Tech track: More electric buses for south east Queensland
South east Queensland will receive another 17 electric buses added to the public transport fleet with the first e-bus scheduled to start services in February before the other 16 progressively join the network.
State Government public transport agency Translink said it had worked with the Queensland branch of transport giant Transdev to order the electric buses, which will service Brisbane’s eastern suburbs.
The new buses will be at least partly charged by the existing solar system installed at Transdev’s Capalaba depot.
Volgren’s Eagle Farm manufacturing facility on Brisbane’s northside will build the buses.
Each 12.5m Volvo BZL bus built will support five jobs and feature dual 300kW electric motors and seat 43 passengers.
Battery project moves closer
North Queensland’s plans for its first grid-forming big battery have taken another step to becoming a reality with final development approval being received.
The 200MW/400MWh Yabulu BESS project is being developed by ACE Energy on land at Black River, about 25km north of Townsville.
The location for the project is next to a proposed 100MW solar farm that is being developed on the same landholding as the BESS by a separate entity to ACE Energy and likely after the battery is complete.
ACE Energy said the BESS would charge and discharge from its own independent connection to Powerlink’s 132kV Yabulu South substation and there would be “no interaction with the solar farm, physically or electrically”.
Rather, the Yabulu big battery would operate in “grid-forming mode,” meaning it will be used to provide system strength to the network in the Townsville region, with construction of the BESS slated to begin in 2023/24.
State funding for microgrids
The Queensland Government has announced an initial $10 million in grants to explore the benefits of microgrid technologies as it looks at ways to increase resilience and reliability of electricity supply to remote and regional communities.
The State Government said the $10 million Queensland Microgrid Pilot Fund (QMPF) would be used to develop a series of microgrids that would be connected to the main grid but also able to operate independently if required.
Queensland Energy Minister Mick de Brenni said the fund aimed to improve the resilience and reliability of electricity supply in the state’s regional and remote communities, some of which still rely on diesel-fuelled generators.
Remote communities can now apply for the funding as part of the transformation of the state’s energy system.
Battery casing startup to expand
Queensland-based ReNu Energy will acquire up to a 20% stake in fellow Brisbane company startup, Vaulta, which has developed a ‘circular’ battery casing technology optimised for reuse and recycling.
Vaulta will use the eventual $1 million investment from ReNu to scale its manufacturing capability and expand domestic and offshore sales.
Vaulta has developed and patented a streamlined, no-weld design for battery casing.
The casing involves few parts and is optimised for ease of both assembly and disassembly, crucial for cell replacement, reuse and recycling.
More articles
Related topics
-
The information in this article has been prepared for general information purposes only and is not intended as legal advice or specific advice to any particular person. Any advice contained in the document is general advice, not intended as legal advice or professional advice and does not take into account any person’s particular circumstances. Before acting on anything based on this advice you should consider its appropriateness to you, having regard to your objectives and needs.
Insurance products (excluding Travel Insurance) are issued by RACQ Insurance Limited ABN 50 009 704 152 (RACQ). Conditions, limits and exclusions apply. This is general advice only and may not be right for you. This information does not take your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and any applicable Supplementary PDS before making a purchase decision on this product. You can also access our Target Market Determinations on this website.
Banking and loan products issued by Members Banking Group Limited ABN 83 087 651 054 AFSL/Australian credit licence 241195 trading as RACQ Bank. Terms, conditions, fees, charges and lending policies apply. This is general advice only and may not be right for you. This information does not take your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account. Read the disclosure documents for your selected product or service, including the Financial Services Guide and the Terms and Conditions, and consider if appropriate for you before deciding.
Except for RACQ Bank, any RACQ entity referred to on this page is not an authorised deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). That entity’s obligations do not represent deposits or other liabilities of RACQ Bank. RACQ Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of that entity, unless noted otherwise.
RACQ Operations Pty Ltd (ABN 80 009 663 414 AR 000234978) and Members Travel Group Pty Ltd (ABN 45 144 538 803 AR 000432492) are acting as an Authorised Representative of the issuer of the insurance, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. (ABN 80 000 438 291 AFSL 246 548). Any advice set out above is general in nature only, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before purchasing any travel products, please consider the RACQ Travel Insurance Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and the Target Market Determinations (TMDs) that apply to these products. Whilst the PDS outlines the Terms and Conditions of these products, the TMDs outline the intended class of customers that comprise the target market for these travel products. This will allow you to consider which products best suit your objectives, financial situation and needs and consider the products appropriateness to your personal circumstances. TMDs also outline matters involving the distribution and the review of these products. The PDS, Supplementary PDS and TMDs for each travel product can be found here.