A $990,000 solar project by Australia’s largest beef cattle producer is being co-funded by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and NAB. The AACo project will see 15 PV systems installed at 15 grid-connected sites in Queensland. [ + ]

Two large-scale solar PV projects have been given the go-ahead after financial close was achieved on funding agreements with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the NSW Government. [ + ]

ZigBee has announced that an update to ZigBee Home Automation has been ratified and is now available for product development. The updated standard adds several features that improve the battery life for security sensors to over seven years, standardise pairing of devices and simplify installation and maintenance for consumers and custom installers alike. [ + ]

Electrical, data and communications services provider Pacific Services Group (PSG) plans to strengthen its operations across Australia after receiving a $10m capital injection from existing investors and reaching agreement with financiers to restructure debt. [ + ]

Resi-linx, an Australian supplier of structured cabling, audio and video distribution and IR control solutions, has launched a new e-commerce website to make distribution easier. [ + ]

The federal government’s proposed national licensing scheme is “the next insulation disaster” that will cost further lives, Master Electricians Australia claims. [ + ]

Emerson Network Power has created a new thermal management business to expand the company’s ability to develop and deliver more holistic, next-generation approaches to controlling the data centre environment. [ + ]

NTT Communications Corporation has announced a world-first deployment of 100 Gbps digital coherent technology on a transpacific submarine cable system linking the US and Japan. [ + ]

Following the death of a 25-year-old man from a fatal electric shock last week, Master Electricians Australia has implored the Queensland Government to strengthen the state’s safety switch regime. [ + ]

Solar Systems officially opened its 1.5 MW Mildura Solar Demonstration Facility today. The plant provides enough electricity to power up to 500 homes while removing 4200 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. [ + ]

Electrical equipment distributor Sonepar Asia-Pacific has entered into an agreement to acquire Electrical Wholesale Services (EWS). [ + ]

The Connected Lighting Alliance has announced its endorsement of ZigBee Light Link as the preferred common open standard for residential connected lighting applications, simplifying choices for both lighting companies and consumers. [ + ]

Aggressive PD deployment in China and Japan will largely drive global solar PV demand, which is forecast to each 20 GW in the second half of 2013, NPD Solarbuzz has predicted. [ + ]

Master Electricians Australia (MEA) and the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) have joined forces and will operate as a national membership association to be collectively known as Master Electricians Australia. [ + ]

MRD Future Homes, MRD’s director and J & M Costa Enterprises have been fined a total of $147,000 and ordered to pay WorkCover’s legal costs after a worker fell around 3.4 metres at a residential building worksite in Western Sydney. [ + ]