Anti-reflective glass goes solar and elsewhere
A company founded by two University of Queensland researchers that is now headquartered in the US has signed a contract with a US-based solar energy company to provide anti-reflective glass for major solar thermal energy projects in the US.
The deal with the unnamed US solar energy company marks XeroCoat’s entry into the solar energy market. The anti-reflective coating technology it has developed for the company improves sunlight absorption when applied to solar energy systems, thereby increasing power output. XeroCoat was founded in 2004 by Dr Michael Harvey and Associate Professor Paul Meredith from the University of Queensland. The company is based in California but maintains its research and development base in Brisbane.
Its anti-reflective coatings are suitable for solar energy systems but can be used for a wide range of glass and plastic materials for purposes such as vision eyewear, telecommunications, electronic displays, building supplies, and automotive applications. Sourced from www.EnvironmentalManagementNews.net
Will Australia help find light from the first star?
The Wollongong Science Centre and Planetarium is to host a free talk on Tuesday July 1 by Professor Peter Quinn, University of Western Australia on “An overview of modern astronomy and our quest to find the dawn of creation”. The background to this talk which is part of the IMB Cutting Edge Science Series has been given as follows:
“Astronomy is regarded as the oldest scientific endeavour of mankind. The pattern and regular motions of the Sun, moon, stars and other planets have guided our agriculture, our religions, our technological development and our journeys of discovery since before recorded history. We are now nearing a period in our cosmic time travel that will contain one of the Universe’s most profound events – the first light from the first star – ‘the dawn of creation’.
This event will be found and studied by a new telescope, which when completed in 2020, will be the world’s largest astronomical facility. The telescope is called the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and Western Australia is currently the front runner in an international competition to host the array. The remote desert of WA may provide mankind with the clearest view of the first objects created.
In his talk, Professor Quinn will give a broad overview of our cosmic journey back in time – what we have found so far, what mysteries we have uncovered and what we hope to find with the new generation of telescopes we are about to build”
Details: Tuesday July 1 from 7 to 8.30pm at Wollongong Science Centre and Planetarium, Squire’s Way, Fairy Meadow. It will be a free talk but donations are welcome. Bookings are essential. To make a booking call (02) 4286 5000.
With thanks to Glen Moore of the Wollongong Science Centre and Planetarium, a hands on experience of Science for kids of all ages. (For more on the Science Centre click on http://sciencecentre.uow.edu.au )
Pyrolysis energy from wastes better than bio-fuels?
Existing methods of producing biofuels have drawn criticism for their lack of efficiency and the economic side-effects of using food crops to create fuel, but two new processes which generate energy from waste are being touted as alternatives to fossil fuels for energy production.
Citywire (http://www.citywire.co.uk/Adviser/-/news/green/content.aspx?ID=304134 ) reports that pyrolysis and gasification are similar processes, which are gaining traction due to their efficiency, lack of waste products and high oil yields. Whether the waste product is old car tyres or municipal solid waste, both new technologies show some amazing characteristics. Pyrolysis has been tested with animal waste, rice hulls, fir bark and grass straw, and is capable of delivering over a barrel of low-sulphur, low-ash pyrolysis oil per ton of refuse.
Both processes use zero oxygen in the burning processes, and using lower temperatures than other heating processes can effect thermal decomposition and achieve very high heat transfer rates. By crushing the particles for burning to a sufficiently small size then initiating thermal decomposition, vapours can be produced which when condensed form into a liquid.
The resulting oil looks like a tar, and differs from other hydrocarbons in its extremely high levels of oxygen. The process of breaking the solid down and the subsequent release of liquids and gases produces the oil, which cannot be mixed with diesel and is not entirely stable in the air. The key benefit is the lack of greenhouse gases produced at the end of the process - no sulphur dioxide or CO2.
From an economic point of view, pyrolysis oil - which burns efficiently producing little greenhouse gas exhaust - is an attractive
prospect, particularly applicable to electricity generation and as a feedstock for the coke industry. In the UK, the Carbon Trust is so intrigued by the potential for these new breeds of oil that it has launched a global challenge to find the best applications. So, with widespread applications and a hitherto unknown demand to reduce the full footprint of waste, the race has started.
Source: WMAA e-news (www.wmaa.asn.au)
Energy LED light savings
BluGlass Limited (ASX:BLG) has been awarded a $460,000 Australian Research Council (ARC) grant to help commercialise its Remote Plasma Chemical Vapour Deposition (RPCVD) technology, which can cut the cost of producing energy efficient lighting.
The Macquarie University-bred manufacturing technology reduces the cost of making Gallium Nitride (GaN) semi-conductor wafers by up to 48%. These wafers are a core component of high brightness Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs).
LEDs are 4-5 times more energy efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs and last up to 50 times longer. They also avoid the problem of containing toxic mercury, an issue with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Sourced from www.EnvironmentalManagementNews.net
Welding, infrastructure and first ever scientific article
What do these topics have in common? They are all part of the latest University of Wollongong Faculty of Engineering online June Newsletter. The newsletter features articles including welding awards, Australian Research Commission grants (ARC) including a civil engineering project to assist infrastructure projects and the first ever scientific article in a new journal by UOW staff on electroresistance. For more go to http://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@eng/documents/doc/uow045460.pdf
Course: Welding Technology for Engineering Personnel
The popular 3-day Course “Welding Technology Appreciation for Engineering Personnel” is being presented in Sydney on August 12/13/14 by lecturer Ben Gross of the WTIA OzWeld School of Welding Technology.
Course SWT-25 provides engineering personnel (Designers, Draughtsmen, Production and Workshop Managers, Project Managers, Quality Managers and Engineers) with an appreciation of how to specify, manage and control construction and maintenance projects from a welding and materials perspective. Places are limited to 15 participants.
For further details contact Pauline Marvaso, Education & Training Administrator, Welding Technology Institute of Australia, Ph: 02 9748 4443; Email: events@wtia.com.au or visit webpage: www.wtia.com.au or call Ben Gross on Mobile: 0407 104 301.
Event: Maximising profitability, minimising risk in a carbon constrained world for big business and industry.
Speaker: Stephen Gale Project Leader Sustainability Hatch. Venue: Futureworld Eco-Technology Centre, Miller St Coniston.
Several major carbon emitters local, national and international are turning to Hatch for advice on managing their emissions. Steve believes that being proactive and using innovative practices will not only save money, increase profits and reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also lead to a much stronger local economy and a more sustainable and natural environment.
Contact for bookings: Russell Verdon 42269147 or ftrworld@bigpond.net.au.
Cost: $20 adult, $15 Futureworld member, Student/concession $10 Light refreshments will be served at 5.30pm.
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