Diverse, remote and innovative - Prospects for a globally unique electricity network and market in Western Australia

WA’s electricity industry supply infrastructure comprises the South West Inter-connected System (SWIS), the North West Interconnected System (NWIS) and 29 regional non-interconnected power systems 1. WA exhibits a diversity of generation systems located in some of the most isolated regions of Australia, supplying a wide range of energy demand profiles. These characteristics and the unique networks that comprises WA’s electricity infrastructure makes WA a unique place to research, develop and integrate new technical options within a world-class industrialised electricity system

How an Orphan Taught Me to Smile

2013 essay contest winner William McHenry\u27s How an Orphan Taught me to Smil

Australian carbon biosequestration and bioenergy policy co-evolution: mechanisms, mitigation and convergence

The intricacies of international land-use change and forestry policy reflect the temporal, technical and political difficulty of integrating biological systems and climate change mitigation. The plethora of co-existing policies with varied technical rules, accreditation requirements, accounting methods, market registries, etc., disguise the unequal efficacies of each mechanism. This work explores the co-evolution and convergence of Australian voluntary and mandatory climate-related policies at the biosequestration-bioenergy interface. Currently, there are temporal differences between the fast-evolving and precise climate-change mechanisms, and the long-term 'permanence' sought from land use changes encouraged by biosequestration instruments. Policy convergence that favours the most efficient, appropriate and scientifically substantiated policy mechanisms is required. These policies must recognise the fundamental biological foundation of biosequestration, bioenergy, biomaterial industrial development and other areas such as food security and environmental concerns. Policy mechanisms that provide administrative simplicity, project longevity and market certainty are necessary for rural and regional Australians to cost-effectively harness the considerable climate change mitigation potential of biological systems

A technical, economic, and greenhouse gas emission analysis of a homestead-scale grid-connected and stand-alone photovoltaic and diesel systems, against electricity network extension

This research compares two generation components in grid-connected and stand-alone power supply (SPS) systems (6 kWp solar photovoltaic array, and a 6 kWp diesel generator), separately supplying a homestead's electricity load (12 kWh day-1 average, 10 kWp), against a 2 km underground electricity distribution line extension. The technical simulation intervals (15 min) included realistic peak demand and generation component outputs, based on actual load data collected from an existing homestead and local meteorological data in the southwest of Western Australia. The separate emission and economic calculations incorporated technical simulation data, were based on emission factors for the region, used 2010 market prices for capital and operational costs, all projected over 15 years. The economic model included an 8% real discount rate, and several assumptions customised for each scenario. The results suggest small-scale distributed electricity generation systems are currently unattractive economically when compared to medium distance network extension, and increased the cost of electricity for private individuals (or governments if subsidised) with small mitigation benefits. The scenario results and discussions illuminate the specific economic barriers for small-scale photovoltaic components in both stand-alone and grid-connected systems in areas proximal to electricity distribution networks in regional Western Australia

Diverse, remote and innovative - Prospects for a globally unique electricity network and market in Western Australia

WA’s electricity industry supply infrastructure comprises the South West Inter-connected System (SWIS), the North West Interconnected System (NWIS) and 29 regional noninterconnected power systems 1. WA exhibits a diversity of generation systems located in some of the most isolated regions of Australia, supplying a wide range of energy demand profiles. These characteristics and the unique networks that comprises WA’s electricity infrastructure makes WA a unique place to research, develop and integrate new technical options within a world-class industrialised electricity system

Small-scale (≤6 kWe) stand-alone and grid-connected photovoltaic, wind, hydroelectric, biodiesel, and wood gasification system's simulated technical, economic, and mitigation analyses for rural regions in Western Australia

This research develops models and simulations of technical performance, net emission reductions, and discounted market values of thirteen small-scale (≤6 kWe) renewable energy projects. The research uses a simple methodology suitable for small private entities and governments to compare alternative investment options for both climate change mitigation and adaptation in the southwest of Western Australia. The system simulation and modelling results indicate that privately-owned, small-scale, grid-connected renewable energy systems were not competitive options for private entities relative to sourcing electricity from electricity networks, despite subsidies. The total discounted capital and operating costs, combined with the minimal mitigation potentials of the small-scale renewable energy systems resulted in unnecessarily high electricity costs and equivalent carbon prices, relative to grid-connection and large-scale clean energy systems. In contrast, this research suggests that small-scale renewable energy systems are cost-effective for both private entities and governments and exhibit good mitigation potentials when installed in remote locations far from the electricity network, mostly displacing diesel capacity

The practical limit of loading nickel hydroxide electrodes

The effect of compression loads on positive nickel hydroxide electrodes is reported. Results show the electrodes could be compressed up to 20,000 kilograms without any change in capacity

Simple computations for near-optimum ascent and abort maneuver targets and deorbit ignition time

Closed-form solutions are presented for a two-burn orbit insertion, AOA, and ATO maneuver targets, and for time of ignition of a one-burn deorbit. Based on the assumption that the orbits involved deviate only to the first order about a reference circular orbit, these solutions are nearly fuel-minimum. They are expressed in terms of linear terminal velocity constraint shuttle guidance targets and, thus, are readily applicable to both ground and onboard software use. In addition to potential application to real-time targeting, the equations may be used as a mission design aid in preliminary definition of target loads and definition of abort mode boundaries

The Paroxetine 352 Bipolar Study Revisited: Deconstruction of Corporate and Academic Misconduct

Medical ghostwriting is the practice in which pharmaceutical companies engage an outside writer to draft a manuscript submitted for publication in the names of “honorary authors,” typically academic key opinion leaders. Using newly-posted documents from paroxetine litigation, we show how the use of ghostwriters and key opinion leaders contributed to the publication of a medical journal article containing manipulated outcome data to favor the proprietary medication. The article was ghostwritten and managed by SmithKline Beecham, now GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Scientific Therapeutics Information, Inc. without acknowledging their contribution in the published article. The named authors with financial ties to GSK, had little or no direct involvement in the paroxetine 352 bipolar trial results and most had not reviewed any of the manuscript drafts. The manuscript was originally rejected by peer review; however, its ultimate acceptance to the American Journal of Psychiatry was facilitated by the journal editor who also had financial ties to GSK. Thus, GSK was able to take an under-powered and non-informative trial with negative results and present it as a positive marketing vehicle for off-label promotion of paroxetine for bipolar depression. In addition to the commercial spin of paroxetine efficacy, important protocol-designated safety data were unreported that may have shown paroxetine to produce potentially harmful adverse events