CANBERRA, Australia, May 23, 2007.
The government of Australia will fund five projects to demonstrate ways to store electricity from green power sources.
The Advanced Electricity Storage Technologies program will provide Aus$17.6 million to develop new ways of meeting Australia's growing demand for electricity, while reducing the effects of the environmental challenges such as climate change and air quality.
“Demonstrating new renewable energy storage technologies in grid-connected and remote area power supply applications will give Australia a strong base on which to grow its own industry and expand opportunities overseas,” explains environment minister Malcolm Turnbull. More renewables could be used if green power were available continuously, and better ways of storing the electricity will expand opportunities for its effective use.
Electricity storage is an issue faced by renewable energy generators around the world. Australian experience in the technologies will have widespread benefits in both developing and developed countries, he adds.
“The renewable energy industry understands the strategic importance of improving electricity storage technologies,” says industry minister Ian Macfarlane. “They are prepared to take action and the program will see a total of more than $36 million invested.”
The five projects awarded funding under AEST:
- Wizard Power of South Australia will receive $7.4 million to
demonstrate a solar energy storage system based on ammonia
dissociation into hydrogen and nitrogen. Four 400 m2 solar
dishes will concentrate sunlight and provide the heat required
to split ammonia into nitrogen and hydrogen for storage. When
power is required, the gases are recombined which gives off heat
to boil water and generate electricity through a steam turbine.
- Lloyd Energy Systems of New South Wales will receive $5
million to demonstrate a solar energy storage system using
graphite blocks. A high concentration tower solar array will be
installed at their factory site and a 16-tower solar array
system will be built.
- ZBB Technologies of NSW will receive $3.1 million to
demonstrate an integrated 500 kWh zinc-bromine battery at
CSIRO’s National Solar Energy Centre.
- Pinnacle VRB of Western Australia will receive $1.8 million to
demonstrate vanadium-redox batteries with solar PV panels and
wind turbines at a remote fishing community.
- V-Fuel of NSW will receive $260,000 to demonstrate
vanadium-flow batteries with solar PV panels and a wind turbine
on Cockatoo Island and the Environmental Research Institute for
Art at Homebush in Sydney.
AEST is part of the Australian government’s $2 billion strategy to address climate change. It identifies and promotes strategically important, innovative, advanced energy storage technologies that will increase the ability of renewable generation to contribute to Australia’s electricity supply system.
