Solar photovoltaic

• AGL Energy proposes a multi-site project using thin film cadmium telluride solar photovoltaic technology generating up to150MW at multiple sites across Australia including ACT, NSW, Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia;
• TRUenergy proposes a single site near Mildura, using thin film cadmium telluride solar photovoltaic technology to generate up to 180MW;
• Infigen/Suntech’s crystalline silicon solar photovoltaic technology would be deployed at up to three sites in New South Wales or Victoria to generate up to 195MW; and
• BPSolar proposes a single axis tracking photovoltaic system to generate 150MW from plants constructed at several locations in New South Wales.

Solar thermal

• ACCIONA Energy Oceania proposes to generate 200MW using solar thermal parabolic trough technology at a single site in either Queensland or South Australia;
• Parsons Brinckerhoff proposes to construct a 150MW solar thermal parabolic trough power station at Kogan Creek in Queensland;
• Wind Prospect CWP proposes to use linear fresnel technology at Kogan Creek in Queensland to construct a 250MW power plant; and
• Transfield proposes to convert the Collinsville coal-fired power station in Queensland into a 150MW solar thermal linear fresnel power plant.

The Government intends to announce the two final successful applicants for government grants – one solar thermal and one solar photovoltaic – for Round One of the Solar Flagships Program in the first half of 2011.

ANLEC R&D offers up to $5 million in total, accessible through competitive grants for Australian Research and Technical Development relevant to the following low emissions coal technologies:

• Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle Systems
• Post Combustion Capture Systems
• Oxy-PF Combustion Systems
• CO2 Transport and Storage
• Advanced Low Emission Technologies for Brown Coal
• Permitting, Policy and Portfolio Assessment

It is anticipated that this government grant will be spread across multiple projects. Grant applications should be made using the Funding Proposal Guide and budget template.

It is expected that this call for government grants will be oversubscribed, therefore, applicants should ensure their proposal;

1. clearly addresses ANLEC R&D objectives
2. represents value for effort through appropriate leveraging
3. identifies clear milestones for progress and performance assessment and
4. includes appropriate product specifications and delivery strategies

Co-contribution to the project proposals, either cash funded or in-kind, will be highly regarded.

Closing date is 31st May 2010.

To ensure your grant application is competitive, contact us to see how we can assist.

The Australian Solar Institute is seeking applications for grants that will advance the knowledge base and reduce barriers to deployment of solar energy in Australia which:

1. examine grid and transmission development needs to enable solar expansion
2. team with the fossil fuels industry to investigate options to increase solar field deployment and reduce emissions through solar / fossil hybrid applications
3. increase finance sector confidence to invest in solar technologies and projects by identifying key investment risks and proposing global best practice mitigations
4. research generation forecasting techniques that build on best practice in solar deployment in Europe and wind in Australia

Grant Priorities
ASI is seeking highly meritorious grant applications which are summarised below:

• Photovoltaics (PV) -ASI has a particular focus in this round on R&D in technologies not yet commercialised in the market place that offer the opportunity to substantially lower the lifetime cost of solar electricity and therefore increase commercial deployment within the next decade.
• Concentrating solar thermal (CST) – ASI is seeking proposals that will reduce the levelised cost of solar energy by increasing the efficiency of CST energy generation and reduce the cost of its capture and delivery.

Timeline

The grant application process will occur in two stages. First a call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) will be made followed by an invitation to a shortlist of EOI applicants to submit full funding proposals.

Closing date for submissions is 21 May 2010

Invitation to submit a full grant application for funding willl occur in June – August 2010

Project Type

ASI will support solar R&D projects that are technically “excellent” and that will lead to increased commercial deployment of PV and CST technologies — whether that commercial deployment is in the short, medium or long term. ASI will proactively foster the development of, and fund and support, excellent industrial and academic proposals in the areas of:

• Applied R&D (including leading to pilot‐scale demonstration) projects designed to move PV and CST technologies to an investment‐ready point either for pre‐commercial, large‐scale demonstration funding or for business‐support funding.
• Basic R&D projects designed, as the major aim of the project, to establish “proof‐of‐principle” at an experimental level of a new PV or CST technology.
• Core Institution R&D projects, for which funding is drawn from the Commonwealth’s allocation of 40% of its ASI funding commitment to the designated Core Institutions: CSIRO, Australian National University and University of New South Wales.

Projects may be industry‐only (sole company or consortia); industry‐led (research‐provider supported); research‐provider led (industry supported); or research‐provider only, noting that collaboration is encouraged and assessed. ASI may also proactively commission, on a competitive basis, R&D projects that it considers are critical to the PV or CST sectors in Australia.

Available Funding

• Applied R&D Projects - The minimum funding level for Applied Projects will be $1 million and the maximum will be $5 million except in exceptional circumstances that would require significant justification by project proponents.
• Basic R&D Projects – The maximum funding level for Basic R&D Projects will be $1 million.

Grant Guidelines

Expression of Interest Form


We have extensive experience with REDP and the Solar Flagships Program. For assistance with the grant application process please feel free to contact us.

On Tuesday 15 December 2009, the Minister for Tourism, the Hon. Martin Ferguson AM MP, announced the outcome of TQUAL Grants. A total of 70 projects were approved for funding totalling $8.283 million.

This round of TQUAL Grants has utilised all of the available funding for the program. The program, including its predecessor the Australian Tourism Development Program, will be evaluated in early 2010 and future funding arrangements will be considered as part of Australian Government budget deliberations.

The TQUAL Grants are a highly competitive funding program that was formerly known as the Australian Tourism Development Program. The objective of TQUAL Grants is to stimulate sustainable growth in the Australian tourism industry by supporting initiatives that:

• Develop innovative product, services or systems within the tourism industry
• Contribute directly to long-term economic development in the host region
• Develop or support high quality visitor services and experiences.

TQUAL Grants is delivered by AusIndustry in the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research on behalf of the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism.

Funded Projects

On 11 December 2009, the Minister for Resources and Energy, the Hon Martin Ferguson AM MP opened the Solar Flagships Program for Proposals.

Solar Flagships Program Project selection is to occur over two selection rounds.  The first selection round (Round 1) will be held in 2010 and is to select one solar thermal and one photovoltaic project, with a target of 400 MW of combined generation capacity across both projects.  The Solar Flagships Program second selection round (Round 2) is planned to be held in 2013-14, following a review of the outcome of Round 1.

The Australian Government has committed funding of $1.5 billion to the Solar Flagships Program. This funding consists of:

• $1.3 billion of Solar Flagships Program funds; and
• $200 million of EIF funds.

This funding will be used to support the construction and demonstration of up to four large-scale solar power stations in Australia, using solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) technologies.

Solar Flagships Program Objectives
The primary objective of the Solar Flagships Program is to provide the foundation for large-scale, grid connected, solar power to play a significant role in Australia’s electricity supply and to operate within a competitive electricity market, with the aim of up to 1,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power generation capacity.

Other objectives of the Solar Flagships Program are to: develop a solar industry in Australia, encourage regional development, provide research infrastructure, develop Australian intellectual property (IP) in solar power generation and develop and share technical and economic knowledge from the Solar Flagships Program.

Solar Flagships Program Applicant Eligibility Criteria

• An applicant must complete and lodge a Solar Flagships Program Proposal Form with the Department by the specified closing date.
• An applicant must demonstrate that the nominated research partner is an EIF Research Institution as defined by the Specification of Higher Education Institutions, Research Institutions and Vocational Education and Training Providers No. 2 of 2009.
• An applicant must provide evidence that the applicant’s project is endorsed by the state or territory governments governing the jurisdictions in which it is proposed to be built.
• An applicant must be a non-tax exempt company incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001, or a wholly or majority owned Commonwealth or state government body.
• An applicant must not be insolvent, bankrupt, in liquidation or under administration or receivership.
• An applicant must be able to demonstrate access to, or right to the beneficial use of, any intellectual property necessary to carry out the project.
• An applicant must be able to demonstrate that they have sought funding at a ratio of at least two dollars from private, state or territory government funding sources for every dollar of funding from the Solar Flagships Program and have exhausted private, state or territory government sources.
• Applicants must not have had a judicial decision relating to employee entitlements made against it (not including decisions under appeal) and not have paid the claim.
• Applicants must not have been named as an organisation that has not complied with the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999.

Solar Flagships Program Project Eligibility

• A project must have a net solar electricity generation capacity of at least 150 MW
• A project must undertake project development in stages of no less than 30 MW of net electricity generation capacity
• A project must use an eligible solar technology, either photovoltaic or solar thermal:
• A project must provide evidence that the technology to be used in the project; has been demonstrated in operation at a scale of at least 30 MW generation capacity for 12 months; or is a replicable module that has been demonstrated in operation for at least 12 months and the applicant has proposed scale up plans that are supported by financial and construction firms.
• A project must use only solar energy or eligible supplementary energy sources, where those eligible supplementary energy sources are operated as an integrated part of a solar thermal project. A project must limit the output of electricity from eligible supplementary energy sources to 15 percent of the net electricity output from the plant;
• A project must be connected to either the National Electricity Market (NEM) or the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) by 31 December 2015;
• A project must be located on a single site, if it is a proposal using a solar thermal technology. A project must be located on no more than five sites, each of which would be connected to the same electricity grid, if it is a proposal using a photovoltaic technology;
• Projects must be scheduled to complete construction and commissioning of the plant by 31 December 2015.
• Projects must include an off-take agreement between the project proponent and a market participant, either contractually or through ownership of the project,

Solar Flagships Program Merit Criteria

• The funding sought from the Solar Flagships Program for the project, compared with the expected electricity output of the plant, excluding output from energy sources other than solar energy.
• The funding sought from the Solar Flagships Program for the project, compared with the funding being contributed to the project by the applicant and other sources, including state and territory governments.
• Commercial viability of the project including the cost of the project compared with the expected electricity output of the plant from solar energy and eligible supplementary energy sources, noting that eligible supplementary energy sources may contribute no more than 15 percent of the net electricity output from the plant.
• The risk associated with the project including; the technical risk of scale up of the technology to be used in the project; the implementation risk associated with the capability of the applicant to deliver the proposed plant to specification at the proposed location and within the time proposed; the risk associated with the ability of the proposed plant to operate at the planned specifications over the life of the project; the risk associated with the ability of the proposed plant to operate within the range forecast in the financial plan for the project; and the risks that the project will be able to secure finance to deliver the project.
• Inclusion of energy storage as an element in the project, with projects including some significant use of storage having higher merit.
• Inclusion of Australian industry participation, including participation by small and medium size enterprises, with such participation indicating higher merit.
• The opportunities the project may create for regional development with such participation indicating higher merit.
• Management capability of the applicant, with applicants assessed to have greater capacity to manage the development of a major infrastructure project having higher merit.
• Financial capacity of the applicant and the proposed supporting consortium including the ability of the applicant to fund the costs of the project as they fall due.
• Technical strength of the project and the technical capability and resources available to the applicant and the proposed supporting consortium.
• The potential of the project to build and retain local, and attract international solar energy expertise to Australia and increase Australia’s share of the global market for solar energy technologies.
• Degree of acceptance by the applicant of the terms and conditions of the Deed.

Those applicants who are short-listed in the first stage will be invited to submit Full Applications for the second stage of assessment.  Short‑listed applicants will be notified of the second selection stage timings.

Solar Flagship Program – Guide For Applicants

Solar Flagship Program – Program Administrative Guidelines

Proposals must be lodged with the Department by 5.00pm on Monday 15 February 2010.

Reported last week, “Australia is close to allocating A$300 million ($270 million) in renewable-energy grants as it seeks to reduce carbon pollution and spur development of clean- power technology.” As part of that geothermal companies could also be benefiting from the allocation of funds from those grants.

According to the article, “the selection of winning companies from 36 applications is almost complete and an announcement is likely “in the near future,” Michael Bradley, spokesman for Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson, said yesterday.

The government’s Renewable Energy Demonstration Program is aimed at sparking the commercial use of emerging ocean, geothermal and other technologies. Australia, the world’s biggest exporter of coal, is pursuing a target of deriving 20 percent of its power from clean energy by 2020.

“Eighteen months ago you would have said this is one of the worst places in the world for renewable energy, full stop,” said Michael Ottaviano, managing director of Carnegie Wave Energy Ltd., one of the companies seeking the grant money. “But I think that’s changing. This program goes a long way to helping new technologies get into the marketplace.”

For Carnegie Wave, which plans to finance a commercial demonstration project using its wave power technology, the grant would be “an extremely significant event,” Ottaviano said. Investec, the South African investment firm, is set to provide as much as A$250 million in funds to Carnegie Wave if the company secures the government grant and achieves other goals, the companies announced in April.

The government is considering applications from a range of companies in the ocean, geothermal and biomass sectors, Bradley said in a phone interview, declining to be more specific about the timeline for distributing the funds. Each grant is expected to be between A$50 million and A$100 million, the government has said.

Some A$135 million of the original funds was transferred to the government’s solar funding program.

Other companies that have applied for grants include Geodynamics Ltd. and Petratherm Ltd., developers of hot-rock geothermal projects, according to documents lodged with the Australian stock exchange.”

Article Source

The Australian Government has provided $20.4 million to the Advanced Electricity Storage Technologies program, which supports the development and demonstration of efficient electricity storage technologies for use with variable renewable generation sources such as wind and solar.

The Program is managed by the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism and aims to identify and promote strategically important advanced storage technologies, in order to increase the ability of renewable energy-based electricity generation to contribute to Australia’s electricity supply system.

Advanced storage technologies for electricity applications include, but are not limited to, batteries, electro-mechanical, chemical and thermal storage technologies in either on-grid or off-grid situations.

The Program has awarded funding to five projects:

• Wizard Power (ACT) – $7.4 million to demonstrate a solar energy storage system based on ammonia dissociation and reassociation into hydrogen and nitrogen
• Lloyd Energy Systems (NSW) – $5 million to demonstrate a solar thermal energy storage system involving concentrated solar energy and graphite blocks
• ZBB Technologies (NSW) – $3.1 million to demonstrate an integrated zinc-bromine flow battery at CSIRO’s National Solar Energy Centre in Newcastle
• RedFlow Pty Ltd (QLD) – $1.113 million to demonstrate the viability of zinc bromine batteries in maximising on grid and fringe of grid solar photovoltaic systems.
• Smart Storage Pty Ltd trading as Ecoult (NSW) – $1.82 million to demonstrate an UltraBattery system located at the end of an 11 kV rural grid attached to a 660kW wind turbine at Hampton NSW.

The term ‘Clean energy’ covers a broad range of technologies and those eligible for support from this Clean Energy Program will include renewable energy and enabling technologies.

Key objectives of the Clean Energy Program include:

• retaining and attracting expertise in clean energy technologies
• accelerating the development of new and innovative clean energy technologies that will lead to medium to long term reductions in emissions from energy production and use
• securing Australia’s place as a global leader in clean energy technology research and development
• developing innovative technologies and products to create opportunities for Australian industry to grow and maximise technology export opportunities.

Who is eligible?

An eligible applicant for a Clean Energy Program grant is:

• an Australian-resident company incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001 not exempt from paying income tax in Australia;
• able to demonstrate financial viability;
• able to demonstrate technical capacity to undertake the project;
• able to fund at least 50 per cent of the eligible project costs (not from another government grant);
• able to fund 100% of ineligible project costs under CEP Guidelines;
• able to demonstrate strong performance against all six assessment criteria; and
• able to demonstrate that the project is likely to deliver on CEP objectives.

Additionally, projects must be located in Australia and must meet the Clean Energy Program objectives, as outlined above. Applicants must demonstrate that the project would not be undertaken without the funding that is being sought.


What activities are eligible for Clean Energy Program funding?

Eligible technologies include energy efficiency and direct or enabling technologies developed for the purpose of deriving energy sustainably from:

• Hydrogen
• Geothermal energy
• Bioenergy
• Wind energy
• Fuel cells
• Ocean and tidal energy
• Other renewable energy technologies
• Solar technologies not eligible to apply for funding through the Australian Solar Institute

Enabling technologies are those that:

• enable other clean energy technologies to work (e.g. Energy storage, transformation, integration or control technologies that are used in conjunction with energy generation or collection technologies);
• access other clean energy technologies; or
• are otherwise associated with, or used in conjunction with, other clean energy technologies.

The Clean Energy Program supports clean energy research and development (R&D) projects. Clean Energy Program R&D is defined as systematic investigation or experimentation activities in clean energy technologies. The object of the R&D must be to derive new knowledge, or new or improved materials, products, devices, processes or services. This R&D is expected to involve innovation and a degree of technical risk. Proof-of-concept elements of R&D projects may also be eligible for CEP funds.

Merit criteria

Applications will be assessed against the following essential criteria:

• Contribution to Australia’s Clean Energy Industry
• Environmental and Social Benefits
• Technical Feasibility
• Management Capability
• Value For Money
• Commercialisation

The application process comprises two stages, an Expression of Interest (EOI) and an Application. The EOI round will be used to short list applicants. Each short listed applicant will be invited to submit a full application in a competitive round.

The EOI must be returned either by email or post by 5pm AEST on a date to be advised.

If you would like assistance with this government grant then please feel free to contact us.

“The $50 million Clean Energy Program  fulfils one of the Government’s key election commitments under the $150 million Energy Innovation Fund: to support research and development in clean energy technologies.

“This is an important step in boosting Australia’s energy security by increasing the availability of future energy sources which are less carbon-intensive.

“The Australian Government has mandated that 20 per cent of Australia’s energy will be sourced from renewable energy by 2020.

Draft Clean Energy Program Guidelines were released earlier in the year with detail on how the program will be operated, as well as eligibility requirements for projects applying for support under the program.

The objectives of the Clean Energy Program are to:

• develop and advance Australia’s research and development capabilities and intellectual property in clean energy technologies
• retain local, and attract international expertise to Australia, while training and educating the next generation of Australian energy researchers and developing international linkages
• assist in achieving Australia’s 20% renewable energy target by 2020, by accelerating electricity production from renewable energy sources
• assist in developing Australia’s clean energy industry and export opportunities.

Eligible Clean Energy Program Technologies

The term ‘clean energy’ covers a broad range of technologies and those eligible for support from the Clean Energy Program will include renewable energy and enabling technologies. Clean energy is defined as energy harvested from and/or generated by mechanisms that are environmentally sustainable and have a low carbon emission signature. It is required that any such mechanisms are energy efficient and renewable.
Eligible technologies include energy efficiency and direct or enabling technologies developed for the purpose of deriving energy sustainably from:

• Hydrogen
• Geothermal energy
• Bioenergy
• Wind energy
• Fuel cells
• Ocean and tidal energy
• Other renewable energy technologies
• Solar technologies not eligible to apply for funding through the Australian Solar Institute

It anticipated that the Clean Energy Program will be open towards the end of 2009.

If you would like assistance with this grant then please feel free to contact us.