Renewable energy project making waves in Victoria
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19 March 2009
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Perth-based wave energy developer Carnegie Corporation has received approval from the Victorian Government to undertake a renewable energy pilot project in Victoria’s coastal waters.
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Approval was granted under the Coastal Management Act 1995 for Carnegie Corporation to use and develop coastal Crown land for three pilot projects, undertake a marine survey and trial its ocean based technology, called CETO.
Victorian Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings said the Government supported the development of the wave energy pilot projects in waters around Portland, Warrnambool and Phillip Island.
“The Victorian Government is taking action to encourage investment in sustainable energy by supporting new technology that can produce power with no carbon emissions,” Mr Jennings said.
“This pilot will determine how much energy the waves can generate in each trial area, and will identify the most energy intensive areas of our oceans so that their potential for generating electricity can be determined.
“This is an important first step in discovering the environmental and economic feasibility of generating renewable energy using the seas around Victoria,” he said.
The ocean’s energy will be measured, recorded and analysed in the three trial areas with an environmental monitoring buoy, a CETO unit and a load cell.
When operating at full capacity, CETO technology can generate electricity and desalinate sea water by pumping high pressure water ashore and harnessing the water’s pressure to turn turbines on land.
If the trial is successful, Carnegie Corporation would be required to apply for approval to begin a full demonstration.
Carnegie Corporation’s Managing Director, Dr Michael Ottaviano, said a recent report by RPS MetOcean, commissioned by Carnegie, showed that Victoria has an estimated near-shore wave energy resource of 18,000MW – almost double the state’s total installed power generation capacity.
Furthermore, taking into account the proximity of current power transmission infrastructure, approximately 20% of Victoria’s current base-load power needs could economically be met by harnessing waves, according to the report.
Energy and Resources Minister Peter Batchelor said the Victorian Government was investing to diversify the state’s renewable energy mix.
“We have made $72 million available to support large-scale demonstrations of leading sustainable energy technologies, such as solar, geothermal, biomass conversion, wave technology and energy storage,” Mr Batchelor said.
“Also, our Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) has already attracted $2 billion in renewable energy investment and will create more than 2000 jobs.”
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