For a cost-rich country like Australia, oceanic wave energy is a ready and largely-untapped source of essentially unlimited power, and the Perth-based Wave Energy Project has just set a new world record after 14,000 total hours of operation.

Located off the coast of Western Australia, the CETO 5 energy system has been live for a year and not only generates clean energy but also desalinates water for human consumption.

This remarkable project also represents another milestone: the first array of wave power generators tied directly into a country’s electrical grid. Each unit of their next-generation variant has a one-megawatt capacity (four times the current version 5 output), all with zero emissions.

“ARENA is proud to help local companies, like [Carnegie Wave Energy Limited], develop new renewable energy solutions that have the potential to change the way the world generates electricity,” said ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht. “We do this by providing Australian innovators with the support they need during the critical RD&D period, when patient funding is essential.”

The post Record-Setting Ocean Wave Energy Plant Hits 14,000 Hours first appeared on Gajitz.

Deployed off the coast of Australia, the first electricity grid-connected wave power station on the planet has been switched on. If deployed broadly and at scale around Western Australia, this system could ultimately provide more than 10 times the entire power requirements of the state.

Developed by Carnegie Wave Energy, the specific technology is named CETO (after a Greek goddess of the sea) and converts ocean swell into zero-emission renewable power as well as desalinated freshwater. Being underwater, the system is designed to be safe from unpredictable and dangerous surface conditions.

The round, submerged buoys are tethered to seabed pump units, which are installed at a depth of between 25 and 50 metres. Waves crashing into the buoys drive the pumps, which push pressurised seawater through a pipeline beneath the ocean floor to an onshore hydroelectric power station. Here, the high-pressure water drives a turbine and generates electricity.

The process of creating freshwater utilizes elements of the same system. “The high-pressure water can be used to supply a reverse osmosis desalination plant, replacing or reducing reliance on greenhouse gas-emitting, electrically-driven pumps usually required for such plants.”

The post Down Under: World’s First Wave Power Station Tied to Grid first appeared on Gajitz.

Disposable drink containers are among the most ubiquitous waste generated by first-world populations. Some parts of the world have opted to charge deposits for drink containers: a few pennies which are refunded when you recycle the containers. In Australia, the container deposit plan is just starting to take shape, and they’ve implemented a clever way to encourage recycling.

“Cash for Containers” is a simple plan. You just take your empty cans and bottles to reverse vending machines. When you put a container in, you get vouchers, cash, or rewards. The machines let you choose your own reward – bus vouchers, movie tickets, chocolate bars, and various other choices.

Envirobank, the company behind the machines, hopes that the initiative will help Australians recycle much more of their waste. Cans and plastic bottles take hundreds of years to break down, so paying that extra 10 cents per drink and then getting rewarded for recycling the containers seems like an effective plan to keep huge amounts of garbage out of the landfill.

The post Reverse Vending: Machines Recycle Cans for Cash, Rewards first appeared on Gajitz.

Distracted drivers cause thousands of deaths a year in the U.S. alone. RAC of Australia (roughly equivalent to AAA in America) has come up with a brilliant solution to counteract the dangers of distracted driving: an “attention powered” car.

The driver wears a headset consisting of 14 sensors that measure brainwaves. The sensors recognize when the driver is not giving his or her full attention to the road and tell the car to slow down.

Aside from removing the headset entirely, there is no way for the driver to override or fool the brainwave sensors. This brilliant idea could save millions of lives around the world if it were ever manufactured on a large scale. For now, the only attention-powered car in existence is gearing up for a tour of Western Australia meant to raise awareness about distracted driving.

The post Attention-Powered Car Clamps Down on Distracted Driving first appeared on Gajitz.

A car versus pedestrian accident is a nightmare for everyone involved, but new technology from Volvo could reduce the likelihood of the pedestrian sustaining serious injuries. The car company recently began selling the world’s first external airbag-equipped car. The Australian version of the Volvo V40 features a pedestrian protection system. This system consists of sensors in the front of the car and an airbag that pops up from under the hood.

The sensors detect when a pedestrian has been hit, which in turn causes the external airbag to pop up instantly. The airbag is meant to protect the pedestrian from head injuries, which are the most common cause of death in car versus pedestrian accidents. Pedestrians will be protected in the case of an accident with a Volvo V40, but the driver will have to fork over $3000 (Australian) to replace the setup after an accident occurs and the airbag deploys.

The post A Safer Sedan: Volvo Offers First Car With Pedestrian Airbag first appeared on Gajitz.