For further information on the Renewable Energy Equipment Industry in Australia, please contact Commercial Specialist John Kanawati, U.S. Commercial Service Sydney on Tel: (+61-2) 9373-9207, Fax: (+61-2) 9221-0573, Email: John.Kanawati@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

Overview

Power generation is a large sector in Australia with around USD81 billion of investment in generation, transmission and distribution assets.  Annual generation is 232,000GWh.  Coal-fired generators acount for the bulk of electricity generated.

One of the key barriers to the development of the renewable energy industry is the low cost of non-renewable energy such as coal or gas-fired generation.  In 2000, the Australian Government provided a stimulus to the industry by requiring that electricity retailers source an additional two percent of their supply from renewable or specified waste sources. 

In December 2007, the new Australian Government ratified the Kyoto Protocol as its first official act and has set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent on 2000 levels by 2050.  The Federal Government is expected to develop grants and policy initiatives designed to substantially increase the number of renewable energy projects.  This is also coming at a time when a number of states are facing potential energy shortfalls due to aging infrastructure.

Wind powered energy is one of the most rapidly growing areas of renewable energy in Australia.  Foreign manufacturers of wind turbine equipment, primarily from Germany and Denmark, have set up representative offices, and in-country manufacturing facilities. 

Australia also uses a range of biomass technologies.  The most common is bagasse-generated energy used for the sugar industry and the national grid.  Biofuels are another area of growth and a number of groups are working on several initiatives including large-scale bio-diesel and ethanol manufacturing.  U.S. companies are making inroads into this area.  Given the relatively new nature of these industries, industry sources do not know which countries are the major suppliers.

The Australian climate and location is ideally suited to solar power.  Australia has become a world leader in photovoltaic (PV) technology.  Cumulative installed PV electric power is around 52MW with 90 percent being off-grid.  European and U.S. participation in PV cells is low.  Asian suppliers dominate the PV cell import market.

Best Products/Services

• Suppliers to solar cell manufacturers.
• Solar energy equipment, particularly for isolated communities.
• Small-scale (<200kW) to large-scale (>2MW) wind turbines.
• Energy storage technology for intermittent generation.
• Geothermal generation technology for low temperature sources.
• Biomass generating technology.

Opportunities

Please contact John Kanawati for a listing of wind farm projects under consideration.

Companies are also considering a number of ethanol plants, biodiesel facilities, and biomass-based power stations.

Resources

Trade Show

Clean Energy Council Conference and Exhibition 2008 (inaugural event)
Date: Later part of 2008
Location: Yet to be determined
http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au

Associations/Agencies

Renewable Energy Generators of Australia: http://www.rega.com.au
Australian Wind Energy Association: http://www.auswea.com.au
Australian Greenhouse Office: http://www.greenhouse.gov.au
Clean Energy Council: http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au
Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics: http://www.abareconomics.com/