ARENA announces $342,000 support for small wind turbine installations

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $341,990 in funding to startup Diffuse Energy, which will support installation of micro wind turbines at ten off-grid telecommunications towers to demonstrate the company’s technology.

Diffuse was founded by University of Newcastle engineering researchers in 2018. One of its potential markets is remote telecommunications centres. These are heavily reliant on diesel generation, which creates exposure to natural disasters and risks lost communications at times when they’re most needed.

“Telecommunication providers depend on secure and resilient energy generation in order to deliver essential communication services,” said CEO and co-founder Joss Kesby.

“The industry is also rapidly moving towards net zero carbon emissions creating a very strong demand for innovative, cost-effective renewable technologies.”

Diffuse Energy says its 500 W turbines are complementary to solar PV and battery storage.

AREA CEO Darren Miller said, “ARENA is excited to be assisting an Australian startup in proving the effectiveness of their small wind turbine technology which could have large market potential across many markets and applications. While this particular project is focusing on communications towers, the technology could also have other potential applications including mining, small microgrids and farming.”

Picture: www.ecogeneration.com.au

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