Industry Profiles

Electro-technology Industry

The electro-technology industry is a fast developing and highly technical industry. The industry includes the installation, servicing, repair and maintenance of electrical and electronic equipment for industrial, commercial and domestic purposes.

The industry is changing and growing at a rapid rate as technology advances and develops in fields such as: data communication, home automation, intelligent systems for industrial and facilities management and renewable/sustainable energy.

There are many sub sectors of the electro-technology industry which include:

• Electronics
• Electrical
• Telecommunication
• Instrumentation
• Lifts
• Air-conditioning and refrigeration
• Renewable energy
• Fire and security
• Photovoltaic systems
• Gaming
• Rail signals

The Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) in Victoria encompasses the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity.

The generation sector of the industry is primarily one of manufacturing and process control, where the generation plant produces electricity and the plant operations are controlled through computerised communication technology systems. Burning fossil fuels, gas or waste products or otherwise harnessing hydro, wind, and solar power is used to generate electricity.

The transmission and distribution sector of industry conveys electricity from the generation power stations or systems to the consumer. Electricity is generally transmitted through overhead conductors or underground cables (gas or oil filled), whereas electricity is distributed through overhead conductors/poles and underground cables.

The renewable energy industry in Australia is diverse and growing.  The industry holds immense potential for delivering significant environmental benefits. i.e. reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and for providing substantial economic and employment benefits.  In 2015 renewable energy provided 14.6% of Australia’s electricity.

The renewable energy sector in Australia encompasses

• Solar energy
• Large scale solar
• Hydropower
• Wind energy
• Geothermal energy
• Bioenergy

The Gas Supply industry consists of gas retailers that buy and sell gas, and gas distributors that operate the distribution networks carrying gas to end users.

The gas industry supplies natural gas via transmission and distribution pipelines, and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) via cylinders, to a variety of domestic and manufacturing customers. It does not refer to the extraction of gas from its source, nor the installation or maintenance of gas appliances within domestic or manufacturing environments.

The gas industry is a major supplier of energy to Australian homes and factories supplying around 23.5% of primary energy consumption. Gas is supplied as natural gas, which is carried by pipeline systems or as Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) which is carried in a range of vessels.

The gas industry employs people in the following areas:

• Engineers
• Technicians
• Field operators
• Project Mangers
• Line Managers