Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation is investing $99M to boost a South Australia wind farm to provide clean energy to BHP’s Olympic Dam copper mine. Olympic Dam, located 550 km north-northwest of Adelaide, has one of the largest copper deposits in the world. The Neoen Goyder South Stage 1 Wind Farm will generate 203 MW […]
Being Green Just Got Easier
‘It’s not easy being green’ may have been a hit song by a frog 30 years ago, but for most people renovating a home that original message still rings true. Till now that is. The Green Building Council of Australia—GBCA—has just launched their sustainable guide to home renovations so builders, designers & homeowners can make […]
Next Step To Net Zero Copper Mining—Minerals Processing
A new Minerals Processing Roadmap lays out a vision for sustainable copper mining, the third in the International Copper Association Australia’s—ICAA—Roadmap to Zero Project following earlier reports on Water and Material Movement. Launched by the Hon. Courtney Houssos MLC, NSW Minister for Finance and Minister for Natural Resources, Minerals Processing is a unique collaboration between […]
Running Out Of Gas?
Weaning our homes & business off using gas is fundamental if Australia is to reach net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 according to a new snapshot. The Grattan Institute said governments here need to set deadlines to end gas use while launching campaigns to help households go “all electric” that’s run on renewable energy. It’s […]
Global Copper At A Glance
The latest global Copper Fact Book is now out and apart from being free has everything you need to know about the world’s hardest working and smartest metal. Produced by the International Copper Study Group—ICSG—in Portugal, the newest edition covers the red metal from every angle. From Copper basics like its history, benefits & properties […]
“Supercharging” Clean Energy Storage
Australia’s top science agency, the CSIRO, has just released a Roadmap showing we could need 10 to 14 times more energy storage capacity in the National Electricity Market by 2050. Its a big topic & the Renewable Energy Storage Roadmap tapped feedback from 50 industry organisations as well as all levels of government. It’s had […]
Smart Aussie Solar Startup Scales Up
We wrote about SunDrive way back in 2021 when it created the world’s most efficient commercial-sized solar cell using copper. But a lot’s happened since. Two years ago SunDrive’s cell achieved 25.54% efficiency, but they recently announced they’d hit 26.41% efficiency for a full-size silicon cell using their copper-based technology and large-scale production processes. SunDrive’s […]
Copper Cuts Carbon Emissions in Buildings
Copper is getting a reputation as a “green” metal, but a new study is suggesting it can also help reduce carbon emissions in the construction industry. That’s big news. The building and construction sector globally accounts for roughly 40% of energy and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions a year, while manufacturing building materials and construction are […]
Australian Mining Upbeat Despite Global Challenges
Australian mining meets global investment, sustainability, supply chain and geopolitical issues as part of this year’s International Mining & Resources Conference—IMARC—in Sydney in November. IMARC is Australia’s largest mining event with over 7,500 decision makers, mining leaders, policy makers, investors, commodity buyers, technical experts, innovators, and educators from more than 100 countries for three days […]
Homing In On Energy
There’s been a lot happening on the home energy front recently as standards get set to rise. And that’s big news for consumers and construction professionals. For a start all Australian governments have now agreed to raise the bar on energy efficiency standards for new-build homes. It’s the first change to the National Construction Code […]
Aussie Electric Cars Start Moving
The Federal Labor Government has now introduced their electric car discount bill to parliament in a sign the country may finally be moving ahead on electric mobility. It’s a good start even if there’s still some way to go. But the stars seem to be aligning on e-mobility as governments start acting. This Federal bill […]
Cutting Greenhouse Gases
The world may be heading toward net zero at a fast pace I’m glad to say, but the fact is progress is likely to be uneven for a while yet. Despite huge efforts by government and business to usher in renewable energy and electrification, I expect inefficient legacy systems, processes and products will remain a […]
