Queensland is establishing itself as a global hub for geothermal energy research, technology development and jobs, Energy Minister Stephen Robertson said today.
Opening the Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence (QGECE) at 宅男导航, Mr Robertson said the centre was playing a key role in the State Government鈥檚 renewable energy strategy.
鈥淕eothermal has a bright future in Queensland because it has the potential to produce more base-load energy than any other renewable energy source," he said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why the government is investing $25 million towards geothermal energy research and development projects in Queensland.鈥�
Mr Robertson said the government鈥檚 $15 million investment in the QGECE represented the largest investment in geothermal energy research in Australia.
鈥淭he QGECE is undertaking research and development to progress large-scale electricity generation from subterranean hot rocks and hot sedimentary aquifers," he said.
鈥淩esearch includes electricity transmission and power network modelling; geothermal reservoir exploration, characterisation and management; plus development of new turbines and cooling systems to optimise geothermal power plant production and efficiency.
鈥淭his important work is helping position Queensland as a leading technology provider in the growing international geothermal energy sector.
鈥淐ollaborative research partnerships have been established with the Central Research Institute for Electrical Industry of Japan; GFZ-Potsdam of Germany and United States power plant and turbine manufacturer, Verdicorp.
鈥淨GECE is also working with other Australian universities to create undergraduate and post-graduate programs to develop a skills base for jobs in emerging geothermal industries.鈥�
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Queensland Professor Paul Greenfield welcomed the State Government鈥檚 $15 million investment in the centre.
鈥淭his investment has enabled the University to build the only centre in the world that addresses one of the biggest remaining challenges of geothermal technology -- how to increase power conversion efficiencies," Professor Greenfield said.
鈥淏y investigating how to efficiently convert the power of hot rocks into useable electricity, the researchers could transform geothermal energy into an economically viable addition to Queensland鈥檚 electricity mix.
鈥淭he Centre鈥檚 global reputation in this space has led to a series of international partnerships and a crop of excellent PhD students from Australia and six other countries.
鈥淭hrough these young researchers, Queensland is making a vital contribution to the global future of zero-emissions energy,鈥� he said.
宅男导航 research centre complements other Queensland Government geothermal initiatives including:
鈥� $5 million Coastal Geothermal Energy Initiative to identify areas of high geothermal heat flow along the Queensland coast that may unlock viable geothermal resources closer to power transmission networks.
鈥� $4.3 million to upgrade Australia鈥檚 only operating geothermal power station at Birdsville from its current 80 kilowatt capacity to up to 400 kilowatts.
鈥� A new regulatory framework to enable the development of large-scale geothermal energy projects and provide exploration and investment certainty to industry.
Media contacts:
Minister鈥檚 office - 0437 436 914 or Jan King 0413 601 248
