S Australia's Renewable Technology Fund gets 60 proposals

Solar panels in New South Wales. Image by NSW Department of Planning and Environment (www.planning.nsw.gov.au/).

The government of South Australia has received almost 60 proposals under its AUD-150-million (USD 116m/EUR 99m) Renewable Technology Fund.

The proposals, coming from global companies and local businesses, are in response to three calls under the fund, looking for firming renewable generation, including adding storage to wind or solar developments; bulk energy storage such as pumped hydro, compressed air or thermal storage; and bioenergy -- for example, energy from agricultural wastes.

The state government said on Monday that the proposals cover a range of technologies, including batteries, bioenergy, pumped hydro, thermal, compressed air and flywheel. It will notify the winning projects in the coming months. The bids include a pilot 10-MWh thermal storage project by Adelaide-based firm 1414 Degrees that could enable SA Water to store a portion of the energy generated from biogas at the Glenelg Waste Water Treatment Plant.

The Renewable Technology Fund was launched earlier this year as part of the government's AUD-550-million energy plan. Its aim is to support projects that make renewable energy available all the time. Part of it has already been allocated to back a 100-MW battery that is being built by Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) and will work together with Neoen's 315-MW Hornsdale wind farm.

"The Renewable Technology Fund will not only help deliver clean, reliable and affordable power, it will also create new energy and renewables jobs in South Australia," said energy minister Tom Koutsantonis. "We are investing in these technologies as part of our plan to improve grid security and put downward pressure on power prices," Koutsantonis added.

(AUD 1 = USD 0.776/EUR 0.661)

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