An innovative Geelong
company is helping to reduce the risk of fires in garden organics facilities
thanks to a Clean Technology grant.
Sequence Digital is
today launching a fleet of its new 4G, weather-proof, solar-powered temperature
sensors in a pilot program that will reduce the risk of fires at the City of
Greater Geelong’s Garden Organics Processing Facility in Anakie.
The $26,000 grant was
awarded in 2019 through Cleantech Innovations Geelong, a business and industry
support program funded by the City of Greater Geelong, the Victorian Government,
and the Geelong Manufacturing Council.
The grant was used to develop the device, which can remotely measure and log the temperature of organic material.
The new devices will
monitor 10,000 cubic metres of garden organics - the equivalent of four
Olympic-sized swimming pools – collected from household green bins across
Greater Geelong.
The new Geelong Garden Organics Composting Facility between Anakie and Lovely Banks processes up to 35,000 tonnes per year of green organics collected from garden waste bins.
The industrial temperature sensor has a ground-breaking design with the ability to operate in remote areas where the internet signal is weak, and the weather conditions are extreme.
Last month, Geelong was recognised as the ‘International Smart City of the Year’ at the World Smart City Expo held in Korea in recognition of similar initiatives and our ongoing commitment to being global leaders in smart and innovative projects.
For more information visit Cleantech Innovations Geelong or Sequence Digital.
Mayor Peter Murrihy,
chair of the Innovative Solutions portfolio
Compost can get
really hot and ignite so using remote, round-the-clock monitoring means we can
improve safety on site and process organics more efficiently.
The data is available
in real time so our staff know straight away if there’s an issue with higher
temperatures and they can take action quickly to cool down the material.
This initiative is an example
of the clever and creative ways we are deploying smart technology to support
better outcomes for our environment and community.
Innovative Solutions
Deputy Chair, Councillor Sarah Mansfield
Around 50 percent of
the rubbish Australians put in the garbage bin could be put to better use as
compost and mulch. The temperature
monitoring means we can safely and efficiently process organics while reducing
our impact on the environment.
Co-director of Sequence
Digital, Patrick Blampied
These devices are
tough as nails and send critical temperature data to the cloud in real-time,
rain, hail or shine, even in areas with patchy rural internet connectivity. The Cleantech
Innovations grant made it possible to redesign our earlier prototype from the
ground-up to make sure it could be used in the most remote outdoor organics
facilities across Australia.