The National Electricity Market wasn't designed with distributed generation in mind. Indeed, one major design flaw acts to penalise solar power, and does so more in Australia than in practically every other country in the world.  [ + ]

ABB will install its PowerStore, an integrated commercial flywheel technology to integrate with a battery system on Kodiak Island in Alaska to enable the integration of more renewable energy from an expanded wind farm to its microgrid. [ + ]

Using intelligent location data to drive field force effectiveness is common for service teams, but what about sales? [ + ]

The infrastructure ministry has received over 150 proposals from state and local governments for projects to improve the productivity and safety of heavy vehicles, and has allocated $200m over five years to co-fund such projects. [ + ]

Today's smart home promises efficient building management, but often the systems are not secure and can only be retrofitted at great expense. Scientists are working on a software product that defends against hacker attacks before they reach the building.

One of the reasons that we continue to see an increasing focus on service and support is in the impact that effective service has on revenue. [ + ]

ANCAP will introduce a datestamp to all its new vehicle safety-rating logos so that ratings from different years can be more accurately compared. [ + ]

When a field service organisation is implementing any kind of change to the way it operates, there are a number of challenges that need to be overcome and key criteria that need to be followed in order to transform the business successfully. [ + ]

In the last issue of ECD Solutions, we explained the requirements for customer cabling between separate buildings and why the use of metallic telecommunications cabling between buildings may be risky. This issue, we explain how a cabling provider can assess that risk.

The inquest into Australia's deadliest house fire has highlighted the role of the electrical industry in guiding public safety. [ + ]

We're in a mobile 'first world', and smartphones have taken over as the computing platform of choice. But the smartphone shouldn't get too comfortable, as emerging trends are pointing to a future where the smartphone won't be a necessary component of mobile computing. [ + ]

FLIR Systems has helped Belgian manufacturer Delta Light improve the durability of its lighting systems by monitoring the product temperature profiles. [ + ]

GE Lighting has installed an energy-efficient LED solution at the Davao Medical School Foundation in the Philippines.  [ + ]

While we often focus heavily on the changing trends in technology and the subsequent impact of these trends in field service, it isn't technology adoption or integration that is the biggest challenge that field service organisations face or will face in the coming 10 years. [ + ]

The interest in using cloud-based software and mobility solutions to enhance the performance of field service operations is really taking off. This is largely driven by the cost management and efficiency focus of Australian businesses. It is also due to the recognition of our leading chief executives of the correlation between customer satisfaction and revenue, and the nexus between great service and happy customers. [ + ]