Pumped Hydro is Australia’s Giant Stride Towards Renewable Energy

Giving extreme preference to pumped hydro is thought to be Australia’s giant strides towards renewable energy. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has told Malcolm Turnbull, pumped hydro could be the key to unlocking "cost-effective large-scale energy storage that can stabilize high levels of renewable energy in the national electricity grid", such as in South Australia.

How Pumped Hydro Works-

The pumped hydro functions by pumping water uphill between two connected reservoirs when power is plentiful, and dispatching power to the grid when demand is high or when wind and solar do not work. Pumped hydro is also widespread in Europe, especially in the alpine parts of Italy, Germany and France, and in Scandinavian countries like Norway. It is also widely used in Japan and the United States.

Pumped Hydro in Australia-

Pumped hydro is not something entirely new to Australia, the issue is there was no major development in it for the past two to three decades. Now the Australian government is galvanizing it to make some positives in the field of renewable energy. A joint Arena-Australian National University study has listed thousands of sites where other pumped hydro storage projects could be built, with a total capacity of a massive 67,000 gigawatt hours. The potential sites that are identified for pumped hydro are:

• South Australia's Spencer Gulf
• Valleys of the Hunter
• Illawarra
• Lower Blue Mountains regions of NSW

"Pumped hydro is the only mature, bankable technology that is readily available at scale," ARENA chief Ivor Frischknecht said. ARENA is itself already funding feasibility studies into pumped hydro storage in Tasmania, and in the Upper Spencer Gulf in South Australia and Kidston in north Queensland.

Benefit-

The Pumped hydro facilities will contribute to the stability of the electricity grid by combining renewable energy generation with large-scale energy storage capability. It is also expected to help meet the growing demand for electricity at peak times as well as help alleviate the state’s peak power prices.

Fantastic Color Trends for Residential & Commercial Buildings

Colors are undoubtedly the most influential factor when it comes to purchase a residential or commercial building. It is the color that creates the mood, feeling and desire. Studies have found that colors play a huge part to add aesthetic value to a building. In many cases buyers make a purchasing decision solely because of the appearance of the building and the location comes second.
According to the property experts, there is a growing consciousness noted among the people about the color of the place they are living. Along with the interior color of their house the exterior color also playing a crucial role in shaping their decision.

A Sydney-based property developer shared a funny incident regarding the color of a building where one of his clients simply refused to buy a residential apartment because its color was blue. On asking the reason the client said he is an avid Manchester United (a football club in England) fan and the color of their jersey is red while their main rival Chelsea F.C jersey color is blue. And he can’t live in an apartment that color is blue. The incident may seem funny, but it has enormous significance in terms of judging the factors that influence the purchasing decision of the people by solely judging a property by its color.

Recent color trends for residential and commercial spaces-

• Colors that spanned 16th- and 17th-century Europe are now being represented in new ways in this year and this color trend is likely to continue in 2018 . Deep reds, rich greens, subtle pale blues, and bright golds are getting extremely popular especially for residential building.
• 2017 is the year of Greenery, a yellow-green shade that takes its cue from the environment is mostly preferred by the people for their office building. Other hot colors include earthy shades like Hazelnut, a warm nude, in addition to splashy shades like Lapis Blue, a vivid jewel tone and Flame, a fiery orange. These colors for office apartment generate a sense that the company is conscious to environment. 2018 color trend will remain same with the strong possobility of color blue will take the center stage and more attention.
• Navy blue, this classic shade has reached neutral status for 2017. Navy blue cabinets, islands, and counters feel fresh and moderns in kitchens, particularly when paired with crisp whites and warm accents such as reclaimed wood and copper or satin brass.
• As 2017 continues to advance towards its end, a number of commercial buildings are beginning to choose bolder and more eye-catching color options for facades and more. Bright, colorful installations highlight your exterior facades and give guests something interesting to view as they approach and enter the building.

Colors and finishes selected for building materials for residential or commercial projects can change time to time. The color trend set in 2017 will likely to continue for the coming five years.

An Exact Overview of Australia’s Current Property & Construction Sector

Activity levels across Australia's construction sector have never been stronger before. The latest industry forecasts released by the Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF), the demand in the sector of residential building and construction development (mining-related construction, roads, rail and other large infrastructure) boom have pushed the growth beyond expectation.

According to the Ai Group head of policy Peter Burn, “September saw a continuation of the healthy levels of overall construction activity that have prevailed for most of the year to date.”

The commercial and industrial building will be driven by Sydney and Melbourne offices plus some further hotels building, now switching from servicing business travel to the tourist areas. Changes come through slowly but inexorably, like a slow train wreck. Sky-high Sydney prices flatlined this winter, inching up just 0.3 per cent over the past three months and holding steady during August, according to the CoreLogic home value index.

Sydney and Melbourne recorded the strongest property performance in 2017. This trend is likely to continue in 2018 but notably with some improvement in Brisbane and stability in Perth. The impact of lower interest rates has been directly felt in the retail and residential property sectors, while further downstream benefitting office and industrial. The lower AUD will increasingly factor into investment and consumption decisions, improving the economy at a broad level.

The property market in Australia has boomed and the most recent government data marked growth in residential property prices at 10.2 percent year on year for the 2017 March quarter. In a note, UBS Economist George Tharenou said any rash interest rate action from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) could trigger a crash. But its possibilities are less and investors don’t need to worry too much.

Australian property and construction market are likely to remain stable and perfectly steady. You can be sure that your investment will reap high value in the coming future.