts for lighting, switchmode power supplies for PCs and variable speed drives for motor controls are becoming ubiquitous in our homes and workplace. But while they’re improving our energy efficiency, they’re also making the electricity supply dirty.

In today’s economy, many look at the bottom line more than usual and don’t do anything unless it’s mission critical. When we cut costs, we also decrease expenses, but to what end? Training seems to be one of the first things companies eliminate without thinking about the outcome. But why is training and development so important? Why can’t people learn the way that many of us did - by the school of hard knocks?

Maximising power quality in today’s hybrid electrical networks is typically a balancing act between many different factors, all of which must be considered.