The Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the
New Energy Course
Argus Australia Power Generation Fuels
27 February 2013
www.arena.gov.au
Summary
• The Australian renewable energy landscape
• ARENA driving a new course
• Opportunities through ARENA
 Driving renewable energy deployment in regional and
remote locations
• Investment highlights
www.arena.gov.au
2.
1. The Australian Renewable Energy Landscape
www.arena.gov.au
3.
Renewables
in Australia’s
Australian electricity
generationenergy
2010-11mix
Source: BREE, Australian Energy Statistics (2012)
www.arena.gov.au
4.
Levelised
Costs
in 2012
and 2020 - 2012
LCOEs
forEnergy
renewable
energy
technologies
$/MWhr $250
2012
$200
2020
$150
2020
2020
$100
2012
2012
2012 2020
2012
2020
$50
$0
CCG
Wind
Solar
Bagasse
Coal
---------------------------BREE AETA figures--------------------- Bloomberg
figures
Sources: BREE, Australian Energy Technologies Assessment 2012 and Bloomberg Australia and
Global Renewable Energy Market Overview Feb 2013
www.arena.gov.au
5.
2. Policy drivers
www.arena.gov.au
6.
Australian Government support for renewable energy
technology development
www.arena.gov.au
7.
General Funding Strategy
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
COMPLEMENTARITY
CONFIDENCE BUILDING
DIVERSITY
ALONG THE WHOLE
INNOVATION CHAIN
RESEARCH (basic and applied)
DEVELOPMENT
DEMONSTRATION
COMMERCIALISATION
INVESTMENT PLAN
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
SUPPORTING INITIATIVES
COMPLEMENTARY INITIATIVES
www.arena.gov.au
8
3. Opportunities through ARENA
www.arena.gov.au
9.
Current Opportunities
Current funding opportunities
through ARENA:
• $126 million Emerging
Renewables program
• $200 million Southern Cross
Renewable Energy Fund
Coming up:
• Regional Australia’s
Renewables program
• SHARE (Supporting high value
Australian renewable energy)
www.arena.gov.au
10.
Regional Australia’s Renewables
PROPOSED OUTCOMES
At least 50 MW of
renewable energy
capacity installed
by 2020
Industry
10 MW or more
renewable energy
systems by 2018
Community
Size
1MW or more
100kW – 1MW
Type of
Support
Grants - capital / or revenue
subsidy
Grants - capital subsidy
Location
of
projects
Off-grid or fringe-of-grid
Off-grid
Roadblocks
removed. Trained
operators of
renewables
Roadblocks
No size
Grants – project costs
Focus on - system issues,
demand management,
control systems, storage
optimisation etc
www.arena.gov.au
11.
Off-Grid demand is growing: Example WA mining
Example: WA Forecast Increased Minerals And Energy Electricity
Demand By Source
(GWh per annum, incremental above 2012 levels)
95% of new
energy
demand
expected to
be provided
off-grid
Source: “WA State Growth Outlook 2013”, PwC 2012
www.arena.gov.au
12.
The economics of off grid renewables and diesel in
Potential
Pilbara Benefits of Off-Grid RE
Summary of LCOE costs ($/MWh) for relevant technologies
Source: Evans and Peck, Assessment of the Potential for Renewable Energy Projects and
Systems in the Pilbara (2011)
www.arena.gov.au
13.
Barriers to renewables in off-grid applications
Areas noted as “Barriers” to renewable energy by off-grid system owners
Capital Cost
High capital costs. May be misalignment between renewable
payback period and business case period (e.g. mine life)
Output /
Reliability
Concerns about intermittency, monitoring and forecasting
systems, integration with other systems (e.g. diesel hybrid),
power quality
Skills &
Maintenance
Access to people with expertise to maintain renewable
generation plant
Sources: Responses from Clean Energy Working Group, ARENA consultations, ARENA case study research
www.arena.gov.au
14.
Investment opportunities
• Nimble in identifying and capitalising on opportunities to
accelerate deployment
• Capacity to initiate projects, commission research and
undertake one-offs
• Flexible and open to ideas
• Regional Australia’s Renewables
• Looking for energy intensive industry leaders ready to
partner with ARENA to set a benchmark for
renewable energy
www.arena.gov.au
15.
4. Investment highlights
www.arena.gov.au
16.
Managing $650 million in projects and
measures
www.arena.gov.au
17.
ARENA support for biofuels
• Emerging Renewables
Program Measure –
Qantas Feasibility Study
on Producing Alternative
Aviation Fuels
• $5 million to the JCU
High Energy Algal Fuels
Project in Townsville
• $15 million Advanced
Biofuels Investment
Readiness (ABIR)
Program
www.arena.gov.au
18.
CS Energy: Kogan Creek Solar Boost Project
• $34.9m funding for $104.9m project
• Project will be the world's largest solar
integration with coal fired power
station
• 44 MW solar thermal addition to the
existing 750MW Kogan Creek Power
Station
• AREVA Solar's CLFR technology
• 30 hectare solar field
• Operational in 2013
www.arena.gov.au
19.
CSIRO: Solar Energy Management (SEM) system for
utilities
CSIRO, Ergon Energy, GWA Group
• $0.2m funding for $0.6m project
• Combines CSIRO’s thermally-driven
residential desiccant solar cooling
technology with novel SEM system
• Natural gas-powered back-up
• SEM technology will be tested in 3
residential buildings
www.arena.gov.au
20.
RATCH: Pathway to Solar Thermal for Coal-Fired
Collinsville
• Feasibility study to asses the viability of converting Queensland’s
180 MW coal-fired Collinsville Power Station to a 30 MW hybrid
solar thermal/gas power station
• $2.5m for RATCH Australia
• Results will be publically available
www.arena.gov.au
21.
Summary
• Renewables are increasingly cost competitive
• ARENA understands barriers remain to the commercial
readiness of renewable technologies
• ARENA looks forward to working with technology
developers, industry, communities and network
operators to grow renewables in the off-grid sector and
Australia more broadly.
www.arena.gov.au
22.