Growing Sustainable Businesses with STEM
What does it take to run a business successfully while addressing serious sustainability issues? How can business owners solve environmental challenges?
To celebrate National Science Week in 2021, here are remarkable stories from 11 NSW enterprises which have invested their time and shared their experiences to inspire and encourage the next generation of innovators.
Growing Sustainable Businesses with STEM is a project developed as a partnership between the NSW Department of Education’s STEM Industry School Partnerships (SISP) program and the Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP) program. Film maker Jill McCall from Piece Together Productions was commissioned to produce these 35 short films, which showcase the visionary work of people committed to making a difference with their business. SISP is delighted to partner with Inspiring Australia NSW to launch this initiative as part of National Science Week 2021.
Byron Solar Train is the world’s first solar train. The two-carriage heritage rail set was built in 1949 at the Chullora Railway Workshops in Sydney. To convert the train to solar, one of the two diesel engines was upgraded to use as a backup for emergencies. The other was replaced with an electric motor. Cutting-edge lightweight, flexible curved solar panels were installed on the roof of the train along with panels on the platform to provide energy for the 77kWh battery storage system that charges the electric motor. A regenerative braking system adds further charging capacity.
The 70-tonne train can carry 100 passengers from the station at North Beach in the Byron Arts and Industrial Estate, to Byron Bay’s town centre. Best of all, the train is net carbon positive. Seventy-three per cent of the energy generated is fed into the grid. The train exports enough electricity to power 12 three-bedroom houses. The collaborators on the project are now working with the Indian, Argentinian and Italian governments to support the development of solar train networks in those countries.