Renewable Energy Commercialisation Programme (RECP)

About RECP

Under the RECP there were 6 rounds of Commercialisation and 2 rounds of the Industry Development component.

Commercialisation component

RECP (Commercialisation) Rounds 1 to 6 provided funding between $100,000 and $1 million to support competitively selected projects which demonstrated:

strong commercialisation potential (or, for feasibility studies and/or prototype development, a clear pathway to commercialisation);
contribution to the wider development and diversification of Australia's renewable energy industry, domestically and/or internationally; and
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Renewable energy commercialisation in Australia

Industry development component

Projects were considered that met the following criteria:

meets the objective of supporting industry development activities that will facilitate the wider application of renewable energy technologies;
will encourage the development of a sustainable internationally competitive Australian renewable energy industry;
the proposal is to undertake activities beyond business as usual;
project meets a demonstrated need;
project has support from the renewable energy industry;
project supports the capacity of the renewable energy industry to respond to the Government's policy and programme initiatives.

Projects funded under RECP

Round 6 - Commercialisation and Industry Development
Round 5 - Commercialisation and Industry Development
Round 4 - Commercialisation
Round 3 - Commercialisation
Round 2 - Commercialisation
Round 1 - Commercialisation

Projects offered funding under RECP 6

The following are short descriptions of projects funded under the Commercialisation component and the Industry Development Component:

Commercialisation Projects

CP6-07 Powercorp Pty Ltd -$1,000,000 grant for the Commercialisation of IPS Wind/Diesel/Energy Storage Technology. This project will commercialise Powercorp's Intelligent Power Systems (IPS) Wind/Diesel/Energy Storage technology to enable it to be successfully marketed and installed in Australia and overseas. The IPS technology is able to integrate renewable energy resources such as wind, photovoltaics and mini-hydro into isolated power supply systems. The focus of development work so far has been on wind diesel systems. With the use of variable speed wind turbine generators, flywheel energy storage systems for grid stabilisation and reliable "smart" control systems, energy contribution levels from the wind turbines have been lifted from 10-20 per cent to 70 per cent. Project contact: Scott Brown 08 8947 0933

CP6-31 Auspine Biomass Project -$195,000 grant for the commercialisation of forest biomass resource management and procurement systems. Auspine is currently funding a study into a proposal to build Australia' s largest biomass fuelled power station at Tarpeena near Mount Gambier in the South East of South Australia. The project is expected to produce 60 megawatts of electricity. The principal fuel source for the power station will be softwood plantation wastes. About 600,000 tonnes will be consumed per annum. Auspine will use the grant to assist with identification of the harvest and haulage technology required to efficiently collect and deliver biomass fuel to the Auspine plant. Thinning and harvest regimes will also be identified that will improve the productivity of existing high value plantation products and also facilitate the procurement of biomass products. Existing plantation yield management systems will be enhanced, particularly at young ages. The project will allow biomass yields and associated green energy equivalents to be predicted and managed. An important part of the project will be the development of audit trail systems that will enable tracking of biomass source material, its calorific values, and green energy equivalents. Project contact: Auspine Pty Ltd, (08) 8721 5701

CP6-23 Origin Energy Ltd -$1,000,000 grant to establish a pilot manufacturing plant for PV panels using thin film cells produced by the epilift technique. The project will commercialise technology developed by Professor Andrew Blakers and his team at the Australian National University. The pilot plant will be established in the ACT region in early 2002 and will operate for two years. The project will confirm the feasibility of the manufacturing processes and the possibility of producing PV systems that would retail at half the price of present systems. This will be confirmed by production and deployment of 200 such panels (and ancillary electronics) in 10 grid-connected PV systems each rated at 1.5kW. Origin will staff and manage the facility with technical assistance from the Australian National University and other consultants. The successful implementation of this project will result in scale up to a 20MW-size full-scale facility. Project contact: Origin Energy Ph: (08) 8217 5722

CP6-28 Australian National University / Solahart Industries -$1,000,000 grant to commercialise a combined heat and power system (CHAPS) using solar trough concentrating equipment and high efficiency solar PV modules. The project will implement a significant scale demonstration system on the roofs of three residential halls at the Australian National Uniyersity in Canberra. The demonstration system will produce 56 kW of electricity and 209 kW of thermal energy for hot water production. The project will provide a high profile marketing tool, system performance information and will address early stage manufacturing issues to allow a smooth transition to commercial production. Project contact: ANU; Ph. (02) 6125 5905

CP6-03 Pacific Solar Pty Ltd -$1,000,000 grant to commercialise solar photovoltaic cells using the thin film PV technology. This technology is based on research breakthroughs by Professors Martin Green and Stuart Wenham, (joint winners of the Australia Prize in 1999) and their team at UNSW's Photovoltaics Special Research Centre. The process improvements will be undertaken in order to reduce the cost of production of polycrystalline thin film PV panels to a value close to half of current costs. This will be carried out in four steps, each representing an improvement to the process. At the end of each step, a grid connected 1 kW PV system representative of the improvements achieved will be deployed, monitored and reported on. The thin film technology pilot plant will be scaled up to full production by the end of the project in 2003. Project contact: Pacific Solar: Ph: (02) 9316 6811

Industry Development Projects

$238,400 to Wind Corporation Australia Limited, to produce Comprehensive Guidelines for the Development of Embedded Wind Farms Connected in Rural Australia.
$114,500 to the Waste Management Association of Australia for the production of an Industry Code of Practice and Complimentary Project Development and Sustainability Guide for projects involving the production of Energy from Waste.
$38,600 to CSIRO Land and Water, Wind Energy Research Institute to produce a Planners Guide for Wind Resource Assessment in Australia.
$50,000 to Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society to produce Reliable System Design, Regulation and Financial Evaluation Tools for Renewable Energy Equipment and Systems.
$40,000 to the Sustainable Energy Industry Association of Australia to extend their work on Standards, Training and Accreditation for Renewable Energy Systems for the installation of small wind turbines.
$194,000 to The University of New South Wales to work on the Accelerated Development of Australian Standards for Renewable Energy Components and Systems.
$65,000 to the Australian Ecogeneration Association to produce a Guide to Developing Renewable Power for Local Authorities.
$89,700 to CSIRO Energy Technology Lucas Heights Research Laboratories to develop a Database of Australian Biomass Fuels based on testing a wide range of possible fuels.
$38,000 to the Sustainable Energy Industry Association of Australia to undertake a feasibility study into Industry Structures to Address Barriers to Sustainable Energy Implementation
$30,000 to Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society to carry out an Information Audit and Gap Analysis Project as an initial component of Increasing Community Commitment to Renewable Energy

Projects offered funding under RECP 5

The following are short descriptions of projects funded under the Commercialisation component and the Industry Development Component:

Commercialisation projects

Northern Territory Power and Water Authority (PAWA) has been awarded a grant of up to $1,000,000 to construct a grid-connected biomass to electricity pilot plant that utilises the noxious weed mimosa pigra, as a fuel. To be located on the Adelaide River flood plain, the innovative power plant will integrate briquetting, gasification and power generation technologies in a modular transportable form. This flexible technology can potentially be applied to other noxious plants in regional Australia and overseas, and is an excellent demonstration of the environmental synergies possible between renewable energy production from biomass, and management of noxious plants.
Contact: PAWA, 08 8924 7093

Pacific Solar Ptd Ltd has been offered a grant of up to $500,000 to support the commercialisation of the company's modular Plug&PowerTM rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system. The project builds on recent technical innovations by Pacific Solar to increase system generation efficiency and decrease installation costs, by integrating them into a package suitable for mass production. This innovative system is expected to compete strongly in the rooftop PV markets in Australia and overseas, and enhance Australia's reputation in this high-profile renewable energy technology.
Contact: Pacific Solar, 02 9316 6811

Solahart Industries Pty Ltd has been offered a grant of up to $350,000 to commercialise a new vacuum tube-based solar water heater. Under this project, the successful manufacturing integration of this innovative new collector will enable Solahart to extend its range of solar hot water systems to include a highly efficient product for use in freezing climates and in industrial and domestic applications where higher temperature water is required.
Contact: Solahart, 08 9458 6211

Origin Energy and the Australian National University have been offered a grant of up to $600,000 grant to develop a renewable energy home heating system using phase change materials (PCMs) to store solar energy. The project will commercialise a space heating system that uses a combination of a solar energy collector and constant temperature energy storage using PCMs. These materials are inert substances such as hydrated salts, which operate by storing large amounts of energy when they change phase from a solid to a liquid. Collecting solar energy in the form of heat and storing it in a high energy density medium such as the PCMs offers consumers a low cost, greenhouse friendly alternative to gas and electric home heating systems. This technology has enormous potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions both in Australia and overseas.
Contact: Australian National University 02 6241 6027.

CSIRO and JC Smale & Co have been offered a $1,000,000 grant for the commercialisation of an innovative system to generate renewable energy from a range of sustainable biomass sources. The project will integrate the CSIRO's prototype wood gasifier/burner with a high efficiency micro turbine to produce a prototype Green Gasifier Generator. This will allow cost effective and efficient conversion of sustainable biomass and wood wastes into reliable grid-quality electricity. The technology will offer significant greenhouse gas abatement potential as well as competitive power generation in regional and remote locations in Australia and overseas.
Contact: CSIRO, 03 9545 2226

Industry Development projects

Australian EcoGeneration Association (AEA) will receive $71,000 to produce a technical guide for connection of small-scale renewable generators to the local electricity grid. They will disseminate the guide to industry, via a range of means including workshops and seminars. Copies will be distributed in addition to promotion by mail. The guide will also to be available on AEA's, and AGO renewables web sites and be promoted through AEA's publications.
Contact: Australian EcoGeneration Association, 03 9898 4200

Bassett Applied Research will receive $59,000 to develop a design guide for building industry professionals such as engineers and architects. The guide will review the benefits of solar hot water and active solar heating and cooling strategies for new or retrofitted buildings around Australia, to aid efficient design and use of technology. The project will be undertaken using thermal modelling software comparing conventional systems with various cooling and heating strategies. The results will be published in a design guide. Publication would be via the AGO renewables web site, through seminars, technical papers, approaches to TAFE etc. The guide will also include demand management strategies, energy efficiency issues, CO₂savings and benchmarks for buildings incorporating thermal storage, absorption and desiccant cooling.
Contact: Bassett Applied Research, 07 3371 8444

Murdoch University will receive $74,500 to further improve the existing RAPSIM computer based system developed by Murdoch University. The system assists designers to plan renewable energy based hybrid energy systems, i.e. remote area power supplies (RAPS) that incorporate diesel generation along with renewables. The proposed project will update the database within RAPSIM to include common renewable and enabling equipment used in Australia today. It will incorporate meteorological data, compare the design algorithms in the programme with requirements in the recently developed SEIA/AGO Hybrid RAPS course and upgrade RAPSIM to ensure compatibility. It will also review the control features of new interactive inverters used in hybrid RAPS systems to incorporate their design features into the program. Training material will be developed so the programme can be incorporated into all training courses for hybrid systems. The system will be tested and the training material trialed.
Contact: Murdoch University, 08 9360 6286

Sugar Research Institute (SRI) will receive $140,000 to install and evaluate the performance of a falling film plate evaporator of 1400 square metres at the Tableland North Mill, North Queensland. The system is expected to reduce steam consumption for raw sugar manufacture, per unit of cane processing, from 45% to 35% (or lower). If replicated, the technology is expected to free capacity of existing mills to export renewable electricity from their renewable power stations. The project is to determine technical requirements for effective implementation of the falling film technology into Australian sugar mills, and define operational criteria. The proponent will provide a promotional programme to inform industry on the outcomes of the study through workshops, seminars and reports.
Contact: Sugar Research Institute, 07 4952 7600

Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Renewable Energy Ltd (ACRE) will receive $491,000 to establish a national facility dedicated to testing and accrediting renewable energy systems. The grant will allow the facility known as ACRELab to further equip and upgrade the existing Stage I project facility in Perth. By providing a solar simulator, a large photovoltaic array, PV module tester, power quality analyser, and other associated test and monitoring equipment, Australia will have a state of the art renewable energy testing laboratory of international standard. Through work under the grant ACRELab expects to obtain recognition of its procedures by the Australian National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA).
Contact: University of NSW, 02 93854047

Australian Wind Energy Association will receive $88,000 to prepare comprehensive best practice guidelines for the implementation of wind energy projects in Australia, in order to directly facilitate the acceptance and approval process for wind farms.
The wind industry will seek to:

Directly benefit the Australian renewable energy industry by facilitating planning and approvals processes via the identification and establishment of crucial issues and potential barriers to planning and development, as well as the provision of appropriate means of addressing these.
Clarify crucial issues which have to date been impediments or have delayed project approvals.
Benefit prospective wind energy developers by enabling direct access to comprehensive best practice guidelines developed specifically for the local (Australian) conditions.
Produce significant educational benefits resulting from guidelines being written for a widespread readership, including the general public.

Contact: Australian Wind Energy Association, 07 5533 0355

ElectroComms and Energy Utilities Qualifications and Standards Body of Australia Ltd will receive $191,000 to support and promote the National Electrotechnology Training Package of renewable energy equipment, technologies, systems and processes. They will also ensure the development of a consistent and uniform range of training options and assessment processes by Registered Training Organisations nationally. The project will facilitate the wider application of renewable energy technologies, and encourage the development of a sustainable, internationally competitive Australian renewable energy industry. Validation will be undertaken of new Renewable Energy training needs into the National Electrotechnology Training Package by key industry stakeholders, and through this process strengthen industry networks. There will be amendments to the National Electrotechnology Training Package to better reflect and accommodate Renewable Energy industry vocational education and training needs and provision of advice to other National Industry training Advisory Boards options for adoption where appropriate.
Contact: EEQSBA, 02 9290 2533

The Green Energy Market (GEM) have received $100,000 to assist the entry to smaller renewable generators to an electronic trading facility that allows the trading of renewable energy and Greenpower certificates. Under the Government's Mandated Renewable Energy Target (MRET) legislation, organisations that generate renewable energy can have certificates created for the amount of eligible energy they produce, which they can sell to liable parties such as electricity retailers who are obliged to provide a proportion of renewable energy to their customers. A similar trading arrangement applies to voluntary Greenpower schemes operated by a wide range of electricity retailers. GEM provides a mechanism to allow this trading to occur securely and continuously, with prices established through supply and demand considerations, without the generators having to directly arrange purchasers of their certificates, or the liable parties having to find suitable available generators. In managing the creation, trade and acquittal of certificates, GEM are interfacing with the systems operated by the Renewable Energy Regulator, without duplicating the Regulator's role.
Contact: The Marketplace Company, 02 9251 4177

Sustainable Energy Industry Association (Australia) Limited have received $64,000 to develop the Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap:

The project will identify linkages and collaborative partnerships which already exist or have potential to exist within the industry. The workshop process has improved communication opportunities for the industry and its capability.

A final technology roadmap will be produced to provide a strategy to identify means of attaining industry-defined goals, future technological and product needs, and possible opportunities to achieve them.

The roadmap will evaluate and select strategic alternatives to deliver what future markets will demand. The focus of the industry on long-term strategic technology planning and a vision of what future markets requirements will help to provoke new thinking about the interaction between technological and social trends.

The Roadmap will provide considerable competitive advantage to the Australian renewable energy industry, as it will be well prepared and able to anticipate and respond to market drivers.
Contact: SEIA, 02 6230 1562

University of NSW - $15 000 - Technical Writer, Australian Standards for Grid Connected Inverters project (now issued as AS 4777 Grid connection of energy systems via inverters) The project also included preparation of a report on Metering of embedded generators in Australia, October 2001 (metering.pdf - 343 KB)

Projects offered funding under RECP 4 (Commercialisation)

Sugar Research Institute (SRI) - $1,000,000 grant for a project to significantly increase the efficiency of boilers used in the sugar industry, thereby enhancing the production of renewable energy from bagasse, at a lower cost. The project's design innovations address efficiency and cost issues, and include convection tube bank configurations to reduce wear; air heater design for increased performance and reduced corrosion; improved secondary air injection; and improved fuel spreader design. John Thompson/Rolls Royce Australia will install the new enhanced boiler at Maryborough Sugar Mill.
Contact: SRI, phone: 07 4952 7600

NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative Ltd, State Forests of NSW and Delta Electricity - $1,000,000 grant for two innovative activities to be undertaken at the Condong Sugar Mill, leading to increased quality and availability of feedstocks for renewable energy power generation, extend the operating periods and improve the financial viability of sugar mill cogeneration plants. One element of the grant will support the development by NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative of a trash/cane separation plant utilising cane trash fuel in cogeneration with existing waste stream products. The trash separator will be integrated with the advanced cane harvester technology developed by NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative that pretreats trash prior to separation. The second element of the grant will support commercialisation of an innovative NSW State Forests' concept for harvesting and transport of forest residues from the woody weed, Camphor Laurel. This element will reduce the delivered cost of fuel by utilising a tracked chipper and idle cane harvest equipment to harvest and deliver the product to Condong Mill as a supplement to bagasse and cane trash.
Contact: NSW Sugar Milling, Ph: 02 6640 0400

Melbourne City Council - 1,000,000 grant for the integration of a large scale Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) system into the proposed redevelopment of the heritage-listed Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne. The project will install a minimum of 3800m2 in a visually non-obtrusive way so as not to detract from the heritage buildings, producing around 350,000kWh of green electricity per year. Claimed to be the world's first large urban integrated photovoltaic array for market-type buildings, Melbourne City Council will provide leadership for implementation of BIPV in urban situations across Australia. The system, which will be grid-connected, will be exposed to long term performance monitoring by the University of Melbourne's Green Building Research Group as well as used for educational purposes.
Contact: City of Melbourne, phone: 03 9658 8617

BP Solar, Battery Energy South Pacific Pty Ltd, and CSIRO Energy Technology - $1,000,000 grant for the commercialisation of a long life deep cycle lead acid battery, jointly developed by the CSIRO and Battery Energy, which is ideally suited to the storage of electricity for renewable remote area power systems (RAPS). The GreenGel battery, through its patented combination of low corrosion electrodes and zero maintenance design, will be utilised with CSIRO's new battery charging procedures, which further reduce capacity loss and premature failure so often encountered with existing battery technology. A significant component of the project will be Battery Energy's establishment of a state-of-the-art manufacturing process which will enable the production of these advanced batteries at an internationally competitive price, facilitating a major export market.
Contact: BP Solar, Ph: 02 8762 5777

Pacific Hydro Ltd - $1,000,000 grant for the development and operation of Australia's first hydroelectric scheme utilising irrigation channels by installing two small hydroelectric power facilities on the Mulwala Canal in NSW capable of a maximum output of 2MW. The Mulwala Canal is the largest delivery channel in Australia and is active for 10-11 months each year. Using an innovative vacuum flume type turbine, this project will generate clean, renewable electricity without affecting the irrigation or mitigation potential of the groundwater. Better water management will be encouraged by improving the value of water, and local erosion problems will be countered by the dissipation of water energy.
Contact: Pacific Hydro, Ph: 03 9620 4400

Australian Inland Energy and Solar Systems Pty Ltd - $1,000,000 grant for the construction of Australia's first 1MW photovoltaic (PV) concentrator power station, at Broken Hill, NSW. The power station will initially comprise 42 x 24kW dishes, delivering power to the main electricity grid as 3-phase AC power. The project utilises Solar Systems' Australian designed and manufactured SS20 tracking dishes which concentrate sunlight on PV 'super panels'. Although connected to each other, each dish is a complete autonomous unit and operates and produces power independently.
Contact: Solar Systems, 03 9819 9544

The Pitjantjatjara Council Inc and the South Australian Division of State Aboriginal Affairs (DOSAA) - $1,000,000 grant for the installation of a 200kW Grid Feed Sun Farm for the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands, in the northwest corner of South Australia. The sun farm will comprise 10 x 20kW (nominal) photovoltaic concentrator dishes, which operate and produce power independently. The system will feed directly into the local grid, supplying 20% of the daily load resulting in reduced diesel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The innovative project includes development of an air-cooled concentrator dish technology particularly suited to remote and arid locations where cooling water is in limited supply.
Contact: Pitjantjatjara Council Resource Centre, www.dvd.com.au/pitcouncil. email: projects@dove.net.au

Gough Industries Pty Ltd - $600,000 grant for the commercialisation of a rotationally-moulded, low cost, mains pressure solar hot water (SHW) heater. A key feature of the unit is that, with an integral solar collector and storage chamber, it can be produced using far fewer components than conventional hot water systems translating into greatly reduced manufacturing costs. The heater also includes high perfomance transparent insulation that can achieve thermal perfomance on par with conventional systems but at a fraction of the cost. Gough Industries will commercialise the system, initially in Townsville and surrounding areas and then progressively to a national basis within three years.
Contact: Gough Industries, Ph: 07 4774 7606

Power and Water Authority of the Northern Territory (PAWA) - $500,000 grant for the demonstration of the large scale commercial viability of peak lopping in remote, stand alone, diesel grid systems using direct flat plate solar photovoltaics (PV). The results of peak lopping are lower operating costs and a reduction in greenhouse emissions through the use of PV. The project will install amorphous silicon flat-plate PV panels at Bulman (55kW) and Kings Canyon (225kW). The PV arrays will be directly connected to the diesel-powered grid via inverters without the need for storage batteries. Diesel consumption will be reduced by allowing a smaller diesel set to be run close to full capacity, at a lower load.
Contact: PAWA, Ph: 08 8924 7093

Lindsay F Nelson Manufacturing Pty Ltd and A F Gason Pty Ltd - $370,000 grant for the commercialisation of a solar thermal energy grain conditioning system. The innovative grain conditioning device cools and dries grains to allow them to be stored without deterioration or insect attack and protects them from moulds. Solar energy is collected through the hollow steel roof of the silo, then blown through a desiccant (silica gel) to remove the moisture from this material. Cool night air, which loses its moisture when pumped through the gel and cools further due to the transfer of energy in losing the water vapour, is at night slowly pumped through the silo, cooling and drying the grains. This simple and rugged system is to be trialled in three locations - Rochester (Victoria), Moree (NSW), and Warwick (Darling Downs in Queensland). The system is expected to have widespread geographic application, including in remote areas of Australia and overseas.
Contact: Lindsay F Nelson, Ph: 03 9846 5366

PV Solar Energy Pty Ltd, Utilux Pty Ltd and BP Solar Australia - $135,000 grant for the development in all-plastic format of a new Australian made photovoltaic (PV) solar roof tile for building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems. Utilising BP Solar's Australian manufactured monochrystalline solar cell laminates, the project includes developing a new low cost pluggable PV junction box with Utilux Australia. The system uses an extruded frame - allowing flexible sizing, that becomes a tile-like BIPV integration forming an all-weather, trafficable roof system. This can also be used in a broad range of other BIPV applications such as wall cladding, skylighting, and weather proof shade awnings. The project will also undertake a marketing and promotional exercise directed at architects, builders and home renovators and introduce innovative financing and investment opportunities to early adopters of BIPV.
Contact: PV Solar Energy, Ph; 02 9557 6657

Projects offered funding under RECP 3 (Commercialisation)

EarthPower Technologies Pty Ltd for the design and construction of an anaerobic digestion facility (biomass to energy). The facility will convert up to 82,000 tonnes/year of food wastes from industrial and commercial sectors primarily into biogas to be exported to neighbouring industry to replace natural gas in energy production. Besides displacing fossil fuels to produce green energy, food waste is diverted from landfill, further reducing emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases. EarthPower's process also captures the nutrient value of food waste by producing high quality solid and liquid fertilisers and re-usable, clean water. In addition to benefiting our environment, this combination of energy and valuable fertilisers as outputs will help make the processing of food wastes commercially attractive both in Australia and overseas. $1,000,000 grant.
Contact: Earthpower Technologies, Ph: 03 9654 6799

Hydro Electric Corporation, Tasmania to design and build a system that makes better use of current and future wind energy generation on King Island. The system will reduce diesel at existing power-generating facilities. It comprises a battery and inverter system, a pumped storage mini-hydro system, demand side-load management systems and an integrated-renewable energy control system. $1,000,000 grant
Contact: Hydro Tasmania, Ph: 03 6230 5462

Mackay Sugar Co-operative Association Ltd for the construction of a commercial scale bagasse dewatering station at Racecourse Mill, using bulk bagasse from all four Mackey sugar mills. The facility will reduce the moisture from the bulk bagasse stored uncovered to 50% and demonstrate the technology and economics of production, transport, storage and use of bagasse as a year-round renewable energy source. Successful bagasse management would displace 50,000 tonnes/year of coal, reducing CO2 emissions by 122,000 tonnes annually. $1,000,000 grant.
Contact: Mackay Sugar, Ph: 07 4953 8280

Solar Sailor Holdings Ltd for the construction, testing and demonstration of the commercial viability of a 108-seat multi-purpose catamaran capable of running on solar and wind energy and with a back-up of compressed natural gas liquid petroleum gas. Solar Sailor showcases the solar wing, a patented solid-aerofoil sail with an embedded array of solar cells that uses energy from the wind and sun separately or in combination. Solar Sailor commenced commercial operations on Sydney Harbour in July 2000. $1,000,000 grant.
Contact: Solar Sailor Holdings Pty Ltd, Ph: 02 4454 4328

Solco Industries Pty Ltd to launch its Sunsaver 300 and 200 litre low cost solar hot water systems in Australasian markets. The uniquely designed and patented one-piece moulded storage tank and solar collector has been developed to overcome the initial high purchase cost and high maintenance requirements of conventional solar hot water systems. $1,000,000 grant.
Contact: Solco, Ph: 08 9356 2833

Thiess Environmental Services Pty Ltd, Landfill Management Services Pty Ltd, New Hope Energy Pty Ltd and CS Energy Ltd to use landfill gas and biogas to directly supplement the coal-fired Swanbank Power Station. An engineered biocell will be established at the adjacent landfill facility, which will enhance production of biogas from waste. The landfill and biocell will utilise technology that accelerates the degradation process, and increases the production of landfill gas and biogas. Recovered landfill gas and biogas will be processed and piped direct to the Swanbank Power Station for use as a renewable fuel source. $1,000,000 grant.
Contact: CS Energy, Ph: 07 4992 9329

Melbourne University Private Ltd for the design and development of Australia's first large-scale building- integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solar power generation project. The company will integrate solar panels into the cladding of the Melbourne School of Energy and Environment building to demonstrate the application of building-integrated PV power generation. $755,000 grant.
Contact: Melbourne University Private Ltd, Ph: 03 9347 5888

Solahart Industries Pty Ltd to commercialise a high quality, high performance pumped solar hot water system suitable for all climatic and geographic conditions. The solar hot water system will be distributed through Solahart dealership networks in Australia and 70 countries worldwide. This grant enables Solahart to develop a complete dealer and service training package, which will provide further support for the product in the market place. $350,000 grant.
Contact: Solahart, Ph: 08 9458 6211

Western Power Corporation and Westwind Turbines to install three Westwind-designed and developed 20/25kW wind turbines at Exmouth, next to Western Power's distribution network. This project provides the opportunity to evaluate the use of Australian medium-size, tow-up, variable-speed and gearbox-free wind turbines to displace diesel consumption associated with inland remote- diesel grids. The mini-windfarm is expected to generate 200MWh of electricity a year, displacing the equivalent of 150 tonnes of carbon dioxide. $225,000 grant.
Contact: Western Power, Ph: 08 9326 4902

Plasmatronics Pty Ltd for the commercialisation of its more efficient solar electric charge control technology developed over the past three years. The project involves repackaging the technology in a more commercial form and developing effective marketing strategies and materials. The technology will make solar-electric power systems more affordable by lowering the unit cost of the energy delivered. $125,000 grant.
Contact: Plasmatronics, Ph: 03 9486 9902

Kogarah Council for the establishment of a major building demonstration site for specific solar energy products and building- integrated solar photovoltaics (BIPV) in the Kogarah Town Centre. The grant will enable the integration of at least 200kW of solar PV panels into the building fabric. The site will be accessible to the general public and key industry players for on-site marketing and promotion of solar energy development in urban environments. A renewable energy training service for professional and tradespeople in the construction industry will also be part of the project. $1,000,000 grant.
Contact: Kogarah Council, Ph: 02 9330 9445

Projects offered funding under RECP 2 (Commercialisation)

Manildra Energy Australia Pty Ltd to assist the development of a commercial scale advanced technology fuel ethanol plant using wheat starch as a feed stock. The plant, located at Bomaderry, NSW, incorporates two technological innovations developed and proven in an existing pilot plant. These are Manildra's continuous fermentation technology and a molecular sieve dehydration system; both will deliver significant energy and cost efficiencies. The project represents a major advance in the commercialisation of ethanol fuel in Australia in terms of meeting current and future demand for renewable transport fuels. The sustainable production of ethanol transport fuel from biomass should achieve major net reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the transport fuel sector. $1,000,000 grant.
Contact: Australian Biofuels Association, Ph: 02 6295 2399

The Australian National University and Pacific Power to complete the first element of the exploration of the Hot Dry Rock (HDR) resource in the Hunter Valley geothermal anomaly. By early 2001, the project team is expected to have determined the areal extent, temperatures, rock properties and stress conditions at a depth of around 2km in the core of this anomaly. Successful completion of this project is expected to stimulate commercial exploitation of this potentially substantial energy resource. $790,000 grant.
Contact: ANU Dept. of Geology, Ph: 02 6249 3241

The University of New South Wales to use its Hot Dry Rock (HDR) technology to develop Australia's first granite reservoir in the Woronora No.1 well just south of Sydney. This well was originally drilled as an oil/gas exploration well and bottoms into granite representative of Australia's extensive HDR resources. The project aims to develop assessment methodology and criteria, invaluable tools for characterising HDR resources and determining the most appropriate reservoir development approach. Very significant greenhouse gas reductions will result from the widespread exploitation of these HDR resources. $1,000,000 grant.
Project contact: UNSW Ph: 02 9385 5659

Forrester Kurts Properties for the inclusion of an 80kW building- integrated photovoltaic system (BIPV) in a 21 storey commercial high-rise building at 120 Edward Street, Brisbane. The solar integrated system aims to demonstrate how advanced building integration can reduce the cost of electricity produced from solar by up to 75%. The innovative design will be achieved through linking the output of the PV panels to the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system which is an integral component of the building's power conditioning system. $740,000 grant.
Contact: Forrester Kurts, Ph: 07 3223 3832

RMIT University, Geo-Eng Australia Pty Ltd and Pyramid Salt Pty Ltd for the installation of a 3000 square metre solar pond at the Pyramid Salt Pty Ltd facility in northern Victoria. The project will demonstrate and commercialise the use of solar ponds for collecting and storing heat from solar radiation. RMIT University will undertake equipment and system design, monitoring and performance evaluation and Geo-Eng Australia Pty Ltd along with Pyramid Salt Pty Ltd will commercialise the system. The commercialised solar pond technology has strong market prospects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel costs in a range of rural industries requiring process heat. The heat from the solar pond will be used in commercial salt production and aquaculture. $550,000 grant.
Contact: RMIT, Ph: 03 9925 6079

Power Solutions Australia (PSA) Pty Ltd, Selectronics Australia Pty Ltd and Powercor Australia Ltd to further develop a range of innovative Australian inverters for use in renewable remote area power supply and grid-tie applications. Inverters are an essential part of renewable energy systems and fulfil many functions, including power conversion, system control, safety features and interconnection to grid and user networks. The aim of the project is to lead to the commercial development, production, marketing and distribution of the inverters in Australia and overseas markets. $420,000 grant.

Contact: PSA, Ph: 03 9706 6716

Australian Inland Energy (AIE) and ZBB Technologies Limited for the field testing of the efficiency of a 500kWh zinc bromine battery at AIE's newly commissioned White Cliffs Solar Dish Photovoltaic Concentrator Power Station in outback New South Wales. The zinc bromine battery suffers no loss of performance after repeated cycling, common in conventional batteries resulting from deterioration in electrode material, as the electrodes of this battery do not take part in the chemical reactions. The availability of low cost, reliable and low-maintenance batteries for energy storage is seen as a major factor in supporting the increased uptake of renewable remote power supplyies systems. $265,000 grant
Contact: AIE, Ph: 08 8080 2408

Projects offered funding under RECP 1 (Commercialisation)

Western Power Corporation for the construction of an Integrated Wood Processing demonstration plant at Narrogin producing 1MW of renewable energy into the main electricity grid in the south west of Western Australia. Harvesting locally grown mallee, the plant will generate electricity while producing eucalyptus oil and converting wood to activated carbon through a process developed by the CSIRO. $1,000,000 grant.
Contact: Western Power, Ph: 08 9326 4902

Sustainable Technologies Australia (STA) Ltd for the construction of a titania solar cell and wall panels manufacturing facility in Queanbeyan, NSW. The project will manufacture a minimum of 100 square metres of titania solar wall panels for trial and demonstration purposes. Titania solar wall panels will be cheap to produce when manufactured at full volume. $1,000,000 grant.
Contact: STA Pty Ltd, Ph: 02 6299 1592

Derby Hydro Power to construct a 48 MW tidal power station near Derby to supply electricity to Derby, Broome, Fitzroy Crossing and the Western Metals lead and zinc mine at Pillara. The project will take advantage of the flow from a high tidal range of around 10 metres. The double basin design allows continuous electricity output from the flow of water between the high and low basins which the barrages maintain in two adjacent creeks. $1,000,000 grant.
Contact: Derby Tidal, Ph: 08 9481 4588

Biomass Energy Services and Technology Pty Ltd (BEST) for the installation of two briqueting plants at the Mugga Lane landfill site in Canberra. One plant will provide clean burning fuel for a cogeneration plant to produce up to 300kW of renewable energy for sale to ACT customers. The other plant will produce a high quality fuel for domestic heating, barbecue and power markets. $850,000 grant.
Contact: BEST, Ph: 02 4340 4911

Energetech Australia Pty Ltd for the construction of a new and commercially efficient system for extracting energy from the ocean waves and converting it to electricity. Located on the breakwater at Port Kembla, it is aimed at demonstrating that wave energy can be a commercially viable renewable energy source. With a peak capacity of 500kW the system is expected to save 1,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. The project will mark the first step in commercialising an innovative renewable energy technology which has been designed and developed in Australia. $750,000 grant.
Contact: Energetech, Ph: 0410 612 472

Pinnacle VRB Ltd to deliver a technically and commercially competitive alternative to the currently dominant lead acid battery technology. The project will re-package the existing Vanadium redox battery technology into an integrated energy storage system to meet the specific needs of both remote area power supplies and industrial photovoltaics markets. $700,000 grant.
Contact: Pinnacle, Ph: 0409 559 488

Solarex Pty Ltd for the upgrade of the company's multicrystalline solar cell fabrication facility by implementing laboratory processing improvements into the commercial cell production. The new techniques are designed to increase cell efficiency to 17% from a present typical efficiency of 12.5%, ultimately resulting in a 36% increase in capacity from the plant without increasing production or silicon consumption. As a result of the work, the manufactured cost per watt for solar energy is expected to be reduced by 27%. $482,000 grant.
Contact: Solarex, Ph: 02 9727 4455

Environment ACT for the incorporation of renewable energy technologies in the construction of the Tidbinbilla Visitor Centre, ACT. This solar demonstration project sets new standards for energy efficiency in a public building. A major feature of the design is solar panels that generate hot water which is then piped throughout the building to provide space heating. Apart from achieving significant reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, the ongoing monitoring of building performance will provide the building industry with improved data on both the initial and whole of life costs of the project. $120,000 grant.
Contact: Environment ACT, Ph: 02 6207 2204