Scientists at Wake Forest University have made a new kind of light from mouldable plastic which can glow in any colour and won’t shatter. [ + ]

Master Electricians Australia has rejected the call for the compulsory rollout of smart meters in Australian homes, saying it was just more wasteful spending that would drive the cost of domestic electricity even higher. [ + ]

Global energy management specialist Schneider Electric has restructured by uniting its Clipsal and Power businesses to create a new Clipsal and Schneider Electric Partner Business unit. The union will see the two brands work together to leverage the other’s strengths. [ + ]

ABB has won orders worth around $225 million to supply two turnkey photovoltaic (PV) power plants that will be built in the northern province of Limpopo in South Africa. The orders were awarded by two special-purpose entities, Core Energy and Erika Energy, whose primary stakeholders include SunEdison, a leading global solar energy services provider. [ + ]

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the United States has developed a concept for roadway illumination called Ecoluminance, which incorporates roadside vegetation with low-level pedestrian and landscape lighting, retroreflective markers, and light-emitting diode (LED) road and walkway illumination. [ + ]

The CEC has launched a continuous professional development program to help household solar power system installers and designers stay up to date with new developments in the industry. [ + ]

Homeowners in Western Australia will soon pay $350 more to have power connected as a result of a bureaucratic new connection scheme, Master Electricians Australia has warned. [ + ]

Dexus Property Group and Buildcorp have been recognised in the City of Sydney’s CitySwitch Green Office Awards for incorporating measures such as solar panels, improved computer management and lighting into their offices. [ + ]

The AEMC’s review, The Power of Choice, will spark energy reform to help households better manage their bills over the long term, the Clean Energy Council has said. [ + ]

The Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus, and Federal Member for Maribyrnong, Bill Shorten, have announced the opening of the new Local Government Energy Efficiency Program to help local councils install solar or heat pump hot water systems in community facilities. [ + ]

Following the announcement of the Kickstart initiative, MRAEL Group says it has been inundated with enquiries from the construction sector wanting to take advantage of the incentive. [ + ]

Broken Hill, in the far west of New South Wales, has been selected as the location for an NBN satellite ground station that will play a crucial role in providing Australians in isolated areas with access to fast broadband. [ + ]

AGL head Michael Fraser has returned to the position of Chair of the Clean Energy Council following its AGM. CEO of Hydro Tasmania Roy Adair was returned as Deputy Chair. [ + ]

Siemens Ltd, the turn-key supplier of TrustPower’s Snowtown II wind project, is working with newly established Australian wind tower supplier E&A Contractors, a wholly owned subsidiary of E&A Limited, to procure a portion of the 90 wind towers for the newly commenced wind farm development. [ + ]

Bulk cable-cutting facility Cablemakers North Queensland is helping locals solve their cable requirements quicker with the launch of the Cablemakers website. [ + ]