Alarmingly, global temperature rise is now more than doubled the 1.5 degrees agreed at COP 21 in Paris in 2015, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change (IPCC).
Solar electricity has gained much interest and appreciation from the Sri Lankans in the past few years. In 2021, rooftop solar electricity contributed to a generation of 390 GWh, amounting to 2.37% of the total energy generation. This is the cumulative effect from 34,219 rooftop systems islandwide adding up to 422 MW capacity.
On February 7, 2009, the Australian state of Victoria experienced more than 400 individual bushfires. The fire was spread over more than 4500 square kilometres of land, destroying more than 2000 homes and killing 173 people. The so-called “Black Saturday Bushfires” are often called the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.
Sandy coastlines adjacent to tidal inlets are highly dynamic and widespread landforms that evolve in time due to the supply or removal of sand, making them vulnerable to changes in sediment budget. These systems are affected by the combined effects of terrestrial (e.g., river sand supply) and oceanic (e.g., sea-level rise) processes, making their behaviour even more complex, especially with the significant changes expected in climate conditions (as early as the mid-century) and anthropogenic influences.
The application of composites in infrastructure has substantially increased around the world in the last three decades. Breakthrough research and developments on composite materials and structures over the years have paved way to increased civil infrastructure applications and acceptance of composites among engineers and assest owners. In Australia, the pioneering work was initiated at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) within the Centre for Future Materials (CFM) resulting in the first Australian fibre composite bridge in 2022
NSW is at a crossroads. As our existing power sources come to the end of their lives and global markets seek cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy sources, we have a once in a generation opportunity to redefine the State as a modern, global energy superpower. Timely action to deliver the electricity infrastructure of our future-pumped hydro, Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) generation, firming and transmission—can unlock internationally competitive energy prices to grow the economy, support jobs, and attract major new industries.
Starting the event the topic “The Power of Networks” was addressed by Dr. Marlene Kanga. Dr. Marlene Kanga is the Immediate Past President of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), with members from 100 engineering institutions and approximately 30 million engineers internationally. A chemical engineer, she was the 2013 National President of Engineers Australia. Marlene is a board member of some of the largest organizations in Australia in utilities, transport and innovation.
The direct use of low emission electricity in place of fossil fuels is one of the most important drivers of emission reduction of buildings. As a result, electrification of buildings, minimising energy demand growth through improvements in energy efficiency and human behavioural changes will immensely support the journey to meet Net Zero emission target.
Australian energy industry is in a fast transition towards higher penetration levels of clean and renewable energy. The main drivers for this fast transition is reducing green-house emissions, de-carbonisation and reduced costs. Utility scale renewable power generators, distributed energy resources (DER), energy storage and other grid firming technologies are key elements driving this transition.
Energy is a critical factor in the uninterrupted continuation of human life on a global scale. With the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, the world continues to try to move away from petroleum-based fuels. In the Sri Lankan context, in the domestic sector, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) is heavily used, in particular for cooking.