The director and general manager of Solar and Bamboo Direct and Solar Installations, Jan Pieter McHeyzer, has been prosecuted and fined for selling unmarked and potentially unsafe hot water storage tanks and making false and misleading claims about the tanks. [ + ]

Agilent Technologies has appointed RS Components as authorised distributor of its InfiniiVision 2000 and 3000 X-Series oscilloscopes and handheld digital multimeters in South-East Asia. [ + ]

The workshop is designed to provide the tools and strategies to secure effective project execution and asset reliability through collaborative contracting practices. [ + ]

Emerson Network Power recently announced the promotion of Chris Mandahl to the position of senior director for sales productivity. Reporting directly to vice president and general manager for sales Gene Hayden, Mr Mandahl’s position will cover Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, Japan, South Korea and Pakistan. [ + ]

Solco has announced several changes in its executive staff. The company has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer, while its Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer have both tendered their resignations. [ + ]

Most business owners don’t have a business succession plan in place to cover them in the event of death or disability, a recent MSI Global Alliance survey has found. Only 24% of owner-managed businesses have a formal business succession plan in place, while 36% don’t have key person insurance to cover an orderly business succession in the event of the death or disability of an owner-manager. [ + ]

Madison Technologies has been commissioned by MC (QCLNG) JV to provide the backbone communications cable network and associated passive equipment for communications infrastructure, which will run the length of the Narrows Crossing that consists of a 42″ gas pipeline and fibre-optic cable crossing of the marine channel, mangrove creeks and intertidal mudflats between the export header pipeline and the main gas plants on Curtis Island. [ + ]

Australian Building Sciences (ABS) will be holding series of national seminars, in May and June, aimed at improving the energy performance of Australian buildings. [ + ]

The introduction of national licensing will now start in 2013. This first wave of licences to be affected includes electrical, plumbing and gasfitting, refrigeration and air conditioning, and property occupations. [ + ]

Researchers at the University of Sydney have developed what they call a “turbo for solar cells” that could enable low-cost solar cells to reach 40% efficiency. [ + ]

Spirent Communications has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Mu Dynamics, based in Sunnyvale, California, for a cash consideration of $40m. [ + ]

The Communications Electrical Plumbing Union (CEPU) has criticised Malcolm Turnbull’s plans to cut back the National Broadband Network (NBN) from fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) to fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) should the Coalition win government in 2013, calling the plans “technologically illiterate”. [ + ]

Malcolm Turnbull MP has criticised the National Broadband Network (NBN) rollout, saying it is moving “with the determination and velocity of an arthritic snail”. [ + ]

The compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) market is set to flourish in the next few years, according to a report published by business intelligence company GlobalData. Increased demand for energy-efficient lighting coupled with the increasing compatibility of CFLs with existing lighting infrastructure is causing a steep rise in the market for new lamps and replacements. [ + ]

Master Electricians Australia has criticised ACTU President Ged Kearney’s call to double apprentice wages, claiming that it would “destroy the apprenticeship system” and end training opportunities for young Australians. [ + ]