Page 18
Category: News
-
US EPA sets major restrictions on HFCs
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced further actions it will be taking to to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The Biden-Harris administration aims to reduce HFCs by 40 per cent in 2024, and to achieve an 85 per cent reduction by 2036 under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act – in line […]
-
New method for tapping geothermal power
Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) scientists have proposed a new technique which might help prevent “short-circuits” that can cause geothermal power plants to halt production. According to the researchers, the technique has the potential to improve the efficiency of geothermal power. “The public perception of geothermal is that since it’s renewable we should be able […]
-
New innovation hub for greener data centres
Danfoss, Google, Microsoft and Schneider Electric have created a new data centre innovation hub in Fredericia, Denmark. The group – together with the Danish Data Center Industry – is launching the Net Zero Innovation Hub For Data Centers with a view to speed up common solutions for the green transition of data centres. According to […]
-
Europe forges ahead with HFC phase-out plan
The European Parliament and Council has taken the next – and what appears to be decisive – step towards a new and ambitious phase-out schedule for HFC refrigerants. The deal includes specific phase-out dates for the use of fluorinated gases in sectors where it is “technologically and economically feasible to switch to alternatives”. This includes […]
-
Advice on data classification and structure
Building services specialist A.G. Coombs has released an advisory note on classification and structure for building data. “As the construction and property sectors continue to develop and embrace new technologies including digital twins, cognitive buildings, artificial intelligence and machine learning,” says A.G. Coombs, “there is a need to ensure that data systems are suitable to […]
-
UNSW launches Institute for Climate Risk & Response
A new research institute will offer advice to industry on how to assess and respond to climate change. Experts and industry leaders in the field of climate change gathered together recently for the launch of the UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response (ICRR). The new institute will support the activities of UNSW researchers from the faculties […]
-
Heat pumps unlikely to blow our HFC budget
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has released a new report from the Expert Group that analyses how increased heat pump deployment in Australia could impact our goals to phase down HFC refrigerants. The report finds that although heat pump use will rise significantly, there will not be an increase […]
-
Calling refrigeration apprentices
Woolworths is seeking refrigeration apprentices to join its 2024 training program and help meet the organisation’s 2025 sustainability targets. Woolworths says it is committed to building diversity and inclusion within the refrigeration industry. “We are committed to supporting the refrigeration industry to build greater diversity and inclusion for the ‘fridgies’ of tomorrow,” says the company. […]
-
Looking beyond our GWP ‘tunnel vision’
What gets measured gets managed is a truism of our age. But in the case of refrigerants, is a heavy reliance on one measurement concealing the full sustainability story? Adrian Bukmanis, founder of Veridian Refrigerant Management, believes so. He presented at AIRAH’s recent Future of HVAC Conference on the topic “No longer immaterial: The life-cycle […]
-
Heated lockers coming to a building near you
Following an amenity trend sweeping across other parts of the world, more than 30 heated food lockers have launched across Melbourne building foyers. Popular food delivery companies Hungry Panda and Fantuan have started delivering to the Foodifox lockers, offered free of charge to building managers, with the costs varied by delivery partners to pay for the speed of delivery and to avoid confusing building rules and […]
-
Australia formally declares El Niño weather event
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has formally declared an El Niño weather event, meaning one is under way for the first time in eight years. El Niño is a major climate driver linked to hot, dry weather, which can increase the risk of bushfires in Australia. The major climate event impacts the weather patterns of 60 per cent of the […]
-
A chameleon coating for buildings
In the natural world, chameleons can change colour to reflect heat and stay cool or transition to a darker colour to absorb heat. Now, researchers from the American Chemical Society have developed a coating inspired by the Namaqua chameleon, which acts as a colour-shifting coating. Fuqiang Wang and colleagues wanted to create a coating that […]
-
Bill Gates-backed heat battery coming to Australia
California-based start up Rondo Energy is moving to Australia to launch a new heat battery. Australia is the third region the company is targeting after the USA and Europe. Rondo Energy already has 2.4GWhs of battery storage manufacturing online in Thailand, with expansion plans to hit 90GWhs to fulfill regional and global demand. It has […]
-
Vertiv acquires water-based chiller technology
Vertiv – the former Emerson Network Power business, owners of Liebert-brand chillers and provider of equipment and services for data centres – has acquired the patents and other assets of German company Efficient Energy GmbH. Efficient Energy, the manufacturer of chillers that use water as a refrigerant, entered administration on June 2 after the collapse […]
-
Finalists named for AIRAH Awards 2023
AIRAH has named the finalists for its 2023 industry awards. The AIRAH Awards celebrate the leading projects, people, products and initiatives at the vanguard of HVAC&R. “The AIRAH Awards program provides another avenue to highlight and celebrate the tremendous work being done by the talented teams and individuals within our critical industry,” says AIRAH’s Education […]
-
Heritage Lanes comes up 6 star
Mirvac has achieved a 6 star Green Star Buildings V1 certified rating from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) for its Heritage Lanes project in Brisbane. According to AECOM, the consulting firm that worked on the project, Heritage Lanes is an Australian first. A 74,000m2, 35-storey premium office tower in Brisbane’s CBD, It retains […]
-
Measuring health benefits of energy efficiency
Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston University, and Oregon State University have devised a new methodology that calculates the health and climate benefits from saving energy in buildings. The research is part of a four-year project called Co-benefits of the Built Environment (CoBE), which originally focused on calculating the health and […]
-
Milking the system: cooler cows keep it flowing
University of Queensland researchers have demonstrated how dairy cows can be kept cool 24/7, helping to prevent heat stress, adding to the cows’ welfare, and increasing milk production. With hot weather often impacting dairy cattle health, wellbeing, and overall milk production, dairy producers will use a variety of cooling strategies to prevent heat stress in […]
-
Ramping up flexible demand in Australia
One of the big challenges Australia faces as the grid decarbonises is how to ensure reliable supply from intermittent renewable energy sources. Alongside this challenge is a big opportunity: the potential to use distributed energy resources (DERs) in buildings, such as HVAC systems, electric vehicles and batteries to manage demand. This has the threefold benefit […]
-
Time to prepare cooling centres in Australia?
Heatwaves with record-setting peaks, duration, and timing are becoming more and more familiar around the world. Last week, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service declared that June–August – the northern hemisphere summer – was the hottest such period since records began in 1940, topping the previous record by a significant margin. In Phoenix, Arizona, […]