November 2012 marks a photovoltaic (PV) milestone for Australia. This month, cumulative Australian PV installations reached 2 GW - equivalent to 2,000,000 kW. [ + ]

CEDA’s latest research has found that state governments should divest their ownership of energy network service provision assets to help curb further electricity price rises for households. [ + ]

A new service that manages and mentors apprenticeships is steadily gaining success, having seen more apprentices successfully completing their electrical apprenticeships. [ + ]

The decreasing number of available apprenticeships is limiting school leavers’ job prospects, according to the Group Training Association of Victoria. [ + ]

A leading authority on causes of industrial switchboard failures says energy-saving power factor correction (PFC) technology should be housed separately from switchboards and motor control centres to minimise damage and downtime resulting from any failures. [ + ]

ABB has been announced as a winner in the 2012 Banksia Environmental Awards in the Clean Technology - Harnessing Opportunities category for its new sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) gas recycling technology. The technology was developed by an Australian team and has been implemented at ABB’s gas recycling centre at Moorebank, NSW, Australia. [ + ]

Master Electricians Australia (MEA) has welcomed the announcement of an inquiry into the school building scheme which has left small contracting businesses millions of dollars out of pocket and driven many to the brink of bankruptcy. [ + ]

The Electrical Trade Union’s claims that Ausgrid has suspended asbestos removal programs are “not correct”, the electricity distributor has said. [ + ]

VSS Monitoring has been recognised with multiple industry honours in this year’s Fierce Innovation Awards Program, an operator-reviewed awards program from the publishers of FierceWireless, FierceTelecom and FierceCable. [ + ]

Australian cricketing legend Glenn McGrath will be the keynote speaker at the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) conference on Langkawi Island in Malaysia in April. [ + ]

The ETU claims to have evidence that shows Ausgrid has documented 49 cases of asbestos-related illness in 22 years. The union group has threatened action if an asbestos removal plan is not developed. [ + ]

Glebe’s Bicentennial Park is the first park in Sydney to have new LED lights installed as part of the City of Sydney’s $7 million three-year rollout of the green technology. [ + ]

The Electrical Trades Union has questioned Endeavour Energy’s policy on asbestos meter boards, claiming that its policy relies on out-of-date workplace safety advice. [ + ]

Mobotix, the world’s largest manufacturer of megapixel network video surveillance systems, has announced the most recent addition to its Australian and New Zealand team. [ + ]

Schneider Electric has announced MIX2012, a power and cooling event for engineers and contractors, scheduled for Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane throughout November. [ + ]