Korean-Queensland Partnership for Smart Grid, Smart City Solar Bid

A Queensland Government consortium has launched a bid for A$100 million in federal funds to build a demonstration smart electricity grid for Australia. Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Stephen Robertson said Queensland’s demonstration grid would show how promising new technologies could be successfully applied to the Australian lifestyle, climate and geography.

Government announcement (28 January 2010):

Queensland bid for smart grid dollars

A Queensland Government consortium has today launched a bid for $100 million in federal funds to build a demonstration smart electricity grid for Australia.

Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Stephen Robertson said Queensland’s demonstration grid would show how promising new technologies could be successfully applied to the Australian lifestyle, climate and geography.

He said a sustainable future electricity industry would require better use of renewable energy sources and greater understanding of how we use energy.

“The Queensland Smart Communities bid would incorporate renewable energy technologies into the electricity network, along with information technology that will help consumers make better-informed and smarter choices about their energy use,” Mr Robertson said.

“New technologies include a solar thermal storage technology pilot, which captures heat from the sun and stores it for future electricity generation.

“Another technology to be trialled is the coupling of solar photo-voltaics with applications that will fit them to modern power grids, proving their worth as a reliable source of clean, green energy,” he said.

The Federal Government’s $100 million National Energy Efficiency Initiative will gather data for a broader industry rollout of smart grids in Australia and build awareness of the economic, technological and environmental benefits.

The Queensland Smart Communities bid was developed by an alliance between the Queensland Government Office of Clean Energy and electricity provider ENERGEX, led by regional electricity provider Ergon Energy.

“If the bid is successful, the CSIRO and Queensland’s tertiary sector will share in our expanding energy efficiency knowledge through real-life trials, with demonstrable community outcomes,” Mr Robertson said.

“The Queensland Smart Communities bid proposes to build a large-scale demonstration Smart Grid, Smart City project in Townsville, with several stand-alone smart grid projects at Zillmere (in Brisbane’s north) and Toowoomba,” he said.

“Technologies to be deployed in Townsville would bring a number of new benefits – from giving electricity suppliers a better picture of customer electricity use, to automatically diverting around network faults and allowing a faster response to outages.

“The Korean Government-owned electricity giant KEPCO has earlier this week agreed to work with Queensland Smart Communities consortium, exchanging knowledge on smart grid technologies.

“We hope this will create business opportunities to help power developing Asian economies within defined carbon emissions targets,” Mr Robertson said.

The Federal Government will announce the winning bid of its National Energy Efficiency Initiative in April, with funds to be released in July 2010.

Source: www.cabinet.qld.gov.au