Research

The Sun Cable megaproject is moving from strength to strength with last week’s announcement of the awarding of its cable route survey contract to Guardian Geomatics Pty. Ltd.

In a world-first, perovskite solar cells developed by Australian scientists have passed a series of heat and humidity tests using a low-cost solution to overcome some of the challenges that are hindering the technology’s commercialization. The scientists did this by suppressing the decomposition of the perovskite cells using a simple, low-cost polymer-glass blanket.

UNSW solar researcher Brett Hallam has been awarded the prestigious 2020 IEEE Stuart R Wenham Young Professional Award in recognition of his ongoing work on the hydrogenation of silicon cells.

With the race to find cheap, efficient, non-polluting ways of generating and storing hydrogen, a new study aims to set out a roadmap for navigating the pathway towards the establishment of a large-scale technology and supply chain based on ammonia.

Solar research in Australia has “a long history of being generously funded”, says Senior Lecturer at UNSW, Richard Corkish, but the gap in available grant monies emerging as ARENA nears the end of its current remit could jeopardise some of the country’s most important solar research and development as well as the hubs of expertise themselves.

The Australian Institute of Marine Sciences is installing solar PV across its facilities nationwide. The Institute, which in part studies the impacts of climate change on our marine and coastal ecosystems, is on the scientific front lines of a bleached world without renewables.

New research out of Monash University has revealed that Australian states and territories are lagging behind in COAG Energy Council commitments to improve energy productivity by 2030. Modelling shows that national objectives will only be half met.

As part of the NSW Government’s ambition to transition the entire public bus fleet to zero emissions, Transport NSW is seeking out expressions of interest for participants in trials of zero emission buses. 

A new poll of 1000 Queenslanders has found strong support for the State to invest in renewable energy and a concordant distaste for coal. The results come amid political debate as to the viability of a new coal-fired power station in North Queensland.

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology have proposed a new design of a diamond nanothread bundle that could found a new form of mechanical storage, which, pound-for-pound, is three times more powerful than lithium-ion batteries.