Australian company GreenSync has unveiled new technology to enable grids to operate above 80% renewable penetration. [ + ]

Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyotal Financial Services have established a US joint venture company with Japan-based Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance. The company will develop products that analyse driver behaviour for the purpose of establishing car insurance rates. [ + ]

A research team at UNSW has made a major breakthrough in terms of improving solar cell efficiency, according to recent reports. [ + ]

Navman recently conducted research into what drives us mad on the road and, according to the results, not indicating or indicating too late was the number one pet peeve. The company found that a whopping 98% of drivers identified this as the action that annoys them most of all. [ + ]

From 18 May 2016, any new enterprise agreements entered into by building contractors or building industry participants need to be compliant with the current Building Code 2013 in order for contractors to be eligible for work on future Commonwealth-funded construction projects. [ + ]

The annual SPARC Design event is on again, being held as part of the ever-growing Vivid Sydney festival. [ + ]

AfMA is encouraging people to nominate an individual or organisation who has had the greatest influence for change in fleet management, gone the extra distance, saved the most CO₂ emissions, taken the biggest step toward safety or helped others in the industry. [ + ]

HARTING Technology Group has won the coveted HERMES AWARD for the second time, beating four competitors for the top prize. Awarded at HANNOVER MESSE 2016, the company was recognised for its HARTING MICA (Modular Industry Computing Architecture) mini industrial computer. The family-owned company had previously picked up the prestigious award in 2006 for an RFID solution. [ + ]

The power workers who operate the electricity network across 95% of NSW will hold unprecedented strike action from Monday, 23 May, walking off the job in an attempt to bring an end to a long-running industrial dispute with management at publicly owned Essential Energy. [ + ]

The Future Vehicles 2016 conference has been specifically designed to assess the rate at which autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles may be adopted, the policy settings needed and the broader implications of this fundamental shift. The event will be held from 31 May–2 June 2016 at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. [ + ]

This year's Eurovision Song Contest has given viewers the power to light up landmarks and living rooms in colours that indicate what they think of the current song. [ + ]

The annual Queensland NECA electrical industry and members' race day is on again. This year's event is scheduled for 29 June at Doomben Racecourse, home of the Brisbane Racing Club. [ + ]

ABB will deploy 40 special transformers to equip wind turbines for an offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea. The MHI Vestas Offshore Wind turbines are 195 m tall — around two-thirds the height of the Eiffel Tower — and weigh 1000 tonnes, approximately double a fully loaded Airbus A380 plane. [ + ]

Trimble announced the launch of Trimble PULSE, an end-to-end suite of field service management solutions that enable businesses with mission-critical field service operations to transform the effectiveness of their work, workers and assets, at this year's Field Service USA event in April. [ + ]

Speakers have been announced for the 2016 Security Exhibition & Conference, which is returning to the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from 20–22 July. The event connects a community of leaders and showcases the most innovative solutions to hit the Australian market supporting the future direction of the security industry. [ + ]