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Lifeflow Meditation Centre founder Dr Graham WilliamsLifeflow Meditation Centre founder Dr Graham WilliamsCOVID19 hesitancy has hindered bookings for a one-off Adelaide concert by world-famous Russian pianist Konstantin Shambray which, in normal times, would be a sell-out performance.

Running Sunday at the Lifeflow Meditation Centre at Glen Osmond Road, Frewville, such a performance would normally sell out the entire 100-person capacity weeks before the show. The concert was intended to kick off celebrations of Lifeflow’s 40th anniversary in October this year.

However, even with a limited COVID-compliant 60-seat audience, organisers still have empty seats, just three days before the concert.

Australian-based Russian pianist Konstantin Shambray is described as an exhilarating performer with faultless technique and fearless command of the piano, who enjoys performing at an international level with the world’s leading orchestras and concert presenters. Konstantin is a graduate of the Moscow Conservatoire, one of the three great piano tuition institutions in the world, along with the Paris Conservatoire and Julliard School in New York.

Lifeflow founder Graham Williams said such an intimate concert by Konstantin would normally sell out weeks beforehand. “Konstantin is an incredibly gifted musician whose reputation is well-deserved,” he said. “The last movement of Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit (Gaspard of the Night), called Scarbo (the Goblin), is the most difficult piece of music ever written for piano. Ravel deliberately wrote it that way. Konstantin will play this piece on Sunday - and can play it magnificently without even trying!”

carbonTRACK CEO Brenton SpearSmart energy innovator carbonTRACK Ltd has secured a share of $25.1 million in innovation funding to accelerate the commercialisation of its ground-breaking Australian energy management technology.

carbonTRACK is one of 15 projects that received a total investment of $25.1 million, comprising $17.95 million from the manufacturing industry and $7.16 million from the Federal Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) $30 million Commercialisation Fund. The investment was awarded by AMGC in consultation with all Industry Growth Centres, and CSIRO.

Melbourne-based carbonTRACK received total funding of $877,000 - including $428,500 in grant funds - to continue development and commercialisation of its mass market Smart Gateway which uses cellular & Wi-Fi communication to remotely monitor and control renewable energy assets and electronic devices and appliances. The carbonTRACK product maximises energy efficiency while minimising costs and CO2 emissions and supports virtual power plants, virtual energy networks and energy trading. 

AMGC Managing Director Dr Jens Goennemann said Australia’s manufacturing industry was ready to get to work. “All 15 co-funded manufacturing projects are expected to generate higher-paying, more resilient jobs onshore, while providing significant export opportunities of high-quality Australian products abroad,” he said.

Tindo Solar CEO Shayne JaenischAdelaide-based solar panel manufacturer, Tindo Solar, has reaffirmed its commitment to quality as consumers turn against cheap imports.

Tindo Solar CEO Shayne Jaenisch said the company – which is the only maker of solar panels in Australia – saw a surge in demand for quality solar technology during the pandemic. 

“Consumer behaviour changed during COVID. They pulled away from buying products from Chinese-owned companies and moved towards quality Australian brands such as Tindo Solar, and Silicon Valley technology brand, Enphase,” he said.

“When COVID hit, our retail business grew 48 per cent and wholesale 70 per cent, on top of 25 per cent annual growth. We were also helped by high-ranked results from Choice magazine and Desert Knowledge in the NT, where our panel outperforms the competition by 10 to 50 per cent.”

REA Global Director Michael Mrowka with an electric PorscheREA Global Director Michael Mrowka with an electric Porsche

Founder of fast-growing Brisbane solar company REA Global Michael Mrowka has called for national solar energy installation standards to defuse the “ticking time-bomb” created by unsafe or poorly designed solar installations.

“The safety issue is very difficult because governments have given out so many rebates for what may be potential fire hazards that this could be another ‘pink batts’ installation debacle,” he said.

“The problem with current solar systems is that when you pull the fuse in the street or you cut power to home, energy flowing from the solar system to the inverter is still live and can’t be circuit-protected. That’s why REA Solar focusses on the implementation of things like rapid shutdown and other safety requirements that will isolate the system should power to the home be cut.”