Is your car a threat to national security? It can be – regardless of where it’s made

By Dennis B. Desmond, University of the Sunshine Coast In April, US lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to ban Chinese-built electric vehicles (EVs), labelling them an “existential threat to the American auto industry”. The proposed ban arose from concerns that Chinese car makers have an unfair advantage due to government financial support. Following a months-long…

Our electricity workforce must double to hit the 2030 renewables target. Energy storage jobs will soon overtake those in coal and gas

By Jay Rutovitz, University of Technology Sydney; Chris Briggs, University of Technology Sydney, and Elianor Gerrard, University of Technology Sydney The electricity workforce will need to double in five years to achieve Australia’s 2030 renewable energy target, our new report finds. More than 80% of these jobs will be in renewables. Jobs in energy storage…

Halocell, First Graphene announce supply deal ahead of release of Wagga-made perovskite cells

First Graphene has announced a two-year agreement with Halocell to supply graphene used in solar cells, ahead of the release of Halocell’s first commercially-available perovskite solar module this month In a statement to the ASX on Thursday, First Graphene said its customer had been able to “expedite its manufacturing process and enhance [the] light absorbing…

Biochar doesn’t just store carbon – it stores water and boosts farmers’ drought resilience

By Sirjana Adhikari, Deakin University; Ellen Moon, Deakin University, and Wendy Timms, Deakin University As the climate changes, large parts of southern Australia are projected to get drier. Extreme rains are also becoming more common. For farmers, these changes pose big risks. What can we do to manage changes already locked in? One adaptation is…

Things come around for Original Engines Co

By Brent Balinski It was last year at Amsterdam’s Rematec, the premier remanufacturing show, when the proverbial lightbulb went on for Colin Doherty (pictured below). The Managing Director of Original Engines Co saw clearly that his business was a real part of the circular economy and decarbonisation movements. “Here in Australia it’s not known about…