How EVs and electric water heaters are turning cities into giant batteries

Bin Lu, Australian National University and Marnie Shaw, Australian National University As the electrification of transport and heating accelerates, many worry the increased demand could overload national power grids. In Australia, electricity consumption is expected to double by 2050. If everyone charges their car and heats water using electric systems at the same time, peak…

Pyrocal to build biosolids processing facility in Canada

Engineering company Pyrocal has been selected as preferred contractor on a Canadian regional government project, with the Toowoomba-based business to contribute its Continuous Carbonisation Technology (CCT) process for converting biosolids into biochar. According to a statement from Pyrocal on Monday, its pyrolysis process will be integrated into the Capital Regional District’s (CRD) Residuals Treatment Facility…

Applications open for CSIRO’S Innovate to Grow: Agriculture, Food and Technology

Queensland-based SMEs in “agriculture, food and related technologies” have been invited to apply for the next intake of CSIRO’s free Innovate to Grow program. The R&D training program is online-based, with a two- to three-hour commitment per week. It is being delivered as part of the Queensland Government-funded Regional University Industry Collaboration (RUIC) program this…

Why recycling solar panels is harder than you might think − an electrical engineer explains

By Anurag Srivastava, West Virginia University It’s hard work soaking up sunlight to generate clean electricity. After about 25 to 30 years, solar panels wear out. Over the years, heating and cooling cycles stress the materials. Small cracks develop, precipitation corrodes the frame and layers of materials can start to peel apart. In 2023, about…

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Meiban, Planet Innovation announce partnership Medtech business Planet Innovation (PI) and Singapore-based contract manufacturer Meiban Group have announced a new “strategic alliance” aimed at delivering “comprehensive Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) services” spanning early-stage innovation through to high-volume manufacturing. According to a statement from PI on Thursday, the alliance will enable clients to “seamlessly…