Project Update Week ending 18 October 2019 Renewable energy brings heat to manufacturing 10 October Whether brewing beer, making paper, turning The sites have been selected to trial raw minerals into valuable products, or technologies that aren’t yet widely used in undertaking other common industrial Australia. Applications have been encouraged processes, manufacturing relies on heat – and for projects that electrify processes currently a lot of it. powered by fossil fuels, utilise heat pumps powered by renewables, or produce heat Since the rise of coal in the industrial from combustion of renewable resources revolution, the heat has largely come from like biogas. fossil fuels. Gas, coal and oil have underpinned much modern manufacturing, Feasibility studies and a business case for but renewable alternatives are emerging – each of the five sites will be completed by the particularly for lower temperature processes. end of 2019, at which point the projects will be eligible to apply for ARENA funding to Now, as part of its newly-announced support implement the plans developed. for Australian industries to lower emissions, ARENA is providing $460,500 in ARENA CEO Darren Miller said that there is an funding to the Australian Alliance for Energy opportunity to work with industry to grow Productivity (A2EP) to help businesses make renewable energy, as well as reduce their the switch to renewables. costs and emissions. The funding will support manufacturers to undertake feasibility studies into projects that AltEnergy Industry Directory will reduce emissions, lower energy bills and We have had a fantastic response to the help to bring down the cost of new launch of our new product, the AltEnergy technologies. Industry Directory (AEID). More and more companies are registering to be in the AEID, Ten pre-feasibility studies have already been which will be launched next month. The AEID undertaken, from which five will be chosen to gathers together industry contacts in one progress to the full feasibility stage. convenient, searchable online directory for people who are seeking specific suppliers, Three have already been confirmed – trades and services, and provides a platform McCain’s Ballarat potato processing facility in for businesses to connect with other industry Victoria, Lion’s Adelaide brewery in South participants. Anyone who lists in the AEID Australia, and Simplot’s food processing plant will receive 1 month’s free access. More in Tasmania. details, including how to make a listing for your company, are provided here on our FAQ webpage altenergy.com.au/directory. Page 1 (Click on relevant project links to go to online Project Database) “A2EP’s project aligns with what ARENA is Minister for Planning Cameron Dick said the aiming to achieve through its new investment new wind farm will boost the total capacity of priority in helping industry to reduce wind generation approved by the Queensland emissions by supplying case studies which can Government to 2240 megawatts, enough to be replicated more widely,” Darren Miller power over one million homes. said. “The government strongly supports “There is potential to increase the application investment in regional projects and the of renewable energy for process heating in Banana Range wind farm, located 20 km west manufacturing. By switching to renewable of Biloela, will provide a huge boost for the energy technologies, industries such as food local economy,” Mr Dick said. and beverage processing can significantly reduce their reliance on traditional forms of “With up to 150 construction jobs and up to energy and save money on their operating 15 ongoing jobs, the Banana Range Wind costs,” he said. Farm will not only generate electricity for homes and businesses but will be an Compared to other countries, Australia has economic energy source for the surrounding been slow to embrace renewable ways of region. producing heat for industrial processes. “Besides the great environmental benefits for Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity Queensland, investment in projects such as CEO Jonathan Jutsen said there are a range of this also creates a flow-on economic effect for innovative but proven technologies available local businesses and assists in diversifying the that could Australia could embrace. town’s economy. “There is great potential to be smarter about “The Banana Range wind farm will generate process heat. We waste a great deal of energy around 180 megawatts at capacity, which will and we don’t take advantage of cost-effective power around 120,000 homes, around five renewables,” Jonathan Jutsen said. times the number of houses in Gladstone. “There are literally thousands of businesses “The site will be home to 50 turbines, helping that could benefit from these ideas,” he said. us achieve our renewable energy target.” Source: ARENA Currently, the Coopers Gap wind farm (located between Dalby and Kingaroy) – 453 megawatts is operational but still under Another big wind farm go- construction. When completed next year it will produce power for 264,000 homes. ahead boosts surge in Qld’s wind power generation The Mount Emerald Wind farm, near Mareeba is completed and operational producing 13 October power for 75,000 homes. A new $350 million wind farm south-west of Gladstone, given the go-ahead by the Other wind farm projects include Kennedy Queensland Government and creating up to Energy Park near Hughenden – 43 megawatts 150 construction jobs, will add to the big and Kaban Green Power Hub in the Tablelands surge in wind power now coming on-line in with 130M megawatts capacity. the state. Minister for Energy Dr Anthony Lynham said And it will produce most of its power this project added to the state’s numerous overnight from its site on the Banana Range, renewable projects, placing further downward an area known for its strong overnight winds. Page 2 (Click on relevant project links to go to online Project Database) pressure on electricity prices and taking not impact on the lifespan of existing Queensland closer to our renewables target generators. of 50 per cent by 2030. The project is being undertaken by Orange “Queensland has more than 2370 megawatts Creek Energy Pty Ltd, a subsidiary renewable of large‑scale renewable energy capacity energy company of Lacour Energy based in operating already and another 250 committed Brisbane. or under construction. Around 18,000 megawatts more of large-scale renewable Source: Queensland Government capacity is currently at earlier stages of development,” Dr Lynham said. NEW PROJECT “Together, these projects represent more Stringybark Solar Farm than $5 billion in capital investment and more Location: Metz, 14km east of Armidale in than 4500 constructions jobs in regional northern NSW Queensland.” Capacity: 29.9 MW Developer: Infinergy Pacific Lacour Energy director James Townsend said LGA: Armidale Regional Council the wind farm is in an area of excellent wind Status: Referred to Northern Regional resources with an existing high voltage 132- Planning Panel kilovolt transmission line running through the Estimated cost: $29.2mil project site, which will connect the wind farm Description: The key components of the to the power network. Project are: - Installation of photovoltaic panels mounted “The onsite powerline and excellent wind above the ground on a tracking system with a resource mean that the project can supply combined capacity of 29.9MW; competitively priced electricity,” Mr - An on-site operation and maintenance Townsend said. building with parking spaces; and - An off-site substation including transformer, “The area is known for its strong nighttime switchgear, communications equipment and winds which is when the wind farm will parking spaces which will connect into the produce the most energy,and this means the 66kV power line that lies adjacent to the project is very complementary to the daytime substation. energy from rooftop solar and the solar farms Contact: Jane Ross that have recently been built in Queensland. Infinergy Pacific Email: [email protected] “We estimate there will be an injection of $30-40 million into the regional economy during the construction through the employment of local contractors and service Australia’s Lyon Group and providers. China Huadian sign agreement “In addition to the construction of the wind to bring stable renewable farm, we are also going to provide $100,000 energy to Asia each year to support projects or initiatives in 13 October nearby communities through a community Lyon Group today announced that it has benefits fund.” signed an agreement with China’s second largest power generation company, China Construction will begin in 2020 and will take Huadian Corporation, to co-develop and approximately 24 months to complete. The invest in power generation with integrated delivery of the Banana Range wind farm will Page 3 (Click on relevant project links to go to online Project Database) battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Lyon Chair David Green said the world’s China, Australia and other Asian markets. biggest utilities are awake to the imperative of making solar and wind energy work – for The agreement brings together an alliance to power systems, for investors and for national co-develop stable renewable energy including economies. Japan’s JERA Co. Inc, with whom Lyon and China Huadian each signed separate “Major global utilities like China Huadian and agreements in 2018. JERA, and the others who have approached Lyon for assistance, are very focussed on Lyon’s agreements with China Huadian and addressing the very real limitations of JERA position Lyon at the heart of overcoming traditional renewables. the limitations of solar and wind energy so they can become primary power sources for “They understand that just continuing to the world. invest in inflexible traditional solar and wind with uncontrolled, energy that is destabilising The new agreement documents Lyon and and often wasted is not commercially China Huadian’s current focus on: sustainable.’ 1. specific BESS retrofit opportunities in China and two other Asian countries, based on As China ramps up its huge wind and solar detailed plant-specific assessments; and construction plans, reduces subsidies, and 2.