In 2014, USA-based facilities company NEP began modernising its fleet of mobile production trucks. After installing Virtual Studio Manager (VSM) in NEP's SS22 truck last year, the company has decided to implement 10 more VSM systems during the rest of the year. [ + ]

simPRO Software has announced the appointment of Mark Alfred to the position of general manager - Australia and New Zealand. Alfred will be responsible for continuing to grow ANZ operations. [ + ]

Vocus Communications has expanded its data centre presence in Western Australia by acquiring the Bentley Data Centre from ASX-listed ASG Group. [ + ]

A national voluntary product recall of USB chargers by Officeworks is another important reminder about electrical safety and the dangers of using faulty and non-compliant electrical parts and products, said NECA CEO Suresh Manickam. [ + ]

Prysmian Group has been awarded a new contract worth approximately AU$137m for the interconnection between the island of Syros (Cyclades) and the mainland power transmission System in Lavrion, Greece. [ + ]

Yingli Solar has surpassed 10 GW of cumulative solar module deliveries worldwide. [ + ]

NECA's School Student National Awards create awareness among school students, their parents and their careers advisors of the opportunities in the electrical sector. [ + ]

Yingli Solar has launched a new partner program, Yingli4You, that aims to raise the quality benchmark for Australia's solar PV industry. [ + ]

Victoria's best electrical and communications contractors were recognised at the National Electrical and Communications Association's annual electrical industry Excellence Awards. Sixteen companies across eight categories received the top state award in front over 600 industry representatives. [ + ]

Epuron and SunPower have partnered to quadruple the size of the Uterne solar power plant, bringing clean energy to approximately 1000 Alice Springs homes each year when the plant is expected to be completed in 2015. [ + ]

KNX Association's chief technical officer, Joost Demarest, based in Belgium, will share his experience, technical expertise and vision for the future of smart buildings at the Future Trend Talks, the seminar series at Integrate. [ + ]

A four-year trial of smart-grid technologies in NSW has found the potential for a net economic benefit of up to $28 billion over the next 20 years from the deployment of smart-grid technologies in Australia. [ + ]

Ground-mount installations have outpaced building-mount installations in the US PV market, according to Solarbuzz, an NPD Group company. [ + ]

TransAlta Corporation has announced plans to build, own and operate a 150 MW combined cycle gas power station in South Hedland, Western Australia, to supply power to Horizon Power, a state-owned utility, and to Fortescue Metal's subsidiary The Pilbara Infrastructure. [ + ]

Yingli Solar has supplied Australia Post with a 284 kWp solar photovoltaic (PV) system through Photon Energy, a solar PV system solution provider. [ + ]