Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

ClearVue receives R&D tax credit

Solar photovoltaic company ClearVue has announced receipt of a $935,000 R&D tax credit from the Australian Taxation Office. The R&D tax credit claim under the Research & Development Tax Incentive related to research work completed during the last year on activities including development and production of its Generation 2 ClearVuePV pilot IGUs; the development and production of key components like solar strips and connector blocks; new materials development; a research program with D2 Solar in the US; and greenhouse research work being conducted at Murdoch University in Western. Global CEO Martin Deil said: “Over the past year, we have
made strategic investments in our growth by actively engaging in research on emerging technologies to enhance ClearVue products, as well as advancing our existing products available in the market.”

Quantum communication technologies get Trailblazer boost

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Northrop Grumman Australia are partnering to develop ultra-secure communications for the Australian Defence Force, supported by the Defence Trailblazer. “The partnership between Northrop Grumman Australia and the University of New South Wales under the Defence Trailblazer brings together a powerhouse of expertise, capabilities and knowledge to demonstrate new sovereign capability for the Australian Defence Force at speed and at scale”, said Sanjay Mazumdar, Executive Director of the initiative. The Quantum communications project and others being stood up under the Australian Government’s Trailblazer Universities Program are supported by Northrop Grumman Australia’s Parallax Labs. Northrop is also supporting two PhD students through the Defence Trailblazer’s industry-led higher degree research scholarship program to work on the Quantum Communications project, it said in a statement.

Sentinel and L3Harris team up at Indo Pacific

Tasmanian firm Sentinel Boats and global defence technology company L3Harris Technologies showcased an autonomous vessel on Sydney Harbour during Indo Pacific 2023 this week. “Tasmania has a wonderful tradition of building innovative and quality boats that spans 200 years,” said defence industry minister Madeleine Ogilvie. “Sentinel Boats is continuing and building on this tradition, and their vessels represents the latest technology in the maritime defence sector.” The demonstration saw L3Harris’ autonomous systems fitted to the Sentinel 1100 sea boat and shows the versatility of the Sentinel family of boats to support both autonomous and crewed missions, according to a statement from the Tasmanian government.

UOW researchers top national list

The Australian’s 2024 Research Magazine released on Wednesday showed the University of Wollongong (UOW) leading the country in the fields of electrochemistry, manufacturing and machinery and nursing. According to a statement from the university. the annual publication names the top research institution and top researchers across 250 fields of research, with rankings determined by impact scores based on the number of citations of works published over the last five years. Professor David Currow, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research and Sustainable Futures), said, “These are priority areas of inquiry for the University and our academic’s pursuit of cutting-edge research has made a significant impact on the scientific community and society at large.” Seven individual researchers were also named as the top researchers in their fields. Two academics from UOW’s Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials were named as leaders in their fields – Distinguished Professor Shujun Zhang at UOW’s Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials in Ceramic Engineering and Emeritus Professor Shi Xue Dou  Electrochemistry, Materials Engineering and Nanotechnology. And Associate Dean of Higher Degree Research at Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences Senior Professor Huijun Lu topped the list for Metallurgy studies.

LETA hails carbon capture progress

Low Emission Technology Australia (LETA) has said it is pleased to see an unprecedented uptake in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) initiatives. The year marks a significant stride forward for CCS technology, it said in a statement, “showcasing a robust international response to emissions reduction through policy innovation and
technological advancement.” The Global CCS Institute’s 2023 Global Status of CCS Report, released yesterday, highlights the operation of 41 CCS projects worldwide, capturing 49 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of CO2, with 351 projects in the pipeline. This reflects an increase of almost 50 per cent in CO2 capture capacity, now standing at 361 Mtpa since last year. LETA invests money in decarbonisation technology on behalf of the coal industry.

Picture: credit ClearVue Technologies