Australia to fund support for solar cities
CANBERRA, Australia, 2004-06-23 (Refocus Weekly)
The government of Australia will establish a fund of A$500 million to support technologies that reduce GHG emissions, provide $134 million to support commercialisation of renewable energy technologies, and commit $75 million for trials of ‘Solar Cities’ to demonstrate how solar and energy efficiency can provide a sustainable future.
The white paper, Securing Australia’s Energy Future, establishes a
comprehensive long-term policy framework for the country’s energy sector, says
prime minister John Howard. “Renewable energy will play an important part in
Australia's long-term greenhouse response” and the Mandatory Renewable Energy
Target will continue to 2020, providing incentives for $2 billion in renewable
energy investment.
Funding will include $100 million over seven years to promote strategic
development of renewable energy technologies, systems and processes that have
commercial potential, $20 million to support development of advanced electricity
storage technologies for wind and solar facilities, and $14 million to develop
and install systems to provide accurate long-range forecasts for wind output.
The latter spending “will facilitate greater penetration of wind in energy
markets and allow for more strategic planning of new windfarms,” he says.
The $500 million under the ‘Low Emissions Technology Development Fund’ will
provide support for new technologies with significant long-term abatement
potential, which “will include those renewable technologies that can
demonstrate the potential for wide uptake.” The $75 million allocated to Solar
Cities trials will support uptake of solar PV and solar thermal systems, while
the federal government will work with states and territories to overcome
barriers to the uptake of distributed generation, including renewables. Another
$230 million was included for the Australian Greenhouse Office to continue
support for projects under the Remote Renewable Power Generation and Greenhouse
Gas Abatement programmes.
“Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power will play a part in
meeting growing energy demands ... but for the foreseeable future, coal, oil and
gas will meet the bulk of Australia's energy needs,” says Howard. Australia is
the world's fourth largest producer and largest exporter of coal.
Howard says the white paper and his latest budget provide $700 million in new
funding to low-emission technologies, but the domestic industry says the
document does not contain an effective plan to cut GHG emissions and includes
funding for ‘clean coal’ and carbon sequestration.
Earlier, Howard said the government is unlikely to extend the Mandatory
Renewable Energy Target, and an estimated $6.4 billion of windfarm may be
abandoned as a result, says Pacific Hydro.
Click
here for more info...
Visit http://www.sparksdata.co.uk/refocus/ for your international energy focus!!
|