Not too long ago, keeping a data centre 'efficiently' cool was the ultimate goal for Australian data centre managers. But today, with Australian data centres evolving into hubs for much larger, interconnected networks of cloud-based services - potentially servicing hundreds of thousands of global users around the clock - managing cooling loads in isolation is not enough. Customers are now looking beyond cooling at holistic thermal management solutions. [ + ]

An earlier BICSI column in ECD Solutions advised of changing Australia Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) regulations requiring cablers to hold 'competencies' in specialist cabling activities such as structured cabling, optical fibre and coax cabling. These new requirements come into effect July 2014, so, many cablers around Australia have been looking into how to obtain these competencies through ACMA-approved training. [ + ]

Australia's largest grid-connected solar power system with Enphase microinverters has been installed at the Glenlyn Aged Care Facility in Glenroy, Victoria. The project was carried out by EnviroGroup in conjunction with Yingli Solar. [ + ]

Security is at the forefront of many executives’ minds, and to compound the issues the industry is undergoing a transformation - or what the industry pundits term as convergence. This article discusses the challenges presented by the convergence of physical security and IT and the benefits of a holistic approach. [ + ]

Monash University has improved its overall sustainability through a mixture of energy-efficiency initiatives, behavioural change and renewable energy installations. [ + ]

130 Stirling Street is one of the first buildings in Perth to attain a 5.5 star rating under the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) without using GreenPower. [ + ]

This article examines how plant operators can win their battle against an invisible enemy which has the potential to cause equipment failures that negatively impact on business. [ + ]

Building a low-cost solar cell that is both highly efficient and simple to construct has thus far proved elusive. However, a research team from Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, has made a major leap forward. [ + ]

The production of multicrystalline-silicon (c-Si) solar photovoltaic (PV) modules is set to dominate PV manufacturing during 2014, with p-type multi c-Si technology accounting for 62% of all modules produced, according to the latest NPD Solarbuzz PV Equipment Quarterly report. [ + ]

The 2013 NECA Market Monitor released in September clearly shows that although industry charge-out rates have gone up by 7% since the 2011 survey - the cost of doing business has risen by around 25% over the past year alone. So the average electrical contractor is considerably worse off today than they were two years ago. [ + ]

Major changes to requirements regarding building envelope, lighting, mechanical and the energy cost budget are contained in the newly published energy standard from ASHRAE and IES. [ + ]

Harbour City Ferries has significantly improved safety of its staff, vessels and other users of Sydney Harbour with installation of FLIR M320L thermal imaging cameras across its entire fleet. [ + ]

Doltone House, Hyde Park, one of Sydney's most iconic venues, has undergone a major refurbishment that is expected to lead to significant improvements in energy efficiency. [ + ]

NTU scientists have developed a solar cell made from organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite materials which they say is about five times cheaper than current thin-film solar cells, due to a simpler, solution-based manufacturing process. [ + ]

Energy-efficiency improvements have slowed down, reveals the World Energy Council's latest study. The report shows that more and more countries are now involved in energy-efficiency policies, but also highlights numerous factors that have affected energy-efficiency progress across 85 countries, representing more than 90% of global consumption. [ + ]