We need energy technological breakthroughs - Richard Heinberg

Richard Heinberg -
we worry about
 generation
rather than
actual output.

Renewable energy expert says the current focus on renewable energy is skewed towards electricity generation and not on actual energy output.

Professor Richard Heinberg, from the Post Carbon Institute in California, said electricity was only 20 per cent of global energy requirements.

The other 80 per cent is used directly in many industrial processes, which he says needs technological breakthroughs to replace the massive global infrastructure that supports them.

Read the ABC Rural story - “Renewable energy expert calls for greater investment in new technology beyond electricity production.”

Innovative projects seeking to improve sustainability of energy sector

 A trial converting sugarcane waste into renewable
fuels could reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Although there are numerous innovative projects seeking to improve the sustainability of Australia’s energy sector, one of the main barriers to making them happen is – as with most things – money.

With the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) set to lose $1.3bn in unallocated funds, the agency has announced a raft of grants for green projects, including $17m for nine research and development projects that “have a pathway to being fully commercial” through industry partners.

According to Arena’s CEO Ivor Frischknecht, the three-year projects all focus on integrating either more renewables or more energy into industrial processes or the grid to “help drive down the balance of system costs” while boosting sustainability.

We look at four of the multi-partner projects that could potentially make a big difference to greening Australia’s economy.

Read The Guardian story - “Four visionary renewable energy projects that could pay off for Australia.”