Federal government lowers fees for offshore wind developers The federal government said on Tuesday that it’s “cutting financial burdens and red tape for offshore wind development”, and for the next two years will reduce application fees for transmission and infrastructure licences from $300,000 to $150,000. According to a statement from energy minister Chris Bowen, fees…
Turbine Solutions is the third company to get backing via the Western Australian Government’s Wind Energy Manufacturing Co-Investment Program, receiving $453,230 in support. According to a statement on Wednesday from the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), which administers the program, the co-investment will support the company’s transition into the wind energy sector. It will also…
Bunbury-based RCR Advanced Technologies, which serves the defence, rail, infrastructure and renewables markets, has been awarded a $2,047,900 grant through the state government’s Wind Energy Manufacturing Co-Investment Program. The project support will help RCR’s move to pilot production of transition flanges for wind turbines. These are described as connecting the turbine tower to the foundation…
By Magnus Söderberg, Griffith University Building a solar farm in Australia is getting about 8% cheaper each year as panel prices fall and technology improves, according to an official new report. Battery storage costs are falling even more sharply, dropping 20% over the past year alone. But the same can’t be said for wind farms,…
Australia’s energy technologies have received their annual report card, and renewables are still the class champions whilst nuclear small modular reactors remain firmly planted at the bottom of the cost league table, according to CSIRO’s latest GenCost report released on Tuesday. The comprehensive study found wind and solar backed by storage and transmission continue to…
The Western Australian government’s $8 million Wind Energy Manufacturing Co-Investment Program, administered by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, has made its first co-investment, awarding $488,204 to Australian Winders. According to a statement from AMGC on Wednesday, the project has a $976,408 total value and will see Australian Winders upgrade its facilities and skills to be…
There are many reasons why promising startups pack it in. For one venture, formed to commercialise a breakthrough in wind turbine design, it came down to the scarcity and eventual disappearance of certain components. After forming in 2018 and eventually designing a suitably efficient controller to go with their super-efficient turbine and shroud design, Diffuse…
Not-for-profit industry organisation the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) has announced Matthew Cronin as its new State Director for Western Australia, overseeing delivery of an $8 million program with the state government aimed at lifting industry participation in the wind energy industry. The appointment follows a collaborative agreement signed by the government and AMGC. announced…
The federal government declared an offshore wind zone off the coast of Bunbury in Western Australia, at least 30 kilometres from shore at its closest point, following a consultation period launched in February to address concerns about the potential impact on marine life. The zone was originally 7,674 square kilometres and began 20 kilometres from…
A speargun-based invention by a PhD student promises could time and money in the design of offshore wind farms, according to RMIT University. Results on tests of Junlin Rong’s device published in the Canadian Geotechnical Journal show the “speargun projectile penetrometer” (SPP) could be twice as effective as currently-used lightweight free-fall soil testers, and much…