Power games caution

THIS is an exciting time for engineering.

The application of science to very practical ends seems to be speeding up.

And as is so often the case with such progress, Geelong is at the coalface.

With Deakin University and the CSIRO, we are uniquely placed to be a centre of innovation.

And increasingly, local engineering breakthroughs are coming from partnerships with new entrants on the scene.

Geelong is again at the centre of a development that is being touted as a revolution in the energy sphere.

The Barton Engine, a heat evaporative device that turns waste product into power, if it lives up to the hype could be a help in two of the most pressing issues of our time — where to put our waste and how to develop a reliable energy supply.

The Federal Government jumped on the pilot program injecting $292,750 into Capricorn Power’s development of the engine which includes using North Geelong firm Austeng to build it.

And now, as was reported in the Addy at the weekend, Barwon Water is embarking on a project turning waste from three Colac companies into power — this with the help of $240,000 from the State Government.

The technology and potential savings of such projects are engaging. But there is also much in the Barwon Water project which remains to be detailed.

As yet it is not clear if this is a clever profit making venture by the public authority (albeit slightly outside their traditional core responsibilities) or something else.

The current debate about the capabilities of renewable energy versus traditional energy sources has become a loaded political one and the stakes are high on both sides.

Some in Barwon Water have voiced concern that the planned project is an ideological one.

The local water chiefs have said the business plan being undertaken will determine whether it “stacks up” and proceeds. That is a good approach.