Monthly Discussion Group

Next meeting: 630pm Monday 1st February 2010
Sans Frontiers Room, Kindness House, Level 2, 288 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC 3065

Guest to be confirmed.

Cost: Gold coin donation

Event location: 2nd Floor, Kindness House, 288 Brunswick St, Fitzroy.

Wheelchair access available via lift; 2 flights of stairs. Happy to assist with access.

Please call 0421 272 884 to arrange.

PREVIOUS MONTHS' EVENTS:

Monday 7th December 2009

Dr Keith Lovegrove unveiling the new Big Dish 

Download presentation as pdf

Guest speaker: Dr Keith Lovegrove

Dr. Keith Lovegrove unveiled the ANU's new solar thermal dish in September at the SolarPACES international solar thermal conference in Berlin to much acclaim. This will be the first time it will be presented in Melbourne.

It is the world's biggest solar dish that comes with a mass production system that can build one dish a day. The dish has the highest optical efficiency of any commercial solar technology in the world and a field of 500 produces 100MW electrical power. ANU's dishes can be used on undulating ground, which is difficult for current solar thermal systems that use mirror fields or troughs.

Dr. Keith Lovegrove will also talk about replacing all of Australia's energy needs with this solar technology used in conjunction with thermal salt storage.

Dr. Keith Lovegrove is a senior lecturer in Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the Australian National University (ANU). He heads the ANU Solar Thermal Group which works on a range of projects involving high and low temperature thermal conversion of solar energy. This includes looking at dish and trough concentrators and thermochemical energy storage. He is widely published in scientific journals and has advised the Australian Government on CSP . Dr Lovegrove and his team are at the forefront of International research into concentrated solar power.

Monday 9th November 2009

Lifting the lid on the dirty tactics of the fossil fuel lobby 

 AUDIO NOW AVAILABLE

Click here to Download

Accompanying Presentation as pdf

 
Guest speaker: Bob Burton

Bob Burton is an author and freelance journalist based in Hobart. In 2007 his book Inside Spin: The Dark Underbelly of the PR Industry, which investigates the public relations industry in Australia was published. He has been a contributor to PR Watch since 1997 and commenced as part-time editor of SourceWatch in October 2003. His articles on foreign affairs, human rights, health and the environment have appeared in numerous publications in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, the UK and the US.

With New Zealander Nicky Hager he co-authored Secrets and Lies: the anatomy of an anti-environmental PR campaign (1999) unmasking a campaign by Shandwick for the government-owned logging company, Timberlands.

After completing an Arts degree at Sydney University in 1979 he worked until the mid-1990’s as a researcher and campaigner on energy, mining and forestry issues for The Wilderness Society in Australia. He subsequently worked as a consultant on fundraising and training issues for non-profit groups in Australia and New Zealand. In 1992 he was entered on the United Nations Environment Program Global 500 Roll of Honour for an outstanding contribution to the protection of the environment.

For readings:

http://www.prwatch.org/blog/7

http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=94&book=9781741752175