Seeking leaders in Business Sustainability

The Association for Sustainability in Business Inc is seeking leaders in sustainable business development to speak at our National Conference in March 2017. To be held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane, the Conference Program will involve presentations by Keynote Speakers in addition to oral presentations, panels and interactive forums. The Association invites thought leaders and commentators to speak by registering at http://conference.sustainability.asn.au/submit-abstract/ Topics for the 30 minute oral presentations include renewable energy systems and sources; think local first; innovative business opportunities; the energy market; and trends, policies and strategies. Discussion at the conference is broad, including not only innovation …

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Sydney community solar project: “solar beer”

A City of Sydney-backed community solar project that will put a 30kW PV system on the roof of a craft brewery in the city’s inner west will be opened to local investors this weekend. The project, which will install 120 solar panels at Young henry’s brewery in Newtown, won $40,000 in funding from the City of Sydney in November. The PV system will supply around 25 per cent of the brewery’s total electricity use, with no up-front capital costs. NSW-based community solar group Pingala, which is leading the project, said on Wednesday that it would launch the community investment round …

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Solar uptake spikes on farm & in rural industry in Tasmania.

Tasmania’s uptake of solar power is up 25 per cent, whilst the nationally solar uptake has fallen by 24 per cent over the same period. The figures come from the government agency, the Clean Energy Regulator (CER), that documents the issue of solar certificates nationally. Solar power advocates Solar Citizens said the data revealed the trend reversal. Consumer campaigner with Solar Citizens, Reece Taylor said in the first five months of this year the uptake of small scale solar in Tasmania had been up by at least 25 per cent and could be higher because of the lag in CER …

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NT Labor proposes 50% renewables by 2030 ahead of election.

The Northern Territory Labor party has promised to adopt a renewable energy target of 50 per cent by 2030, in new policy detail released ahead of the NT’s August 27 election that they are expected to win easily. The proposed target would put the NT in line with most other Labor state’s and territories in Australia – as well as federal Labor – and puts it ahead of the federal Coalition government, which is aiming for just 23 per cent renewables in 2020, with no target set for beyond that date. Giles has also weighed in on the South Australian …

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Sheep Cutting Solar Farm’s Maintenance Costs

University of Queensland is saving $50,000 a year in mowing costs at its Gatton campus solar farm by using sheep to keep the vegetation down. In May last year,  the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) research facility in the southern hemisphere was switched on at Gatton. Comprising of more than 37,000 solar panels, the facility covers a fair bit of ground. The ABC reports that to mow the grounds used to take 4 days – and cost a significant chunk of change. Ten sheep were brought in to help cut mowing costs and seem to be enjoying their new digs; a …

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People power is the secret to reliable, clean energy.

Australia’s energy watchdog, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), has issued a stark warning: more wind and solar power will demand new approaches to avoid interruptions to electricity supply. In its annual Electricity Statement of Opportunities, released this week, AEMO indicated that the overall outlook for reliability has improved. So far, so good. However, South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales are potentially at greater risk of interruptions within ten years if the current trend of shutting down old coal-fired power stations accelerates, as we can expect from Australia’s efforts to meet national and international climate targets. The threat of power blackouts is reliable …

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UN Report Shows E-Government Boosts Sustainable Development

The 2016 UN E-Government Survey provides new evidence that e-government has the potential to help support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs).  The Survey finds that e-government is an effective tool for facilitating integrated policies and public service by promoting accountable and transparent institutions through open data and e-participation and participatory decision-making as well as by advancing online services to bridge the digital divides. The Survey found that United Kingdom has pursued continued development on e-government innovation, and its Government Digital Service has been replicated by other countries around the world. Australia and …

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Renewable energy fixing the gaps

Renewable energy – South Australia is in the forefront of Australia’s transition to a low carbon economy. The July 2016 experience in that state has raised questions about the effects of high and increasing proportions of renewable energy, gas policies, and the design of the National Electricity Market. An immediate answer is grid-scale batteries, which are being deployed in other developed countries to balance increasing volumes of wind and solar energy as reported by Ross Garnaut. The Australian government’s participation in the December 2015 Paris agreements implicitly commits us to zero net emissions in electricity by the middle of the …

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Sustainability in Business Speaker Opportunity

Sustainability in Business: The National Sustainability in Business Conference; renewables, markets, innovation, opportunities and capital will be held 23 – 24 March 2017 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane. The Conference will address the need for sustainable business practices, and what this means in today’s ever-changing world. Included will be an extensive range of topics with keynotes, concurrent sessions, forum presentations, case studies, panel discussions and poster presentations. Sustainability in Business Speaker opportunity Presenters or organisations wishing to speak are invited to submit an abstract of no more than 300 words.  All proposals will be reviewed by the program …

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Renewable Energy Entrepreneurs

Renewable Energy Entrepreneurs: Why and how to become an Renewable Energy Entrepreneurs is discussed by Isabele Hernandez. The world as we see it is inflicted with agony. Under the clouds of human-inflicted jeopardies, we often tend to forget what kind of natural disasters await us in the coming years. The rising temperature of the atmosphere, unnatural frequency of earthquakes, mass deformities in child-birth – all of these are signs, signs which tell us something is not working right. Scientists and researchers of various subjects agree that human species are consuming their reserve of fossil-energy way too early. The alternate options …

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