Hot on the heels of the announcement of a solar methanol plant to be built by Vast Solar at Port Augusta in South Australia, the company has been backed to construct a first-of-a-kind 30 MW / 288 MWh concentrated solar power (CSP) plant in the same city. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announced today…
Many are challenging the traditional role of engineer, suggesting it may be incompatible with a sustainable future. Here Patrice Caine argues that as the world faces unprecedented challenges, engineers are the only real lever for bringing about, on a relevant scale, new ways to produce, live and consume. Has engineering had its heyday? This might…
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) engine manufacturer Orbital Corporation has announced a revenue boost from efforts to broaden its customer base. Orbital reported today first half revenue of $14.1 million, up from $11.2 million in the previous corresponding period. The Perth company, once focused a single customer, Boeing’s In situ division, is now building engines or…
US solar PV tracking technology developer Array Technologies is to set up an Australian manufacturing plant at a yet to be decided location. The Albuquerque company will develop the factory, the first sych facility in Australia, following the the award of a contract to supply solar trackers for the 130MWdc Glenrowan, Victoria solar farm project.…
Zero emission transport developer Zero Automotive has delivered its third Australian-built, solar chargeable, underground-ready battery electric light vehicle (bELV, pictured). The ZED70 Ti traytop utility, using LTO battery technology which does not suffer from thermal runaway, was delivered to IGO Ltd’s Nova nickel-copper-cobalt operation in Western Australia. This is the second vehicle conversion, and the…
Pure Hydrogen has signed a funding agreement with Singapore hydrogen developer CAC-H2 to partially fund its planned Emerald biomass-to-hydrogen plant at Moreton Bay, Queensland. The joint venture waste-to-hydrogen facilities will take feedstock such as wood waste, and convert it into Emerald Hydrogen using state-of-the-art gasification systems, and are the first of a number planned by…
Food manufacturers are under threat from a European Union free trade agreement demand that would ban local companies from using common names such as ‘feta’, ‘parmesan’, ‘balsamic’ or ‘kransky’ on products – even if they have been making them for generations, according to the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC). The EU wants Australian manufacturers…
By Peter Roberts Industry and Science minister Ed Husic has lashed the federal opposition’s plans to oppose the government’s signature $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund – despite Labor taking the fund to the election and securing a mandate for the policy. Speaking in federal Parliament Husic called the coalition the ‘null-alition’ when it came to…
Building products group Boral has reported improved revenue and profit in the six months ended 31 December 2022 with its upwards pricing decisions taking hold, but the board again did not declare a dividend. In this the first year under new CEO Vik Bansal, the company reported an underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) of…
The focus of reporting on the AUKUS agreement between Australia, the US and the UK has been on the promise of locally built nuclear-powered submarines. But it is about so much more from AI and quantum computing, to hypersonic aircraft and systems. Here, Michael Sharpe explains how AUKUS will unlock the power of innovation Pillar…
