The Guardian – Page 2 – Bianca Nogrady

How Australia can use hydrogen to export its solar power around the world

June 26, 2017No Comments

From The Guardian, 19 May 2017: Nearly a century ago, British scientist JB Haldane saw an energy future in which wind power would be used to generate hydrogen; a fuel he described as, weight-for-weight, the most efficient known method of storing energy. He thought this future was four hundred years away, but the so-called “hydrogen … Continue reading How Australia can use hydrogen to export its solar power around the world

Age discrimination: older Australian workers viewed as slow to learn

April 28, 2017No Comments

From The Guardian, 20 April 2017: The trope of the older worker thrust back into the hurly-burly of working life made for great comedy in the 2015 film The Intern. But in reality this scenario isn’t always such a laughing matter. Older workers face unique hardships. Hampered by unfair stereotypes about their abilities, their role … Continue reading Age discrimination: older Australian workers viewed as slow to learn

Food security: the gene banks future-proofing Australian agriculture

April 28, 2017No Comments

From The Guardian, 27 April 2017: n February 2018 the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in the remote Norwegian Arctic will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Among the gifts it will receive are two collections of precious seeds and grains from the Australian Pastures Genebank and the Australian Grains Genebank, to be deposited into the vault as … Continue reading Food security: the gene banks future-proofing Australian agriculture

Australian consortium launches world-first digital energy marketplace for rooftop solar

February 28, 2017No Comments

From The Guardian, 23 February 2017: Australian homeowners with solar panels and batteries could soon trade their electricity in a digital marketplace developed by a consortium of electricity providers, energy tech startups, energy retailers and energy agencies. The Decentralised Energy Exchange – or deX – was launched on Thursday with the promise to “change the … Continue reading Australian consortium launches world-first digital energy marketplace for rooftop solar

Urban heat islands: cooling things down with trees, green roads and fewer cars

February 28, 2017No Comments

From the Guardian, 21 February 2017: When it comes to coping with heatwaves, our own cities are conspiring against us. Road surfaces, pavements and buildings all contribute to keeping urbanised environments three to four degrees hotter than surrounding non-urbanised areas. With heatwaves like the ones that have just baked half of Australia to a crisp … Continue reading Urban heat islands: cooling things down with trees, green roads and fewer cars

Transforming waste into fuel with Australian innovations, from tyres to sugar cane and agave

January 9, 2017No Comments

From The Guardian, 16 December 2016: In a world of dwindling resources, waste is one thing in no danger of running out. Each Australian generates more than 2,000kg of waste per year, and around half of that ends up in landfill. But at least some of that waste could be turned into a resource that … Continue reading Transforming waste into fuel with Australian innovations, from tyres to sugar cane and agave

Solar energy and rethinking geothermal: ARENA’s hits and misses

January 9, 2017No Comments

From The Guardian, 27 December 2016: As any punter will know, backing winners isn’t easy. There’s a little bit of science, a little bit of art and a whole lot of luck. Australia’s independent renewable energy agency came into being in 2012 though an act of parliament, with a $2.5bn, 10-year mission to improve the … Continue reading Solar energy and rethinking geothermal: ARENA’s hits and misses

‘The heat is there’: is there a future for geothermal energy in Australia?

November 4, 2016No Comments

From the Guardian, 4 November 2016: In July 2010, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) took a $32m gamble on geothermal energy, investing in Australia’s first demonstration of geothermal electricity generation. Six years later, the wells in South Australia’s Cooper Basin have been filled with concrete and abandoned, and the geothermal exploration company involved – … Continue reading ‘The heat is there’: is there a future for geothermal energy in Australia?