ARENA launches $20m funding round to boost renewables uptake

A new $20 million funding round has been announced by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, aimed at boosting the development of home-grown technologies to further cut renewables costs and fast-track their integration into networks, buildings and industrial processes.

Launched on Monday, the second round of ARENA’s Research and Development (R&D) Programme also aims to support technologies that will increase the commercial deployment of renewables in Australia.

ARENA said successful applicants from eligible research institutes, universities or businesses could expect to receive between $500,000 and $5 million in funding support for their projects.

To be considered eligible, proposed projects must develop industry-researcher partnerships with at least one eligible Australian research institution and at least one industry partner, and address one or more of the four “challenges” or “opportunities” targeted by ARENA.

These have been outlined by ARENA as either balance of system (BoS) cost reduction; integration and high penetration of renewables into networks; integration of renewable energy for industrial process (excluding electricity generation), including heat production; or integration of renewables into buildings or building materials.

ARENA said on Monday applicants were also encouraged to consider how their proposal might add to the Agency’s current portfolio of projects, which span solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and bio-energy.

Despite concerted attempts by the Abbott government to shut it down, ARENA has allocated up to $300 million in funding from 2013 to 2022 and so far completed 35 projects for just under $55 million (now collectively worth nearly $120 million) with more than 200 more in the pipeline.