By Bruce Mountain, Victoria University CSIRO’s latest annual GenCost update, released last month, was billed as Australia’s “most comprehensive electricity generation cost report”. GenCost has proven to be highly controversial. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton previously levelled robust criticism at the report, specifically the high costs attributed to building nuclear power in Australia, and called for…
By Tianyi Ma, RMIT University Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are vital tools to help us make cuts to the 36 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases we emit each year. But renewables alone can’t get us to net zero. Sectors such as cement, steel and chemical manufacturing produce significant carbon dioxide emissions…
A prototype sensor system compact enough to be fitted to a drone and with potential in precision agriculture and elsewhere has been developed by an international team. According to a statement from RMIT University – whose researchers collaborated with those from City University of New York (CUNY), the University of Melbourne and the ARC Centre…
By Dylan McConnell, UNSW Sydney In Australia’s electricity system, more and more energy from sunlight and wind is being “spilled” – or not converted to electricity. In the last year, the amount of renewable energy spilled was roughly equivalent to the annual consumption of 750,000 typical households, or three months of consumption for the state…
By Paul Gover Seconds count in motorsport and anything that can help to beat the clock – even a humble 3D printer – can provide a winning edge. That’s why engineering expertise forms the foundation for the most successful team in Australia’s homegrown Supercars racing over the past decade and why it has a growing…
By Paul Gover A new world of 3D printing is being shaped by TAFE educators across Queensland. The trainers are working to future-proof the next generation of engineers and workshop technicians in Australia while introducing them to some of the world’s newest manufacturing machines. To do the job, they are building a battery of 3D…
The venture arm of Australian packaging manufacturer Detmold Group has backed the merger of two leading European producers of cups and cardboard takeaway packaging. Detmold Ventures’ investment facilitated the merger of CUPSZ and De Jong Ecocups which have come together under the CUPSZ brand. The two Netherlands based companies share a common approach to quality,…
By Paul Gover The caravan boom among grey nomads has created a surprising engineering success for a Melbourne company better known for its work with high-performance cars. Premcar, born from the ashes of Ford Performance Vehicles at the end of local carmaking, has since built a burgeoning business around its various engineering abilities. It has…
The CSIRO has released the 2023-24 version of its annual GenCost report, which has been running since 2018 and provides analysis on the cost of building out energy generation and storage, backing renewables as the cheapest category of new energy. According to a statement from the scientific agency on Wednesday, GenCost incorporates changes based on…
By Peter Roberts If @AuManufacturing’s editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – has taught us anything, it is not the national myth of plucky Australians being an inventive people battling to commercialise their ideas. Towards 3% has taught us that unlike leading nations, Australia doesn’t have a supportive innovation ecosystem…
