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A photovoltaic thermal roof developed by BlueScope Steel has helped a team of students from the Illawarra region win an international competition to build the most energy efficient house.

Team UOW Australia, a partnership between the University of Wollongong and TAFE Illawarra won the Solar Decathlon China 2013 competition, beating 19 other teams from around the world. The BlueScope PV thermal roof developed in collaboration with the University of Wollongong's Sustainable Buildings Research Centre was one of the energy-saving innovations incorporated in the team's winning house.

The innovative roof design channels heated air from underneath the thin film PV panels installed on the roof and ducts it into the house to pre-heat the interior and reduce the amount of gas or electricity required for heating. By directing air under the PV panels, the design also keeps the PV cells cooler to improve the efficiency of their solar electricity generation.

The use of the BlueScope PV thermal roof on the Team UOW Australia 'Illawarra Flame House' was part of the development phase of the new technology prior to its anticipated introduction to the Australian market.

The BlueScope PV thermal roofing technology’s development is being supported by a grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and a student scholarship that assisted Team UoW Australia to implement the technology on the Solar Decathlon house.

According to Building and Construction Applications Manager at BlueScope Research, Dr Rob Scott, the success of Illawarra Flame House demonstrates that BlueScope is a world leader in innovative, more sustainable roofing technology.

Team UOW Australia's winning entry took a traditional Australian fibro house of the 1960s and retrofitted it to reduce energy consumption. Two years of design and planning resulted in an energy rating increase of the retrofitted home from 2.2 to 7.4 stars, while total energy use decreased by 80%.After three months of initial construction, the pre-fabricated house was transported to the competition site at Datong, west of Beijing, and erected in just 12 days.

The Illawarra Flame House will be relocated to the Innovation Campus at Wollongong University where it will be regularly opened to the public and will continue to act as a test-bed for BlueScope's PV thermal system.A solar lamp is a portable light fixture composed of an LED lamp, a photovoltaic solar panel, and a rechargeable battery. Hay Street mall veteran Tony Barlow has threatened to quit the strip if the State Government runs a dual-track railway through it, as retailers set up a fund to oppose the plan.

Mr Barlow, who has sold men's fashion on the shopping strip for 35 years, said the railway would kill the shopping atmosphere.He said it would turn the mall into a noisy and dangerous thoroughfare, shuttling shoppers through the retail precinct without stopping.

Mr Barlow, who sold his eponymous shop 15 years ago to open Platinum Menswear on the same street, said it would set the city back 20 years by undermining efforts to create a vibrant city.

He said entertainment such as buskers would vacate the mall if the rail went ahead on the site, discouraging shoppers from the area."It will be distracting,Soli-lite is a premier supplier of exceptional quality solar led light and other solar outdoor lighting products. noisy and dangerous," he said.
Solid Gold Jewellers boss Peter Greene is setting up a fighting fund to oppose the State Government's preferred route.Mr Greene said he had written to up to 200 retailers and landlords who would be affected by the decision to install a railway with carriages that were 2.5m wide and 40m long. The group plans to run a campaign calling on the State Government to choose another route, such as St Georges Terrace.

John Apps, the managing director of St Martin's Properties, said the group was angry the Government had nominated Hay Street without consulting those affected.A solar bulb that charges up during the day and lights the night when the sun sets.He said he was concerned a major US retailer who was considering a lease on a Hay Street shop could decide against it if the light rail went ahead.Soli-lite provides the world with high-performance solar roadway and solar street lighting solutions. The world's largest independent online retailer for solar lighting, street lights & outdoor lighting fixtures.

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