IMPACT SPOTLIGHT: Solar & battery calculator features in government's Solar Consumer Guide

SunSPOT is a solar and battery calculator built by Hub researchers in partnership with the Australian PV Institute to help households and small businesses navigate the confusing and highly technical solar sales market. The online tool enables users to access free, independent and reliable advice about how much solar they need, how much solar will fit on their homes and how much money they can save on their electricity bills.

Earlier this year, the Australian government released the Solar Consumer Guide to help more Australians reap the benefits of rooftop solar. SunSPOT is featured in this guide as part of the step-by-step independent advice offered to those considering purchase of a solar system.

With free estimates from SunSPOT and helpful advice from the Solar Consumer Guide, consumers can feel more confident about buying the right solar systems for their homes and small businesses.

Upskilling engineers to decarbonise the Australian Economy

Hub researcher and technology translator, Dr Matthew Priestley, has been working with Hub Industry Partner Hysata to help deliver their revolutionary high-efficiency green hydrogen technology and accelerate Australia's shift away from fossil fuels.

This partnership has enabled Dr Priestley to identify a critical gap in the green hydrogen production industry in Australia, which is that most local electrical engineers do not have the required technical expertise to work in hydrogen production jobs. The rapid growth of this industry means that hydrogen companies are forced to look overseas to countries with manufacturing-based economies, who have more technical expertise, to address this skills shortage.

“There’s a massive shortage of electrical engineers in Australia to decarbonise our economy, let alone in hydrogen.”

“We want electrical engineers in Australia who possess an interdisciplinary understanding of the chemical and mechanical engineering parts of how hydrogen production works in order to optimise the electrical systems,” Dr Priestley said.

He is now working to address this skills shortage and shore up a future workforce for Australia by developing a course titled, "Hydrogen Production for Engineers," which will be offered at UNSW next year as a 10–13-week micro-credential.

Read more about the micro-credential pilot program that’s helping to fund development of the course in this piece in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hub Trailblazers join forces with Rio Tinto on cutting-edge sustainable hydrogen project

Hub Researchers are spearheading a cutting-edge project to recover clean hydrogen from organic waste streams in remote communities. Visionaries in this field, Jason Scott, Rahman Daiyan, and Professor Rose Amal from the Particles and Catalysis Research Group (PartCat), have developed pioneering prototypes that utilize sunlight to transform waste organics into valuable hydrogen fuel. Leveraging state-of-the-art electrocatalytic and photocatalytic systems, their innovative work is driving a paradigm shift in the global energy landscape. Collaborating with industry giant Rio Tinto through the Trailblazer Universities Program, this initiative aims to unlock a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly source of renewable energy.