Linking up Combining strengths

NeWS

Combining strengths

tesla & Neoen to build New battery Facility in Australia

Electric car maker Tesla is teaming up with French renewable energy company Neoen to build what will be one of the world’s largest lithium-ion batteries in Australia to aid the country’s transition from coal-fired power to renewable energy.

The Victorian Big Battery is to be located in Geelong, south-west of Melbourne and will have a capacity of 450 megawatt hours, and store enough power to provide energy to around half a million homes for an hour.

The Battery will also be used to both modernise and stablise Victoria’s energy grid, where the government has a policy of delivering 50% of the state’s energy needs from renewable sources by 2030.

“By securing one of the biggest batteries in the world, Victoria is taking a decisive step away from coal-fired power and embracing new technologies that will unlock more renewable energy than ever before,” said Lily D’Ambrosio, Victoria’s environment minister.

The battery will also help plug the gaps caused by the intermittent nature of solar and wind power, with its reserve capacity being connected to the grid when the sun is not shining and wind conditions suboptimal.

The government awarded Neoen the contract to provide system integrity services to the grid and will use Tesla’s megapack technology to deliver the 300MW battery by the end of 2021, the company said.

It was the first large-scale battery in Australia to provide fast frequency services and inertia - both important elements required for grid stability - to the national network.

Australia has traditionally relied heavily on coal for its energy requirements, which is plentiful in the country, though the most polluting form of energy. In recent years, however, many large plants have shut their doors and coal consumption fell to a 25-year low in 2018-19.

Tim Buckley of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, told the FT the decision by Neoen and Tesla was a sign of momentum in Australia’s energy transition: “This is not a slow, orderly, incremental change under way. This is great to see. This technology-driven energy transition is inevitable and accelerating.” Learn more at: www.neoen.com/en

NaSa Choses Nokia To build moon mobile Network

Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia has been chosen by NASA to construct the first mobile network on the moon, the company has said.

The lunar network is to be part of NASA’s attempts to return humans to the moon by 2024 and to build long-term colonies there under its Artemis programme.

Nokia said the first wireless broadband communications system in space would be built on the lunar surface in late 2022, before humans make it back there.

The company will partner with Intuitive Machines, a Texas-based spaceship design company, to deliver the network equipment to the lunar surface.

Following successful delivery, the network will configure itself and set up the first Long-Term Evolution (LTE) communications system on the moon.

“The network will provide critical communication capabilities for many different data-transmission applications, including vital command and control functions, remote control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation and streaming of high definition video,” Nokia said. Learn more at: www.intuitivemachines.com

LINKINGup

Trimble Partnership Unveils Technologies For New Robotic Dog

Apartnership between Trimble and Boston Dynamics has unveiled new technologies for the construction industry by allowing for automated inspections and data capture.

The primary function for “Spot” is to survey construction sites. The bot will then harness artificial intelligence to process the data and draw up a progress report and real-time solutions which can be tracked to give managers the best idea on how to proceed on an ongoing basis.

The dog can carry up to 14kg of surveying equipment and is remote-controlled via an intuitive tablet with an added function of being able to program autonomous routines to gather consistent data with minimal effort.

Martin Holmgren, general manager, building field solutions at Trimble said: “Robots will play a crucial role in automated construction workflows and can augment the human workforce by handling dirty, dull and dangerous tasks.”

Spot has already been applied by several clients to a variety of construction needs.

It can be programmed to perform repetitive tasks, and its automated approach to field data capture can provide clients with real-time awareness of project status, helping to accelerate project delivery.

Mr Holmgrem adds: “Our experience with early adopters like Mortenson gave us visibility into the transformative potential of an integrated solution that seamlessly marries a world-class robot with construction-specific sensors and workflows.

“We’re excited about this alliance and the potential to bring unprecedented improvements in safety, quality and productivity to our construction customers.”

Spot is slated to be available on the consumer market by Q2 2021. Learn more at: www.bostondynamics.com Finnish paper tech and automation firm Valmet has finished the acquisition of Polish company PMP Group, based on the terms of an agreement forged back on September 11 for a reported €64 million.

The Polish developer supplies process technologies for tissue, board and paper machines globally, focusing on small and medium-sized tissue machines and board and paper machine rebuilds. Through this merger, they will become a part of Valmet’s paper business line.

With net sales totalling €70 million for the 2019 fiscal year alone, the company employs around 650 people across Poland, Italy and China.

PMP will be included in Valmet’s fiscal report for the first time in their fourth-quarter reporting for 2020.

Jari Vähäpesola, paper business line president for Valmet, said: “The acquisition was completed as planned and we are happy to welcome 650 new colleagues to Valmet. The combination of Valmet’s current paper technology and services for wise and fast machines and rebuilds, together with PMP’s product portfolio, competence and presence in strategic markets, will create new business opportunities.

“From now on we will work as one team with a wider product offering, to further strengthen our capabilities to server paper, board and tissue producers globally.”

Mirosław Pietraszek, the former president for PMP group said: “I am satisfied that the closing process has been completed successfully. It is a great moment to celebrate the opening of a new chapter in our history. I am convinced that together with Valmet, we will create a professional, unique and strong team across the globe to bring our customers a more comprehensive service span and stateof-the-art solutions.

“As a team, we are ready for new challenges and are excited to become a part of Valmet.” Learn more at: www.valmet.com

Bulgaria Becomes Latest To Join US Anti-Huawei Coalition

Acoalition of countries, led by the US, has sprung up against Chinese tech company Huawei owing to security fears for its 5G network, with its most recent signatory being Bulgaria.

Bulgarian prime minister Boyko Borissov signed a framework agreement last week putting their support behind the US-backed coalition.

Fellow Balkan state Slovenia was inducted into the group back in August, and more recently, Huawei lost out on a contract to supply the UK with an ultra-fast 5G network to Finnish telecoms giants Nokia, around the time they were selected to handle the networks within their home nation.

Bulgaria is taking steps to satisfy the US and remove Huawei from its 5G network, with the aim of the American government aiding in future nuclear projects.

A spokesman for the US embassy in Sofia said in a statement: “Bulgaria has joined the Clean Network initiative. This is another big step forward in our relationship. With this act, Bulgaria joins the growing coalition of countries and companies committed to protecting their 5G networks from unreliable providers.”

Three Bulgarian mobile companies are testing 5G network efficiency using existing Huawei technology. By law, if the framework is signed through, and these companies have to stop using them, they must be given appropriate compensation.

At the same time, the Bulgarian government are also subject to grants through the EU’s Covid-19 recovery fund designed to help Western Balkan nations integrate into the EU, despite the nation having been a member since 2007.

These funds may help them recover from any losses stemmed from ousting Huawei from their nation.

It also makes them subject to various aspects of the European Green Deal regarding post-pandemic recovery. Learn more at: www.huawei.com/uk