Governments and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency are backing trials of two energy-dense battery types not seen on electric vehicles to test the feasibility of battery micro-grids to supply those living in off-grid communities. With $2.85 million each from ARENA and the Western Australian government, regional energy provider Horizon Power will pilot two battery technologies…
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By Vigya Sharma, The University of Queensland and Julia Loginova, The University of Queensland Shifting Australia’s electricity sector to low-carbon technologies and closing coal plants is vital to tackling climate change. But such transitions are easier said than done. People and economies are often deeply connected to the coal industry. Coal plants have often been…
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3D mapping technology designed by CSIRO has reached the International Space Station, following a launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station last week, the nation’s scientific agency has announced. According to a statement from CSIRO on Monday, astronauts on the ISS will fit the device onto NASA’s Astrobee robotic platform. Dr Marc Elmouttie, a CSIRO…
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The Westpac-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry survey of Industrial Trends shows a worsening in conditions for manufacturers in the year’s first quarter, and an outlook moving “deeper into pessimistic territory”. A summary reads that the quarter brought a “decline in new orders, a fall in output, a reduction in overtime and a material downsize…
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The next nominee for @AuManufacturing’s Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers list for 2024 is First Graphene. Brent Balinski speaks to CEO Michael Bell, who talks about finding a meaningful niche for graphene. For quite some time, many of its enthusiasts have described graphene as a remarkable material in need of a “killer app”. Mike Bell,…
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Lincoln Minerals will begin a partnering process for its large-scale Green Iron Project on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, which is underpinned by a recently announced 1.2 billion tonne (Bt) magnetite resource. The company aims to identify a funding and project partner for advancing the Green Iron Project to operational status. Magnetite is a…
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By Peter Roberts The decision that BAE Systems Australia and ASC Pty Ltd are to build SSN‑AUKUS submarines in Adelaide promises to return government-owned ASC closer to the role originally intended when then defence minister Kim Beazley established the ASC to build the Collins Class submarine. The company, which will now also sustain Virginia and…
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Fifty-six Queensland businesses will share in more than $5.5 million in funding to bring new and innovative products and services to the market under the state government’s Ignite Ideas and Ignite Spark funds. The Ignite Ideas Fund helps companies to take a viable product to market with grants of up to $200,000, while the Ignite…
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The ELO2 Consortium’s pioneering lunar rover prototype, the result of Australian ingenuity in remote operations of mining equipment and aspirations in space, was unveilled in Adelaide today and could be on the way to the Moon courtesy of a NASA mission. The prototype, to be named Roo-ver, is one of two being developed by different…
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What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading. 5) Australian Vanadium produces first battery electrolyte Australian Vanadium has successfully produced its first high purity vanadium electrolyte, ready for use in vanadium redox flow batteries. Production follows the commissioning of the company’s vanadium electrolyte manufacturing facility in Perth in December.…
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