Alex Cappy

☀️ NZ & Australian Companies: Are Solar Annual RECs Really Covering Your Emissions? 🌏 Many businesses across New Zealand and Australia rely on solar annual Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to claim “100% renewable energy.” But here’s the catch: solar energy only generates power during the day. If you’re consuming electricity at night, are your operations truly covered by renewables? Granular analysis often reveals that even with solar annual RECs, as little as 50% (or less) of your electricity use might align with renewable generation in real time. At PATtech, we provide transparency into how well your solar energy aligns with your actual electricity consumption—hour by hour. We can help you go beyond annual averages and understand what’s really happening with your energy use. If you’re relying on solar RECs and want to know how much renewable energy you’re actually using in real time, let’s connect! #Sustainability #SolarRECs #GHGProtocol #GreenhouseGas #PATtech #ZeroEmissions #NZEnergy #AUEnergy #RE100 #24/7 #Carbonaccounting

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Whenever I tell someone what SolarZero does, the stat the they find most shocking is that in NZ, only 2.5% - 3% of homes have solar, vs 30 - 40% in other countries. One of the principles that I learned from my time at SolarZero is that while govt subsidies/tax breaks can be perceived as wasteful, what they actually do is send a subtle message to the population that something is 'OK' - their impact stretches far beyond just the monetary value of the subsidy itself. And NZ has never, ever had subsidies - this in part was the genesis of SolarZero's innovative subscription model. So we gotta do something to increase uptake in NZ - it really pains me seeing an empty sun-filled north facing roof, thinking of the potential not only to that homeowner but also to the country more generally. Solar (and especially solar + storage) helps to diversify our grid, reducing the net cost of power for everyone.

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" Your EV may not start because your electricity has been requisitioned to the grid," as a result of the limited energy generated by wind and solar, one of the many fascinating insights from Dr Adrian (Adi) Paterson former CEO of ANSTO in our discussion on Nuclear and Renewable energy. For more insights on leadership follow Blenheim Partners and my updates. Watch the full video episode: https://lnkd.in/db2Wrfsx #podcast #nolimitations #leadership #technology #energy #nuclear #nuclearenergy #energysupply #grid #power #submarines #france #AUKUS #defense #defence #auspol #australia #southaustralia #westernaustralia

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🚨🚨🚨🚨 Officeworks Strikes Again: Another Recall for button/coin batteries. **Product Description**: An LED illuminated dry-erase board featuring a remote control. **Model**: QTLED46 (450x600mm) **Brand**: Quartet **Identifying features**: SKU QTLED46 #### Recall Details **Reason for Recall**: Officeworks, we've got to talk. Yet again, you've forgotten that button/coin batteries are not just shiny trinkets but serious hazards. The Quartet LED Writing Board lacks the mandatory warning information for its remote control's button battery. **Hazards**: Let’s spell it out: young children + button batteries = a big no-no. These tiny batteries can cause severe internal burns, choking, or worse if swallowed or inserted. And it happens faster than you can say "product recall"—in just two hours or less. #### What Consumers Should Do 1. **Immediately stop using the remote control**. Seriously, put it down. 2. **Keep the remote control out of reach of children**. Like, on a high shelf. A very high shelf. 🙏🙏 Officeworks, it’s time to get your act together. This isn’t your first rodeo with button/coin battery recalls. Maybe it’s time to take a good look at your product lineup and ensure everything meets safety standards. Until then, consumers, keep those remote controls away from little hands, and let’s hope Officeworks steps up their game soon. Stay safe, stay informed, and remember: no more shiny hazards within reach of children! Kidsafe Victoria #recalls #accc #buttonbatteries #childsafety #retailindustry #marketplaces #ecommerce #kidsafevic #acl #consumerlaws #consumersafety https://lnkd.in/gU96Pmdw

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We can’t manage what we don’t measure and we can’t grow what we don’t fund. While the sucking sound of Aus super and VC investment going to US companies is becoming deafening, the Australian Business Growth Fund backing an ambitious cohort of innovator companies has flown under the radar. If Aus has a sovereign future, as opposed to vassal state dependence writ large and irreversible, we need 10 more commercially and globally funds to acknowledge a long forgotten asset class.

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With the release of Joe Astons’ book on Qantas, and the recent ructions at WiseTech, there will no doubt be a new round of governance discussions on how boards can better deal with a "dominant" CEO.   Many of these ideas will be around more distance between management and board, and greater independence by directors.   I am about to make a suggestion (and it will run counter to convention) – that instead we should examine having more non-independent directors.   In a recent Harvard Business Review, leading Canadian academic Bryce Tingle, KC sets out the many benefits of having non-independent directors https://lnkd.in/guFnmbys   Having more insiders on the board, like senior executives (be it the CFO, COO or business unit heads), seems completely at odds with corporate governance. Yet, rather than entrenching CEO power, insider directors do the opposite. Tingle says: “In their capacity as directors, insiders become the CEO’s boss. They have unfettered and confidential access to the rest of the board. This actually makes them a rival power centre inside an organisation that the CEO must respect”.   Companies with insiders on the board are much less likely to be dominated by a powerful CEO personality, and they are much more likely to have the views of a wide range of groups in the company, represented in board discussions.   Inside directors bring advantages that are tough to find elsewhere. They are not dependent on the CEO for their information about the company and have a deep understanding of the company.   As I read Tingle’s research, I could not help but think of the strapline of Dr Strangelove - how I learned to stop worrying and love non-independence.

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Recap: Churchill Club Australia Incorporated The Top Tech Trends Debate 2024   On Wednesday night 30th October, our hotly-anticipated Top Tech Trends Debate featured as part of Day 3 for Tech Week 2024 from Cremorne Digital Hub at the magnificent SEEK headquarters in Cremorne. A brilliant lineup of panelists was assembled, pitching their ideas for 'the next big thing' in emerging tech. Debate from all panelists was spirited and some fantastic emerging trends were identified and explored. Su Dharmapala was our scintillating MC for the night, who kept panelists to time and added her own personal flair. And the panelists were.. Laura Bellino spoke to solutions for simplifying our personal decisions, easing that familiar decision fatigue that increasingly weighs on our digital lives. Hon Weng Chong shifted gears to human neural networks, and how we can accelerate computational intelligence using biological components. After all, our brains do OK on just 20W! Dylan Brady advocated for ways to facilitate virtual future communities, which can accelerate connection and collaboration. Olga Hogan made a compelling case for bringing machine learning to dementia treatment and prevention. Arnran Mitchell shone a light upon the use of existing optical fibre networks for on-the-fly emergency response for floods, earthquakes and more through detecting microechos from across networks. The Top Tech Trends Debate Winner is.... There can be only one winner however, and by popular vote honors went to Olga Hogan for the life-changing improvements for dementia patients!  The event was made possible with support from Digital Innovation Futures Victoria, Victoria Government, and of course Cremorne Digital Hub.

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Ready to Turn your House 🏡 into a 🤑 #Revenue- and ⚡ #Power-generating machine?  Yesterday The Sydney International EV @Futuredriveauto Show was held. Thanks David McCowen for great reporting at the venue! Among the speakers, Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, said “the Federal Government aim to have bi-directional charging “a reality by Christmas this year”. A regulatory breakthrough allowing V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) charging enabling EV owners to power their homes using their #BEV and sell energy back to the grid. What’s needed then? 🤔 The right Car and the right Hardware! Cars with #V2G and Bi-directional charging What will this mean?... You can start by thinking about why Tesla now has a market cap of >€1Trillion Euros, while Mercedes-Benz AG is 46Billion Euros... An example of brands, with a mix of technologies: #V2L, #V2G, #V2H Nissan Motor Corporation Leaf, Ford Motor Company F-150 Lightning (V2H), Hyundai Motor Company (현대자동차) Ioniq 5, Kia Europe EV6, Mitsubishi Electric - Factory Automation EMEA Outlander PHEV, BYD EUROPE Atto 3 V2G GENERATED BENEFITS 🫶 - Get rid of #Charginganxiety - Power your home during a #powerblackout - Absorb excess #solarenergy to pump back into your house - Take control over periods with #Peakdemand - Sell energy back to #powerproviders The regulatory process: The #OEMs, of #Vehicles and #Charging, register their produces with the @CEC Clean Energy Council who will be the regulator for this, and if compliant with the Australian standard, they’ll be able to get it registered and underway. Disrupt Synergies Cleantech Synergies Ventures UNITI Motors Ready to take #control, instead of being #disrupted?

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Driving our Tesla model 3 to Sydney and back from the Southern Highlands yesterday, a round trip of 240km. Having charged from our rooftop solar our trip cost in fuel was $0. By comparison, even the most efficient hybrids use 4L/100km and emit 100g CO2 per km. At a cost of $1.75/litre, the hybrid uses $16.80 of fuel. Today, having charged the Tesla overnight using grid power at $0.40/kW, we have added $14.80 worth of charge for repeating the same journey. At the end of this weekend for round trips totalling 480km we will have paid a total of $14.80 and zero emissions . The hybrid would cost $33.60 and emit 48kg CO2. Have a careful think about how your irrational fears of switching to a real electric car are affecting both your back pocket and the environment. Hybrids are not the answer to either issue. To understand more about the myths around EVs, read the Faircharge article “The little book of EV myths” - https://lnkd.in/gMR8gMvK

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Dear Colleagues, It’s time for a change, and with your help, I’d like to shake things up in the Engineers Australia Queensland Division Committee. 🌟 I’ve nominated for a Committee position, but I need your vote. I’ve tried to vote multiple times but the system just won’t let me (….kidding, EA, that’s a joke… 😜). If you’re an EA member, you should have received your own email from CorpVote Voting Services asking you to vote by 2nd August. I’ve lived and worked across regional Qld most of my life and I want to see more representation from engineers who are based in regional areas.   Sure, we don’t build Queens Wharf type or Cross River Rail type mega-projects, but we do build and maintain critical infrastructure that ensures power gets where it needs to be ⚡, provides mining and rail infrastructure that allows coal royalties to be collected 🚂, and builds roads that get goods all over the country 🚚. I’d like to see local engineering groups grow and become more relevant to EA core business. A lot of regional engineering businesses are hurting with the lack of engineers of all disciplines willing to live and work in regional areas, leaving us fighting over the same tiny pool of people. Skilled migrants are absolutely part of the solution but engineering businesses shouldn’t be left with the substantial cost of bringing someone up to speed, post-masters course. Engineering as a career doesn’t seem to be cutting through the noise of numerous career options for high schoolers either. We also have to do better with female engagement – only 14% of engineers are female 👷‍♀️. This is a massive lost opportunity. With all of this, we can do better, and stronger local groups are a key part of this. Choosing me means picking a candidate with extensive experience, proven leadership, and a commitment to excellence - with a sprinkle of humour.  I’m here to support our members, champion innovation, and promote local engagement. Vote for me 🗳️, and together we’ll make it happen! 💪

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While electrification is the future for households, we heard from customers how confusing and difficult it can be to take the next steps. That's where the idea for #ElectrifyNow came from, and I am excited to see today that #ElectrifyNow platform has been recognised on the AFR Customer Champions list. #AFRCustomerChampions2024

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$300 million and climbing! InnovationAus.com reports that the Department of Health and Aged Care's CRM project has ballooned from $116 million in just 18 months—a real ClustERPuck. Don't let your business become the next cautionary tale. Learn how to navigate ERP implementation by pre-ordering my book, "ClustERPuck: 21 Critical ERP Implementation Mistakes... and what to do instead." Turn potential pitfalls into success stories! https://lnkd.in/g_4Fznz5 Link to source in comments.

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Australians are being #gaslit on #electricvehicles. I say this based on my experience with the new https://lnkd.in/gwiyw9nE. I took it for a test drive yesterday and it's amazing. Why I say we are being gaslit is every #EV review I read in Australia has strangely inserted a Sydney to Melbourne road trip as being part of the basic test parameters. As a car guy, I have been reading car reviews for 30+ years. I never remember a Sydney to Melbourne road trip being part of the standard test criteria. The reality is that as a primary city car (that is the vast majority of purchasers), the #EVs in market with over 400km in range are now akin to most petrol cars in range. Most cars do ~10,000km per annum or roughly 200km a week. That means, all you need to do is plug your car in once a fortnight to charge it up. Let's be clear, you don't need an extensive charging network to support that. And that's what's happening overseas. When I was in Europe recently, I noticed in the cities, almost all new cars were Electric. Interestingly, there are a number of new EVs that aren't making (or aren't yet) it to Australia. What I believe is happening is because Australia is one of the last developed markets to put in restrictions on new car sales, the manufacturers are 'running out' their production of ICEs here. And to prop up the sales, they are running an effective PR campaign on range anxiety. Hence why all Australian EV reviews have the Sydney/Melbourne road trip. Coming back to the Smart Car, it is what I am terming the Generation 2 of the EVs. The Polestars/Telsas, which I will call the first generation, often borrowed heavily from ICE cars. Effectively retrofitting EV tech into those old platforms. The Gen 2, of which Volvo, Smart, BYD (new models), are all being designed from the ground up as EVs. They are amazing from a total package. They will be the future of mobility. We are even more fortunate that we aren't having massive tariffs being placed on these Chinese manufactured cars. Unlike the US and Europe, we don't have a manufacturing industry to protect. They need protection because the value you get from these Chinese EVs is next level. I would say that the Smart #3 Brabus is akin to a Porsche or Mercedes at a third of the price (ps it is designed by Mercedes and badged as a Merc in China ...).

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Well … I hope I hope Professor Roger Dargaville was misquoted, or has had his statements twisted … not an unexpected outcome in news.com.au ! If he’s been reported accurately perhaps his tenure as Interim Director at Race for 2030 might be short lived … or tenuous ; ) Like so much nonsense reporting on CER of all types people either out of ignorance or malice fail to understand that that any expenditure on CER - in this case the topic is DC #bidi EVSEs - are part of the infrastructure, the fabric, of a building (be they a home, an office, or a humble garage!). The addition of it is ultimately reflected in the value of the property at resale. For businesses it’s likely on a depreciation schedule (and that would include rental properties). Using figure of AUD$10k is a complete BS - that is the small run, even bespoke, units currently available. Like all other developments in CER-land the costs will plummet like a stone! Looking at the recent posts by Timo Kulkki and Manfred Przybilla we are seeing so many EVs already on the road that already have functional #bidi systems despite that functionality not being announced. There’s no doubt - none whatsoever in my mind - that #V2H utility of your EVs battery will be an essential feature - a requirement - of any EV. The opportunity of #V2G is something that everyone other than the owner wants to exploit. So much so that OEMs, retailers etc want to make V2G “mandatory” … because that exploitation doesn’t extend to the owner getting full value. Whereas V2H is all about value to the EV owner and home owner or renter! Watch some parties try and maintain high retail prices of #bidi that they can discount … if you participate in V2G‼️ It’s the Consumers’ Grid and all the dinosaurs that want to maintain the past are fast approaching their “Kodak Moment”‼️ Ross De Rango Nick Black Mike Schooling Mike Boyd Scott Nargar Ben W. Gregory McGarvie Bjoern Christensen Laura Jones Bjoern Christensen Colin Crisafulli John Cleland Marc England Guy Chalkley Eye-watering cost of EV transition https://lnkd.in/gWtDrJMd

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The spike in wholesale #electricity prices earlier this week and news of iconic businesses struggling as a result once again put the focus on some longstanding issues for the New Zealand electricity market. The graph of wholesale prices below is from the Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko website. The price spike was caused by low lake levels and low #gas supply. For New Zealand to reach net zero #emissions by 2050 we need to generate a lot more electricity - perhaps 70% more - to power things like cars that currently largely run on fossil fuels. Building generation infrastructure is expensive. Managing this cost in a cost-of-living crisis is a challenge. Various ways of squaring this circle have been raised in the previous days, including: - encouraging further investment in renewable generation to allow "hydro storage" to be used to meet peak demand - clarifying the role of gas generation in the long-term - significant market reform, i.e. breaking up the generation and retail arms of the gentailers - stronger regulation of the gentailers, e.g. revenue capping, perhaps under some sort of price-quality path - being smarter to get the most out of existing assets. Government should be active in determining the best #energy policy mix across all aspects of the electricity system.

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While EV charging on lampposts and other public locations is growing, why aren’t e-bike and e-scooter charging options provided? Better for the environment, better for traffic, better for people! #transportation #sustainability #micromobility Al Reid Krystyna Weston Michael Langdon Peter Bourke Chris C.

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Together Energy Pty Ltd wants to help balance the grid by managing the energy load of Australia's 1.3m pools. 🔌 🏊‍♂️ We've discovered that people have mixed emotions about their pools. They love them on good days😃, but not so much when it comes to maintenance, 😠 and being taken for a ride by people selling them over-priced stuff they don't need🤑. To achieve our goals, we'll be prioritizing pool-owners' user-experience, helping them better understand how it all works, and how to save money. For example, we just released a comprehensive water chemistry guide on the togethernrg.com website. Check it out.... https://lnkd.in/gqCzUwHj Let's make waves and power the future, together! 🌊⚡ #TogetherEnergy #EnergyRevolution #Innovation #Sustainability #GreenTech #swimmingpools #loadshedding #loadbalancing #demandsidemanagement #demandresponse #iot Co-founded with Ross Sharman and Ciarán McCormack

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🇦🇺 CRMs, Solar: "What's in the budget for businesses? A lot, for those who can engineer a $22.7 billion 'Future Made in Australia'" 🔹 In short: The government has revealed $22.7 billion of long-term spending on clean energy and strategic industries as part of its Future Made in Australia plan. 🔹 Small businesses will see a one-year extension of the instant asset write-off for items under $20,000 and a $325 energy bill rebate. 🔹 What's next? Much of the support for critical minerals and green hydrogen will be delivered via production tax incentives, which will not start until 2027-28. Sydney-based SunDrive is one of the big winners of a budget that is investing major money into a "Future Made in Australia". The solar panel start-up has a..... 👉 Article: https://lnkd.in/d6BjtaaX 🎯 TA RawMaterials: https://lnkd.in/d_Np2KpZ #solar #graphite #cleanenergy #greenhydrogen #criticalminerals #batteries #renewables #mining

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Are PHEVs Suddenly Relevant? The Australian market for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) is heating up, with these vehicles becoming increasingly popular. We explore the reasons behind this trend, including: Increased affordability and practicality: PHEVs are becoming more affordable with longer electric ranges and faster charging capabilities, making them a more practical option for a broader range of drivers. Addressing range anxiety: PHEVs offer a gasoline engine as a backup, which can help alleviate range anxiety for drivers who are concerned about running out of battery power. Overall, PHEVs are an interesting option for drivers who are considering making the switch to electric vehicles but are still hesitant about fully committing to a BEV. #phev #electricvehicles #australiamarket #cars #redbook https://lnkd.in/gJi37tGv

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