Engine drives future

IN theatre, there is no greater commodity than a triple threat — a performer whose talent extends to the three disciplines of singing, acting and dancing.

Yesterday, Geelong unveiled a project so exciting it could be described as manufacturing’s version of a triple threat, with the potential to revolutionise waste and energy efficiencies across the globe.

There might not have been any singing or dancing at the launch of the pilot Barton heat-to-energy engine yesterday, but the crowd was certainly entertained by the project’s potential to deliver major wins on three different fronts — tackling the waste crisis, reducing energy bills and producing manufacturing jobs in Geelong. And they were no empty boasts.

The $500,000 engine turns waste or waste heat into lowcost electricity, while reducing emissions. The source heat can be anything generating more than 350C, including flare gas — such as at landfills — and furnaces, and is already being put to the test at Geelong Cemetery.

The prototype has been built by Geelong engineering firm Austeng, whose managing director, Ross George, said there was potential for hundreds of the engines to be built locally for a worldwide market.

The announcement also flies in the face of the myth that manufacturing in Geelong is dead. In fact, it is the specialised skill set that exists locally that makes Geelong the ideal base for such a project, according to Mr George.

Austeng had previously relied on Ford for around 70 per cent of its business supplying equipment to large manufacturers. Mr George said workers and expertise from the Ford plant would be completely transferable to the new project and the company now had the time and manpower to invest in such an endeavour.

Yesterday’s launch may have only been a pilot engine, but developers — and the Federal Government, which tipped in $300,000 — are confident that this Geelong triple threat could take on the world.

Watch this space.