Technology and R&D

Perth-based graphite anode producer Talga has allied itself with European lithium-ion battery giant Farasis Energy Group as the market in Europe for sustainably sourced electric vehicles continues its rapid rise.

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.

Western Australia’s Renewable Hydrogen Strategy is beginning to make moves with the backing of Hazer Group and the Water Corporation to produce hydrogen from biogas, an Australian-first with a technology developed in Australia.

A global consortium of technology providers, transport and infrastructure experts has joined forces to show the Australian public the feasibility and utility of hydrogen fuel cells to cleanly power public transport.

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.

Homegrown fast-charging technology company Tritium has launched “Plug and Charge,” a seamlessly simultaneous way to charge your electric vehicle and pay for the pleasure.

Researchers from Charles Darwin University have conducted a ‘cradle to grave’ life cycle assessment (LCA) of the four most widely used PV technologies. The academics say that cadmium telluride solar modules have the lowest life cycle impact, followed by amorphous, multi and monocrystalline silicon products.

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.

Scientists from Saudi Arabia have proposed a new PV panel cooling technique which employs an atmospheric water harvester. The device uses waste heat from the PV panel to collect atmospheric water at night and then releases it during the day to cool down the module. The researchers claim the device may also be improved to produce liquid water, which could be used for the cleaning of the modules.

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.