• Moriarty steps down as 1414 Degrees chair
• $300 million EP electrical project begins
• Tech showcase event for Hindmarsh
• Energy efficiency tech recognised at national awards
• Solar panel recycler to open in sunshine state

Moriarty steps down as 1414 Degrees chair

The executive chair of Adelaide clean energy company 1414 Degrees Dr Kevin Moriarty will step down from his role as chair but will remain a non-executive Director of the Company.

The company announced to the ASX on Friday that Moriarty had provided three months’ notice of his intended resignation from executive duties and will appoint Tony Sacre as an independent, non-executive Director and as interim Chair of the Board of Directors.

It came nine days after 1414 Degrees announced it had stood down its newly-appointed managing director Jamie Summons while it conducts an investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct.

An independent investigation into complaints concerning workplace behaviour within the company is ongoing.

Moriarty had headed up the company for the past five years.

He and COO Jordan Parnham were managing the day-to-day operations of the company while the investigation continued but in light of Moriarty’s resignation and in the absence of the Summons, the board has appointed Parham to the role of Acting Chief Executive Officer.

It has been a challenging 12 months for the thermal energy storage company, which listed on the ASX in September 2018 after raising $16.3 million as part of its IPO. Its opening share price was $0.30.

The company’s share price nosedived in June last year following a review, which showed its technology was less efficient and reliable than previously forecast.

1414 Degrees’ technology stores energy generated from electricity or gas as thermal energy by heating and melting containers full of silicon. Energy can then be supplied as heat and electricity in the proportions required by consumers.

However, the technical and commercial status review ordered by Moriarty found its prototype silicon storage technology could not sustain many cycles without degrading.

It also found that its third-party energy recovery system could not perform to the required efficiency specifications.

$300 million EP electrical project begins

Work has begun on a $300 million project to build a new 270 km, high-voltage transmission line across the Eyre Peninsula.

The first of 500 sets of concrete foundations for the new transmission towers was poured in May with the ElectraNet project expected to take about 18 months to complete. The new line is expected to be energised by the end of 2022.

The line will run from Cultana, just south of Whyalla, to Port Lincoln via Yadnerie and will replace a 50-year-old transmission line.

The project will include upgrades to substations at Cultana, Yadnarie, Port Lincoln Terminal, Wudinna and Middleback and will enable more new renewable energy and mining projects to connect in the future.

“This project is an important and significant investment in the Eyre Peninsula that will give residential and business electricity users a more secure and reliable power supply,” ElectraNet Chief Executive Steve Masters said.

“Construction works will also support the local economy with up to 300 jobs created to deliver the works and a large number of South Australian and local businesses throughout the region providing goods and services to the project.”

Downer has been contracted to conduct the detailed design and construction of the project.

Tech showcase event for Hindmarsh

Digital engineering services provider Kadego-Cadgile will host a ‘Technology Showcase’ at its Hindmarsh headquarters on Wednesday

The event aims to demonstrate the company’s world-class Industry 4.0 capabilities and give participants first-hand insight into how virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D modelling, animation and visualisation technology can be applied in the design of everything from consumer products to major infrastructure developments.

Kadego-Cadgile comprises the formerly independent Kadego and Cadgile companies which were acquired and merged by international parent company Groupe FIVA in 2018 to create South Australia’s one-stop-shop for digital engineering services.

General Manager for Corporate Development at Kadego-Cadgile Gary McRae said many South Australian businesses were unaware of their ability to use virtual and augmented reality in the design of products, infrastructure and even training and marketing initiatives.

“This is immensely powerful technology that offers a fully immersive and realistic 3D simulation, that, combined with a high degree of interactivity, takes design review to a different level,” he said.

“Whether it’s a new cellar door at a winery, a new special purpose machine or a proposed architectural makeover, our virtual and augmented reality solutions enable you to make better decisions at those critical points in your projects, to save time and money.”

Participants in the event will be given first-hand experience in how virtual and augmented reality are being applied in almost all industries to improve design and construction processes.

Registrations have already been received from the defence, resource, construction and consumer goods sectors.

Interested parties are invited to register their interest in attending one of three sessions on June 9 by contacting Chris at [email protected], or calling 1300 890 054.

Energy efficiency tech recognised at national awards

Adelaide startup Hubble has been named “The Most Innovative Proptech Company” at a national awards for technology designed for the real estate market.

Hubble is a platform that uses artificial intelligence to predict property experiences for residential houses based on minimal building specifications.

Based at Lot Fourteen, the company’s technology aims to increase the understanding of a home’s energy efficiency before it is built by providing an estimated rating and its impacts, such as potential savings, comfort levels and carbon emissions.

The Proptech Awards 2021 was held in Sydney late last month.

Hubble CEO Marco Salinas said the biggest challenge for the technology was disrupting the sales and marketing processes of visualising the benefits of better property experiences, such as energy efficiency.

“This recognition validates both the value that Hubble provides to the Property Industry, as well as all the hard work our team puts into our platform,” he said.

“The award recognises the need for better transparency in the industry.

“For a market that has been historically opaque, providing transparency and improving the customer’s experience is important to differentiate oneself and provide a better service focusing on the occupants’ wellbeing.”

Solar panel recycler to open in sunshine state

An Adelaide-based solar panel recycling business has received development approval and environmental permit for a second solar panel recycling site in Brisbane.

The Queensland site will be the second for Reclaim PV Recycling, which is due to open its first solar panel recycling centre in Adelaide’s southern suburbs in the coming weeks.

The company announced last week it had received development approval from Brisbane Council, as well as an Environmental Authority from the Queensland Government to begin PV recycling at a second solar panel recycling facility in Brisbane.

It follows the DA approval for Reclaim PV’s first site in Lonsdale in February, which is due to start recycling about 70,000 panels per annum, commencing with the 60,000 panels which it has already collected from around Australia from next month.

Reclaim PV already has a stockpile of 30,000 solar panels in Queensland, which it has been collecting since February 2020.

Director Clive Fleming said the establishment of a national recovery and recycling network was “an absolute necessity” for the PV industry and for Australia which already has a solar panel disposal challenge on its hands.

“Australia’s rooftop solar installations are the highest in the world (on a per capita basis), with approximately 60 million or 21.4 gigawatts (GW) installed so far and research is suggesting that there will be more than 1 million panels requiring replacement annually by 2031,” he said.

“We need a nationwide approach to managing the replacement and recycling of faulty, non-performing and end of life solar panels before this gets unmanageable and we start to see 2000 tonnes of waste making its way to landfill annually.

“Reclaim PV is committed to providing an end-to-end solution to meet this challenge and to engage with industry, commercial users of solar panels and all levels of Government to introduce sustainable recovery and recycling practices across the whole supply chain to support the circular economy.”