U.S. companies seeking information on the Australian renewable energy market should contact Kate Wilkie at the U.S. Commercial Service in Melbourne - email: kate.wilkie@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

For information on Australia’s coal seam methane or clean coal technology market please contact John Kanawati at the U.S. Commercial Service in Sydney - email: john.kanawati@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

Overview

Effects of the current world economic crisis on the renewable energy equipment sector will be minimal. Growing energy needs and new government policies will drive renewable energy investments in the medium to long term. We expect the rate of growth to increase by five percent annually over the next two years.

In Australia, power generation investment is approximately USD85 billion. Renewable energy sources accounts for approximately four percent of the 261,799 gigawatt hours of electricity generated per year.

One of the major entry barriers to the renewable energy industry is the low cost of non-renewable energy. The introduction of the carbon emissions trading scheme in 2010 will shorten the price gap between renewable and non-renewable energy. The Australian Government has set targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 60 percent below 2000 levels by 2050. The Government has also committed to ensuring that 20 percent of Australia's electricity supply will come from renewable energy sources by 2020. These policy initiatives will increase the number of renewable energy projects as several states are facing potential energy shortfalls due to aging infrastructure and increased demand for power.

In Australia, wind power is a rapidly growing renewable energy source. Foreign manufacturers of wind turbine equipment, primarily from Germany and Denmark, have established representative offices and in-country manufacturing facilities.

Australia uses a range of biomass technologies. The most common form is bagasse-generated energy. It is used by the sugar industry and the national power grid. Biofuels are another area of growth. U.S. companies are beginning to penetrate the bio-diesel and ethanol manufacturing markets.

The Australian climate and location is ideally suited for solar power. Australia has become a world leader in photovoltaic (PV) technology. Cumulative installed PV electric power is around 52MW with 90 percent being off-grid. Asian suppliers dominate the PV cell import market, while American and European participation is low.

Best Products/Services

Due to growing energy needs and new government policies, we see potential for U.S. suppliers of solar cell components, solar energy equipment (particularly for isolated communities), and wind turbines. Additionally, energy storage technology for intermittent generation, geothermal technology for low temperature sources, and biomass generating technology will also be in demand.

Opportunities

Please contact John Kanawati for a listing of projects under consideration.

Companies are also considering a number of ethanol plants, biodiesel facilities, and biomass-based power stations.

Trade Show

Fifth Australasian Cleantech Forum
Date: March 31 –April 2, 2009
Location: Park Hyatt, Melbourne, Victoria
http://www.cleantechforum.com