University plea to Abbott: Don’t kill Australia’s world leading solar R&D

A leading academic has warned that Australia’s world leading solar research could “lose momentum” without a long-term plan and if changes to renewables funding were passed through parliament.

Professor Les Field, the deputy vice chancellor (research) at the University of NSW, said on Tuesday that some of the leading research programs were at risk because there was no long-term funding strategy.

His comments came at the announcement of $21.5 million of new solar research funds by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, and as the Abbott government prepares to renew attempts in parliament to dismantle and defund the agency.

“Bob – if I can make a plea to the present government – please think seriously about the continuation of investment in this sort of technology,” he told Bob Baldwin, the parliamentary secretary to the minister for Industry at the announcement.

“Everyone understands the need to have solar research.”

Field later told RenewEconomy that ARENA – and the Australian Solar Institute that it absorbed when created  by the Labor government in 2012 – was a very focused, fantastic and bold initiative.

“We have some of the best research in the world,” Field said. “Now we are going through this transition stage, with a new government coming in, starting to change programs, trying to refocus the agenda, with a different set of priorities.

“I do get concerned that we build up critical mass, and then either we lose momentum and it starts to dissipate, people go overseas and infrastructure that you build up is almost wasted.

“What we need – across the government – is a long-term agenda, looking at important areas of research. It has got to have a horizon of 10-20 years, rather than 3-yearly election cycle, which is what we have at the moment.

“It is very difficult to do research in any area, particularly in these highly technical one, on a three-year cycle. We cold get a hell of a lot more out of it if we had that long game view.”

Baldwin defended the government’s position on ARENA, arguing that it was more efficient to run if it was operating within a government department, rather than as an independent authority.

This, he said, was the only “big change”, insisting that the government endorsed the $1 billion already allocated to programs. He did not mention the fact that the ARENA budget had stood at more than $3 billion, with the difference to be “re-allocated to other priorities.

Unfortunately, the research announcements coincided  with a rainy day in Sydney. A planned visit to the rooftop array on the UNSW energy research centre was dropped.

“We have got one of the world’s best sources of renewable energy shining on us, although not today … we are here promote solar programs, but the sun is not there,” Baldwin said.

But he did say that he admired the solar “thingamejigs” – that allowed glass windows to generate electricity with photovoltaic cells.