Accelerate - magazine of the AHK Australien | Q1 2021: New Energy

Accelerate

— magazine of the AHK Australien

NEW ENERGY

2021

Q1

Welcome to the Q1 2021 issue of Accelerate – magazine of the AHK Australien www.germany.org.au

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A message from AHK Australien’s Executive Director

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Dear Reader, guten tag and welcome to the first 2021 edition of Accelerate, our quarterly digital magazine.

I am sure I can speak for almost everyone in saying that we are all glad to have left the throes of 2020 behind and look forward to a promising 2021.

After much adapting and pivoting in 2020, this year should be all about keeping the balance and looking forward to the future. The future will certainly reveal its own challenges, but if one good thing has come out of 2020 it is that we have all found a resilience and flexibility we did not know we had. Economies and markets have recovered to an extent that noone expected, and digitalisation has reached new highs.

After adapting to this current world where distance and not being able to meet each other matter as much any more, this is the time to strengthen the GermanAustralian relationship

and elevate it to a new level of collaboration.

In this edition, we collate innovations, success stories and bilateral business opportunities for you. In the New Energy edition, we focus on the transition to clean energy, including hydrogen, solar and battery solutions, energy storage, and waste-toenergy systems. We also highlight how artificial intelligence and insulation can help transform energy use.

Of course, we also keep you up to date on news from the Chamber and team, events, membership and offers.

Get in touch with me if you have any feedback.

We have already started to plan exciting events and initiatives this year, which we will be able to share with you in the coming weeks and months. As always, we

strive to deliver you the right content, the right connections, and the right corporate services, all based on a solid understanding of strategic bilateral business initiatives.

While we are continuing with some of the most relevant online formats, we hope that in-person events will be again the norm and we will be able to see you soon.

Enjoy the magazine, yours with best regards,

CHRISTOPH VON SPESSHARDT christoph.spesshardt@ germany.org.au

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Contents

Table of Contents

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AHK Australien News (

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Governmental Affairs Events Update Delegations

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Membership Update

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Contents

Title story & member articles AHK Australien:

Accelerating the Energy Transition

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Hydrogen AHK Australien:

German-Australian Hydrogen Alliance

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New energy technologies Victorian State Government:

Schaeffler:

Victoria – the place to be for new energy

HYDAC:

BASF contributes to renewable energy solutions

Hydrogen is the key raw material for a global energy revolution New standards in the technical purity of hydrogen

BASF:

From solar farms to hydrogen buses – UoQ on its way to a sustainable future

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Germany Trade & Invest

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Solar, AI, Insulation & Waste to Energy SMA Solar Converters:

SMA accelerates Australia’s renewable transition through German / Australian cooperation

Unleash Live:

Artificial Intelligence enables the future of renewable energy

Knauf Insulation:

Unlocking a reduction in energy demand

University of Queensland:

Partner organisations

(

AHK Business Services & Entec:

AHK Australien supports German waste-to-energy company setting up in Australia

About GTAI Hitting the gas – H2 is the future Battery recycling in Germany: opportunities in a dynamic market The Digital Hub Initiative

Membership profiles & offers (

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Member4member offers New members

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AHK Australien news

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Governmental Affairs

Further progress towards the Australia-EU FTA

By Dr Michael Zettinig, German-Australian Chamber

The negotiations for the Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) are progressing despite the COVID situation, and a conclusion towards the end of 2021 is likely.

Nine rounds of formal negotiations for the Australia-EU FTA have now concluded, including the last three rounds via videoconference. The German-Australian Chamber continues to be a very active stakeholder, with regular exchanges and provision of input into the Australian side / Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the European side, as well as including other partners such as the German Government and other European business chambers.

The progress is overall good, and we think that a conclusion of the formal negotiations towards the end of calendar year 2021 is both possible and

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likely. We feel a strong commitment from all participating parties to conclude this important FTA this year.

The FTA is recognised as important from both sides for a number of reasons. First of all there is strong strategic interest from both sides for a deeper economic relationship, increased trade, and investments from like-minded partners sharing the same values about rules-based trade and sustainable development – now even more so than when the formal negotiations started in the middle of 2018.

Secondly, there is a very strong business case for this FTA, as was demonstrated by the impact study done for the European Union before the negotiations kicked off. This is also demonstrated by the many submissions received in support of the negotiations for a comprehensive FTA by many business organisations and individual companies. The German-Australian Chamber has made a number of formal submissions to both sides and the latest

“...both sides already complement each other and collaborate closely in many areas such as advanced manufacturing, agritech and investments...”

find details in the report by DFAT about the latest round of negotiations.

However, there are still a number of significant chapters to be concluded, and the FTA still needs to go through a final negotiation round, usually conducted at ministerial level, to find compromise on the most challenging aspects. Some of those are agriculture market access for Australian products in the EU, aspects of the digital trade chapter and product standards harmonisation, as well as important related topics such as the luxury car tax.

The negotiations between the EU and New Zealand for an FTA are separate to the Australian negotiations. The EU-NZ negotiations have progressed well and a conclusion in 2021 is also very likely.

Of course, our governmental affairs and policy work is not limited to the FTA developments. Other aspects include supporting German-Australian businesses with COVID-related border closures, bilateral energy and hydrogen developments (see separate article about the German-Australian Hydrogen Alliance), developments around critical minerals and Industry 4.0. Our governmental affairs work also includes regular exchanges with partner organisations and state government agencies relevant to the bilateral economic and business relationship.

Please get in touch if you have questions or feedback about the FTA update or our other governmental affairs activities.

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Governmental Affairs

submission to DFAT can be found on the dedicated EU FTA webpage.

Australia and the member states of the European Union are highly developed economies with high standards in areas such as product standards, investment rules and protection, labour standards and sustainability. Therefore, both sides already complement each other and collaborate closely in many areas such as advanced manufacturing, agritech and investments. However, there are still a number of important tariff and non-tariff trade barriers impacting businesses that want to trade or invest on the other side. The latest rounds of negotiations made good progress on many of the chapters of the FTA to remove barriers in specific areas. Please

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Events

AHK Australien Events 2020 Review & 2021 Outlook

By Mathias Suter, German-Australian Chamber

In 2020, the AHK Australien Events Team successfully pivoted from exclusively running in-person events to offering a wide variety of virtual events in response to COVID-19 restrictions. Read on to find out what the team was up to in 2020 and what you can expect from us in the new year.

When 2020 began, the AHK Australien Team was prepared for a successful year ahead, filled with interesting events for the German-Australian Business Community.

As it became clear that the traditional in-person events were no longer able to go ahead, the team pivoted to providing a plethora of exciting virtual events,

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from informative webinars, through to digital networking events. You can read up on all AHK Australien events in the first half of 2020 in previous Accelerate versions.

Towards the latter half of 2020, as Melbourne was still in lockdown, our Sydney members were able to meet again, for the first time since the beginning of the Covid crisis. Our member Metz graciously hosted the AHK community at their fantastic Design Gallery, enabling everyone to meet in a covid-safe manner on September 25.

This successful in-person event was followed by another real-life event in Sydney. On the November 18, AHK member Veriu Group hosted a networking event at their Alexandria based Veriu Green Square hotel.

On the virtual events side, AHK Australien continued to offer both topical and networking events to engage all members equally.

“As it became clear that the traditional inperson events were no longer able to go ahead, the team pivoted to providing a plethora of exciting virtual events, from an informative webinar, through to digital networking events.”

Targeting the German audience, on October 13, Martin Hildebrand from Phillip Yip & Associates, provided an overview on the implications COVID-19 had on the Australian immigration system. You can find the recording in German here.

On the October 30, the AHK Australien membership saw a first, with the inaugural AHK Australien Virtual Trivia.

Events

Generously supported by members Thomas Sabo, Vileda and Wine Window, who provided great prizes for the participants, it was an afternoon filled with brain-teasing questions across a variety of subjects.

Showcasing both the power of the German-Australian business network and the expertise of the AHK Australien’s very own consulting team – DE International – the popular Industry Update Webinar Series saw two more iterations. Heiko Stumpf (Germany Trade & Invest), Prof Gerhard Janssen (CEO, Martin Biopower Pty Ltd) and Prof Thomas Maschmeyer (University of Sydney & Co-Founder and Principal Advisor at Licella Holdings) ventured into the topic of recycling and waste management, discussing current market developments and opportunities in Australia. This webinar from October 6 can be re-watched here.

“Another popular virtual event format [...] was our new member introduction – Who’s New? Members in Conversation” ACCELERATE

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Events Above: The AHK Australien’s Sydney members meet in person for the second time at the networking event with Veriu Group.

Middle (clockwise, from top right): H.E. Dr Thomas Fitschen (Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany), The Hon Angus Taylor MP (Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) & Christoph von Spesshardt (Executive Director AHK Australien) at the AustraliaGermany Energy Discussion.

Bottom (clockwise, from top right): Hannah Niederbuchner (DE International), Heiko Stumpf (Germany Trade & Invest), Silvia Pfeiffer (Coviu) & Dr Nicholas Nicoloudis (SAP) discussing trends in the Health IT space.

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“On November 19th, under the lead of DE International’s Hannah Niederbuchner, we explored the future potential in the field of health IT.”

Hear the recording from Martin Hildebrand on the implications COVID-19 had on the Australian immigration system here.

Events

On November 19, under the lead of DEInternational’s Hannah Niederbuchner, we explored the potential in the field of health IT. Our interesting panel made up of Dr Silvia Pfeiffer (CEO & Co-Founder, Coviu – simple & secure telehealth), Dr Nicholas Nicoloudis (Innovation leader APJ, SAP) and Heiko Stumpf (Germany Trade and Invest) offered great insight into this interesting topic. To learn more about it, watch the recording.

On the November 4, there was also a new episode of our popular virtual event Who’s New? Members in Conversation, introducing our new members. AHK Australien Member Kärcher offered up a door prize and the attendees got to meet and speak to the chamber’s newest members, including Ageis,

Bluebirdz, HR for Life and Sequana Partners Pty Ltd. The year’s events concluded with a fantastic members-only opportunity.

The Hon Angus Taylor MP, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, joined the AHK Australien community for the Australia-Germany Energy Discussion, providing a great overview of the Federal Government’s objectives and answering questions from the audience.

The entire AHK Australien Team is excited to launch into the new year, filled with more initiatives than ever aimed at fostering the German-Australian business relationship, and with a stronger-than-ever focus on serving our valued members.

The national events team is working tirelessly to plan an event calendar to underscore those efforts. You can expect a return to more in-person events in all locations, whilst still having the opportunity to participate remotely with virtual topical and networking events.

2021 kicked off with three separate New Year’s receptions, in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne on February 16, 18, and 23 respectively.

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Delegations

AHK Australien develops new virtual formats for business delegations

By Max Schnarr, German-Australian Chamber

The year 2020 was not only a very challenging one, but it also generated new forms of international communication. Virtual collaboration has created a bridge between Germany and Australia in the blink of an eye to advance the ongoing relationship between the two countries, even in difficult times.

AHK Australia converted three business trips in the mining, renewables and maritime industries into virtual formats in 2020. And even though we are happy to welcome every delegation member back to Australia after the borders have reopened, the virtual implementation

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has created many contacts and made future cooperation possible.

The main components of a business delegation – such as the industry conference, site visits and individual business meetings – can be replaced by virtual alternatives, while still retaining the essence of a business delegation trip. In 2020 we were therefore able to welcome 25 delegates virtually to Australia.

Remo was our tool of choice for the virtual conference. Remo allows not only a webinar mode but also a networking mode where each conference participant sits virtually at a table with other attendees and can interact through their camera and microphone, and can also jump to different tables to get to know even more industry experts. Our three conferences were attended by around 200 attendees, creating useful links between Australia and Germany.

Delegations Top: Virtual Networking Mode in Remo.

Bottom: Q&A with renewables industry experts from Australia and Germany.

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Delegations

Business meetings that would normally have taken place on site at the Australian business partner were replaced by MS Teams meetings that allowed for an easy exchange between the German and Australian counterparts. We were able to set up approximately 90 individual business meetings between the German delegates and Australian stakeholders, all of which were accompanied by a representative of the AHK in order to facilitate communications and to create the best possible outcome for all parties.

The virtual delegations can be considered an absolute success and are a resilient alternative to in-country delegations – at least as a steppingstone until international travel is possible once again and we can welcome German stakeholders to visit Australia and help them build their presence and brand.

“The AHK in Australia sets the absolute benchmark for virtual delegations!”

Alexander von Sengbusch, CEO J&C Bachmann

JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT VIRTUAL DELEGATION IN AUSTR ALIA ABOUT ENERGY INFR ASTRUCTURE AND HYDROGEN

Topic:

When:

What:

Energy Infrastructure and Hydrogen

March 22-26

Virtual conference and individual business meetings

Contact us to get involved

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Delegations Above: Anna Freeman, Policy Director – Energy Generation, Clean Energy Council.

Left: Dr Ing Elisabeth Clausen, Professor & Director, Institute for Advanced Mining Technologies (AMT) RWTH Aachen University.

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Membership

Membership in review As we enter the new year and turn our attention to the exciting year that lies ahead of us, we thought it might be useful to take a moment to reflect on everything that we as a chamber have achieved over the previous 12 months.

MEET YOUR MEMBERSHIP TEAM

TINA THOMS

ANDREW DONNI

Membership Director — Melbourne

Membership Coordinator — Sydney

A born and bred Melbournian, Tina came from Lufthansa to join the AHK Australien many years ago.

Having worked in all areas of AHK services, Tina moved to the AHK’s membership department to look after our valued customers in 2014.

Andrew joined AHK Australien in March 2020 hailing originally from Perth, Western Australia. Born to Swiss parents, Andrew completed a master’s degree in International Relations before moving abroad. During this time Andrew worked for the European Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar as an advocacy officer and worked with the Myanmar government to reform the agriculture sector. Andrew speaks both German and Swiss-German.

tina.thoms@germany.org.au

andrew.donni@germany.org.au 20

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Companies assisted

by AHK with border issues

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Government Meetings

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Individual Business Meetings

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Online Events

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In person events

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New Members

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Business Delegates

547

Inquiries Addressed

Membership

2020: BY THE NUMBERS

New Industry Initiatives

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Delegations

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Membership

OUTLOOK 2021 To give a better idea to our members of what they can expect from AHK Australien in 2021, the year will be characterised by four focus industries:

CLEAN ENERGY

FOOD & BEVERAGE MANUFACTURING

MINING & RESOURCES

HEALTH TECH

In addition to servicing all our existing members and their respective industries, we have identified areas of growth and increased bilateral opportunities. These areas will be reflected in the events, delegations and social occasions taking place.

We encourage you to get in contact with the membership department for more information, or if you have your own ideas you would like to discuss.

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We thank all of our Premium Partners for their support.

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Title story & member articles

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Title Story

Accelerating the energy transition

By Ulrike Andresen-Nikolai, German-Australian Chamber of Industry & Commerce

Next to COVID, one topic continues to dominate headlines globally: Energy.

With Germany and Australia being at the forefront of exciting technological developments, we dedicate the first Accelerate issue of 2021 to the Energy Transition.

The time for even closer collaboration in the energy sector between Australia and Germany has never been better. Investments and innovations abound – implementation, scalability, competitiveness, and commercialisation are the challenges that await.

In Australia, renewables have set a record, with their share exceeding 30% in the National Electricity Market (NEM) for the first time. Just as a comparison, in Germany the share of renewables has been around 44% for 2020. At the beginning of February 2021, the National Energy Resources Australia (NERA) has announced it will invest $1.85M in 13

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RENEWABLE PROJECTS IN AUSTR ALIA ADDED UP TO MORE THAN:

14,600 direct jobs

$20.49 billion

investment

11.1 GW

n e w ge n e ra t i o n capacity 2017-2020

Title Story

hydrogen technology clusters Australiawide. This investment will help set up the country as a serious competitor in the global hydrogen fuel industry.

While COVID-19 has made predictions for a future market share difficult, to say the least, a report produced for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) calculated that global demand for hydrogen exported from Australia could be over three million tonnes each year by 2040. This demand could be worth up to $10 billion each year to the economy by that time. According to the Clean Energy 2020 report, renewable projects set for construction from 2017 to March 2020 added up to more than 14,600 direct jobs, $20.49 billion in investment and 11,149MW of new generation capacity.

In this Accelerate issue, member companies who work in or support the energy transition share the latest developments. As a bilateral organisation, we count ourselves lucky to have this amount of expertise in our membership base. In addition to these valuable member contributions – both to the magazine and the energy sector – AHK Australien is part of many other relevant activities.

In December 2020, we held a webinar, delivered jointly by the Energy Efficiency Council, the German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and adelphi.

Together, we explored the significant opportunities for Australia and Germany to work together to harness the power of energy efficiency to kick-start economic activity, strengthen trade links, improve health and wellbeing, and cut carbon emissions.

You can find a recording of the Energy efficiency webinar here.

Recycling and waste management was another important topic discussed during a webinar, presenting current market developments and opportunities in Australia.

This webinar can be accessed here.

In an exclusive webinar in November, we welcomed Angus Taylor MP, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, and H.E. Dr Thomas Fitschen, German Ambassador to Australia. Minister Taylor reaffirmed that Australia would cooperate closely with Germany in the future, citing the joint feasibility study.

He also explained the government’s ambitious “H2 under $2” goal to reduce the production cost of hydrogen to under $2 per kilogram. Achieving this goal will require technical collaboration with international partners such as Germany, according to Minister Taylor. “[Hydrogen] is a consistent theme in our work, and we see it as enormously important,” he added.

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Title Story

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New Energy Technologies In response to the Australian and German governments’ fast-tracking of their hydrogen strategies, AHK Australien founded a bilateral Hydrogen Alliance in November 2020.

Joining forces, Australia and Germany can become major players in the global hydrogen industry. The newly formed German-Australian Hydrogen Alliance provides a platform for exchange and matchmaking between Australian and German stakeholders.

“We currently see strong political support, strong research links and, most importantly, strong business interest between these two like-minded partners. Ongoing close coordination of all sides is essential if we want to use the full potential of hydrogen developments,” says Christoph von Spesshardt, Executive Director of AHK Australien.

In this magazine, read about many hydrogen initiatives that our members are already working on. There are metallic components of fuel cells and electrolysers (Schaeffler), buses running on hydrogen (University of Queensland) and gas filtration devices, which can satisfy the high demands of Hydrogen refuelling (HYDAC).

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“Three factors are working in our favour: strong political support, productive research links, and a commitment to business collaboration between Germany & Australia” Christoph von Spesshardt, Executive Director of AHK Australien

Hydrogen, however, is by no means the only source of renewable energy for the future. Read on to find out about exciting solar projects (SMA Australia), battery storage (BASF & State Government Victoria), products that help increase energy efficiency in buildings (Knauf Insulation), waste management (entec) and even how AI is used to enable the future of renewable energy (Unleash live).

We see a great amount of innovation paired with a willingness to collaborate.

The future of renewable energy is looking very promising indeed.

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– Complimentary 5 years/ 80,000km BMW Scheduled Servicing.* – Reduced Dealer delivery of $1,500 excluding taxes.

– Reduced rate on a BMW Driving Experience course.

To find out more, contact a participating BMW dealer today. *Complimentary basic scheduled servicing, including Vehicle Check, is valid from date of first registration for whichever comes first of 5 years/80,000kms and is based on BMW Condition Based Servicing or Service Interval Indicator, as appropriate. Normal wear and tear items and other exclusions apply. Servicing must be conducted by an authorised BMW dealer. Consult your preferred BMW dealer for further terms and conditions. Full terms and conditions can be viewed at bmw.com.au/corporate.

Hydrogen

German-Australian Hydrogen Alliance a major business opportunity for bilateral businesses Dr Michael Zettinig

The GermanAustralian Chamber has enormously ramped up its hydrogen activities over the last few months and will continue to do so in 2021 – including through the German-Australian Hydrogen Alliance.

We launched the GermanAustralian Hydrogen Alliance in late-2020 to establish an industryfocussed bilateral hydrogen initiative for the benefits of our member companies and other

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partners. Why did we do it? The background is the following: After increasing in importance for a number of years, bilateral hydrogen activities got a massive boost in 2020 and will continue to become even stronger in 2021.

There are several reasons the field of hydrogen is so highly dynamic, starting with the government / policy support: Australia released a national hydrogen strategy in late-2019, followed by Germany in June 2020 and the European Union in July 2020.

The German and European strategies are focussed on

developing so-called “green hydrogen”, that is hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources.

The Australian strategy is using the wider term of “clean hydrogen” that includes both green and blue hydrogen – hydrogen produced from natural gas where the emissions are captured using carbon capture and storage.

In addition to other energy-related activities such as energy-efficiency measures and the expansion of renewable energy production, green and clean hydrogen offer significant opportunities to decarbonise German industry, as well as creating a potential enormous

active on hydrogen activities over several years, including by organising hydrogen business delegations and through our involvement in the German-Australian energy partnership, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy on the basis of a decision by the German Bundestag.

Hydrogen-related industry delegations between Germany and Australia will also take place in 2021, albeit as virtual delegations this year.

Based on discussions with our many GermanAustralian businesses that are increasingly active in all parts of the hydrogen supply chain – and taking into account the tight timing for available German Government funding to support international hydrogen projects – we decided that the existing initiatives would be perfectly serviced by the GermanAustralian Hydrogen Alliance. The Alliance will collaborate with all key bilateral stakeholders, including the Australian Hydrogen Council and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Australia and the Pacific.

We also had the great pleasure of organising a webinar with Australian Energy Minister Angus Taylor and the German Ambassador to Australia, H.E. Dr Thomas Fitschen, on bilateral hydrogen opportunities.

The Alliance will share information about bilateral hydrogen opportunities and you can find more information about the work program from February via its dedicated LinkedIn group. The group is open to companies small and big coming from every aspect of bilateral hydrogen projects, from project management, finance and insurance to storage, distribution, takeoff and electrolysers.

When appropriate, we will also share information about available funding opportunities through German or Australian government programs though the Alliance.

We cannot wait to work with German-Australian businesses to further deepen the bilateral hydrogen collaboration in 2021 and beyond. Please contact Max or Michael to find out more, and please connect via our dedicated LinkedIn group.

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Hydrogen

new export industry for Australia, either in the form of hydrogen or ammonia as this is easier to store and transport.

Through hydrogen there is also the possibility to produce green steel. Of course, Australian exports would not necessarily go to Germany, but there are also large regional markets in countries including Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

On the bilateral level, there are three major initiatives that are working closely together to deepen bilateral hydrogen collaboration: Australia and Germany have established an Energy Working Group, including a Hydrogen Sub-Working Group. Last year both governments also announced a jointly funded two-year feasibility study into a renewable energy-based hydrogen supply chain between the two countries. The study is called HySupply and the study consortium is led by UNSW on the Australian side and BDI/acatech on the German side.

The German-Australian Chamber is closely collaborating with both initiatives and has been

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Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the key raw material for a global energy revolution

By Lukas Dehling, Schaeffler Global

As an automotive and industrial supplier, Schaeffler’s focus is on the development of the entire spectrum of hydrogen technology applications.

Schaeffler’s aim is to create sustainable and CO2 -neutral mobility while taking the entire energy chain into consideration by harnessing the enormous potential of green hydrogen along the entire valueadded chain.

The energy chain with green hydrogen comprises of the following stages: Electricity from renewable energy sources can be used to generate hydrogen via electrolysis with zero emissions in the manufacture of green steel, hydrogen can substitute the role coal currently plays in the smelting process. When hydrogen is generated from renewable energy sources,

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the production of the e-fuel’s main component is “green”. Since hydrogen and its derivatives can also be exploited thermally in similar applications, its future use for the purpose of heat generation is also conceivable.

And what about the corresponding value-added chain? How far has the industry progressed to date?

In order to harness the immense potential of hydrogen, we must drive forward the industrialisation process and establish an entirely new industry – with new technologies, production facilities, and supply chains.

The industrialisation process must start now. Schaeffler, as an automotive and industrial supplier, has a secure place in that process, with a range of entirely new applications for its established products.

Schaeffler can make a significant contribution to the efficient highvolume production of key components thanks to our core expertise in the

Hydrogen Sustainable mobility can only be successfully achieved if the primary energy source is produced from renewable sources such as wind, solar or geothermal.

The Earth’s resources of hydrogen are almost unlimited.

If ‘green’ electricity is used for electrolysis, the obtained hydrogen fuel is sustainable.

fields of materials, forming, and surface technology. The metallic components of fuel cells and electrolysers are an area in which we are particularly strongly involved. Bipolar plates, produced by precise forming and coating in the thinfilm range, are arranged into stacks and form a key part of hydrogen systems. The fuel cell stacks are energy converters, in which hydrogen and oxygen are combined to generate water generating electricity. Schaeffler’s in-house technologies are providing interesting solutions for industrialised components within the hydrogen production.

Rapid action is essential, because our future climate is dependent on new innovations in carbon-free energy production worldwide. As a

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Hydrogen

technology partner, Schaeffler leverages its engineering and manufacturing capabilities to enhance viability of green hydrogen technology investment in Australia. Economic feasibility as a function of capital investment is a challenge that can be addressed 34

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by our patents (e.g. bipolar plates) through developing and launching new solutions in partnership with key stakeholders. Hydrogen is the key raw material for a global energy revolution.

Large quantities of oil, coal, and gas can only be found in specific regions.

Hydrogen

By developing and manufacturing key components for fuel cell technology, Schaeffler makes an essential contribution to securing the sustainable mobility of tomorrow.

About us Schaeffler is an industry leader. The invention of the cage-guided needle roller bearing put Schaeffler at the forefront of motion and mobility right from the outset. We design both rotary and linear motion, in automobiles, machines, wind turbines, and many other industrial applications.

Our passion for technology and innovation is a core element of our DNA. Our pioneering spirit, with our courage and curiosity, continues to move us forward.

Our purpose in today’s environment is just as relevant as it was throughout our 70-year history. Through our innovations in technology, we are here to support and respond to the global challenges and contribute to building a sustainable future for our global society.

Green electricity to produce CO2 -neutral hydrogen can be generated in many places around the world, however.

Interestingly, the regions that produce oil today are often also favourable locations for generating solar and wind energy, which means that they will still

have business potential in the energy landscape of tomorrow. As far as its significance for generating energy is concerned, it is certainly safe to say that hydrogen is the new oil – and in the best case is also green.

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Hydrogen

Innovative analysis equipment and gas filters from HYDAC are setting new standards in the technical purity of hydrogen

By Christof Graenitz Head of Business Development for E-Mobility and Hydrogen Markets at HYDAC

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While battery-powered electric vehicles can increasingly take over a large part of daily urban and commuter traffic, the use of fuel cell electric vehicles makes sense due to their longer ranges and short refuelling times, especially for larger vehicles (buses, trucks and trains) and for interurban and longdistance individual traffic. In the past 20 years, solutions have been developed worldwide which enable vehicles to be refuelled at 350 bar or 700 bar.

For hydrogen powered vehicles, the purity and quality of the Hydrogen is of great importance. Refuelling stations must supply the cleanest possible hydrogen without any impurities. As an expert in technical purity, HYDAC has developed the world’s first analysis equipment through which the detection and analysis of particulate contamination under SAE standard conditions is possible – the HYDAC PSA H70.

The purity is measured directly at the dispenser. For this purpose, the filling hose of the refuelling station is directly coupled to the measuring cell and another high-pressure hose is connected to the fuel cell vehicle. When all connections have been checked for leaks, the refuelling of the vehicle starts.

During this process, particulate impurities are retained by a filter membrane inside the measuring cell, which allows the characterisation of a complete refuelling process. After the refuelling process is completed, the measuring cell is transported to a clean room laboratory and only opened there. Here the measuring equipment is analysed and the purity of the Hydrogen can be evaluated.

With the GF and GCF filter series, HYDAC offers the leading technology for gas filtration in hydrogen applications up to 1050 bar. The design of the filters offers maximum filtration area in the smallest installation space, and is

Hydrogen

Experience has shown that effective and robust gas filtration that can satisfy the high demands of hydrogen refuelling is essential. Through the combination of an optimised housing design and innovative filter element technology, HYDAC filter and precipitator solutions meet the highest requirements for all applications up to 1050 bar.

“When refuelling vehicles, refuelling stations must supply the cleanest possible Hydrogen without any impurities.”

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Hydrogen

HYDAC COMPONENTS

HYDAC GCF Gas Coalescer Filter

HYDAC PSA H70 Particle Sampling Adapter

HYDAC GF Gas Filter Program

Extraction of a filter membrane in the clean room laboratory

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Hydrogen

characterised by maximum process stability, best permeate quality and minimum pressure losses. The Chemicron® filter material developed

by HYDAC provides defined separation rates with maximum filter efficiency.

The stainless steel filter elements are manufactured without the use of sealing compounds, which allow them to be used under extreme temperatures.

The extremely robust and resistant technology provides excellent differential pressure resistance and stability against pressure surges.

About us HYDAC is a German, family owned group of companies and a leading supplier of hydraulic components. With 10,000 employees and €1.6 billion in sales, we can rely on a global network. For 15 years, we have proudly serviced hydrogen applications with hydraulic power units for hydrogen compressors, hydrogen pressure sensors, cooling systems and hydrogen particle and coalescer filters.

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Hydrogen & solar

From solar farms to hydrogen buses: The University of Queensland on its way to a sustainable future

By University of Queensland

With two groundbreaking projects, The University of Queensland (UQ) aims to reduce its environmental impact.

Warwick Solar Farm The $125m Warwick Solar Farm powers UQ to 100 per cent renewable.

Australia’s renewable energy research capacity has been boosted with the completion of The University of Queensland’s 64-megawatt solar farm

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at Warwick in the state’s south-east.

Dr Jessica Gallagher, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement and Entrepreneurship), said as a research and teaching institution with a vision of creating “knowledge leadership for a better world”, sustainability is really central to everything we do, here, at The University of Queensland (UQ).

“Our University will be the first university in the world to generate 100 per cent of its electricity from its own renewable energy asset: the Warwick Solar Farm. The University

now has about 252,000 solar panels with 70.3 megawatts of capacity.

This current capacity would serve around 15,000 houses and their daily usage.”

“Building on UQ’s existing strengths in the renewables field, the project provides the groundwork for a wide range of new teaching, research and engagement opportunities, in addition to its environmental and financial benefits.

We also aspire to be a sustainable development leader in the higher education sector globally.”

Dr Gallagher said.

Hydrogen & solar Above: Queensland Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Anthony Lynham and Former Minister for State Development, Tourism and innovation Kate Jones.

Left: Andrew N. Liveris Academy for Innovation and Leadership Director and UQ Chair in Sustainable Energy Futures Professor Peta Ashworth at Warwick Solar Farm with Liveris Academy scholars.

Project size Upon completion, the solar farm will total around 64 MWac and 78 MWdc. The project

site is around 154 hectares, of which just less than 30 per cent will be covered by solar modules. The balance will be made up of the

spacing between each row of panels, 16 inverter stations, access roads, screening vegetation to be planted, and several small buildings including

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Hydrogen & solar

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UQ is the first major university in the world to offset 100 per cent of its electricity use with renewable power produced at its assets.

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Hydrogen & solar

See Warwick Solar Farm on Youtube

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Hydrogen & solar

“Society is largely built on the cumulative effect of small acts.” a site office and a visitor/ learning centre. “The generation profile of the solar farm provides an ideal opportunity for piloting emerging battery energy storage or hydrogen conversion technologies.

- use of cloud cameras to predict solar farm output, - use of inverters and new market structures to provide voltage regulation and reactive power services to the distribution network, - co-optimisation of providing energy alongside frequency control ancillary services (FCAS) into the National Electricity Market, - integration of behindthe-meter demand response with in-frontof-meter large scale generation.

The facility will also support the development of new and emerging research streams. In particular, the generation profile of the solar farm Research opportunities will provide an ideal opportunity for piloting emerging battery energy The Warwick Solar Farm will support a wide range storage or hydrogen conversion technologies. of research and industry partnerships across multiple disciplines. Many Green award of these will be led by recognises UQ’s the dedicated UQ Solar sustainability Research Group within the leadership Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and UQ won a coveted Information Technology.

Australasian Green Gown Potential areas of Award for its commitment research include: to sustainability through

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the Warwick Solar Farm project in the inaugural 2030 Climate Action category.

Acting Vice-Chancellor Aidan Byrne said UQ was proud to be recognised as a leader in the sector via the awards, which recognise exceptional sustainability initiatives.

“We’re at a moment in history when the decisions we make, in my view, will determine the future well-being of humanity, and we must stop saying that individual action will not make a difference,” Professor Byrne said. “Society is largely built on the cumulative effect of small acts. When it comes to climate change, we all share the responsibility and the consequences, and so we all need to make sure that we are doing our bit.”

Introducing the state’s first hydrogen buses In a further announcement, The University of Queensland has revealed it will add two hydrogen fuel cell buses to its fleet by 2022, expected to be the first of their kind in the state.

The buses are to be

Hydrogen & solar

introduced with support from the Queensland Government’s Hydrogen Industry Development Fund.

UQ sustainable energy expert Professor Peta Ashworth said the buses’ emissions were 60-70 per cent lower than those of the diesel-powered intercampus shuttle buses they would replace.

“They will cut about 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year,” Professor Ashworth said.

“UQ will produce the hydrogen through electrolysis, taking advantage of the University’s large renewable energy generation portfolio to offset power demands.

“Hydrogen fuel cells are an attractive choice for lower carbon emission vehicles because water is the only by-product when hydrogen and oxygen are combined to produce electricity.

“The established research and educational facilities near the hydrogen production site at UQ Gatton give us significant opportunities to explore how the technology works for applications in the

Hydrogen fueling station, Photo: Sebastian Kahnert/ picture alliance via Getty Images

community and will provide insights for other future applications.

The Queensland Government invested $4.85 million to the hydrogen bus project.

Former Minister for State Development, Tourism and Innovation Kate Jones said the buses were part of the government’s strategy to rebuild the state’s economy and create jobs.

“We’re investing in projects that deliver economic growth and create highly skilled jobs,” Ms Jones said.

Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability last November presented UQ with a coveted Green Gown Award for “commitment to

sustainability through the Warwick Solar Farm project”.

UQ is committed to being a global leader in sustainability and is a signatory of the Talloires Declaration.

About us The University of Queensland (UQ) is one of Australia’s leading research and teaching institutions.

We strive for excellence through the creation, preservation, transfer and application of knowledge.

For more than a century, we have educated and worked with outstanding people to deliver knowledge leadership for a better world.

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New energy technologies

Victoria: the place to be for new energy

By Vanya Kumar, Executive Director, Commercial and Investment Attraction Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning – Government of Victoria

Gannawarra Solar Farm

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In just six years, the Australian state of Victoria has more than doubled its share of renewable energy in power generation and surpassed its 2020 renewable energy generation target of 25%.

Since June 2019 alone, Victoria has connected 1.6 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity – more than any other state in Australia – and is on track to meet its next renewable energy targets of 40% by 2025 and 50% by 2030.

These legislated targets, combined with strong planning frameworks, provide certainty for investors.

New energy technologies

The Australian state of Victoria is one of the most exciting energy markets in the world.

The state has been at the forefront of Australia’s energy transition since 2014. An unprecedented $1.6 billion clean-energy package, announced as part of the 2020-2021 State Budget, is accelerating the transformation of Victoria’s energy system.

This record investment adds to Victoria’s existing competitive advantages including a stable civil structure, a robust investment environment and world-class infrastructure for clean energy manufacturers, suppliers and project developers.

The energy transition as an economic opportunity New energy technology has been identified as one of the growth sectors vital to Victoria’s future economic prosperity.

In the past four years, Victoria has progressed to be Australia’s leading state for renewable energy jobs and investment. Victoria is now building upon that success with a $1.6 billion clean-energy package, including funding to develop Renewable Energy Zones, a huge spend on household and business energy efficiency, and support for new energy technologies.

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New energy technologies

VICTORIAN OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEW ENERGY TECHNOLOGY SECTOR

LARGE-SCALE OPPORTUNITIES

Wind

Large-scale solar

Grid-scale storage

Bioenergy and W2E

Marine/ offshore

Hydrogen

DISTRIBUTED ENERGY-AND-DEMAND SIDE OPPORTUNITIES

Residential solar PV and storage

Electric vehicles

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Energy technology

Energy efficiency

Digital infrastructure

New energy technologies

EXISTING AND PROPOSED TR ANSMISSION LINES

Mildura

Wangaratta Shepparton

Wodonga

Horsham

Bendigo

Ballarat

Traralgon

Warrnambool Portland

Existing lines

Melbourne Geelong

500kV 330kV

Proposed lines

400kV 220kV

275kV 220kV 66kV

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New energy technologies

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Developing Renewable Energy Zones From 2021, Victoria will invest $540 million to develop six Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) across the state. This investment will be used to leverage private investment in the REZ, which have been identified by the Australian Energy Market Operator for their high renewable energy potential.

Victoria’s wind resources are among the best in the world, especially in the south and west of the state. Victoria also has strong solar potential, particularly in the north-west. To put that solar potential into perspective, the state’s capital, Melbourne, receives over 40 per cent more solar irradiation than Berlin.

Despite this, solar accounts for similar shares of power generation in Germany and Victoria (7 per cent), underlining the enormous scope for growth in Victoria.

The $540 million investment in REZ aims to unlock these wind and solar resources by strengthening the transmission grid in the areas of the highest potential. Funding will also be provided to support a second renewable energy auction, which will target a minimum of 600 megawatts of new capacity. Victoria’s first renewable energy auction was the largest in Australia when launched in 2017, delivering 928 megawatts across six large-scale projects.

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Energy efficiency Victoria is providing an additional $500 million to improve energy efficiency in homes and businesses, largely through an extension of the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) Program.

VEU provides discounted energy efficiency products to households and businesses, saving participating households an average of $122 each year, and businesses $511.

The program provides opportunities for German companies and products that have evolved under the European Union’s world-leading energy efficiency standards.

Victoria’s energy efficiency programs will also support electrification and energy demand management technologies – two areas where Germany’s depth of expertise and product offerings provide abundant opportunity for investment.

“New energy technology has been identified as one of the growth sectors vital to Victoria’s future economic prosperity.”

A $108 million Energy Innovation Initiative will fast-track new energy technologies, with specific support for offshore wind and hydrogen.

There are currently no offshore wind farms in Australia, but Victoria has some of the best offshore wind resources in the world and a well-developed marine construction industry. Renewable hydrogen is another technology where Victoria could develop a global competitive advantage.

The state’s world-class solar and wind resources could be used to produce hydrogen more cheaply than anywhere else in the world, opening up significant export opportunities, particularly to Germany.

The German industry association, BDI, has estimated that Germany may need to import up to 340 terawatt hours of green synthetic fuels, including hydrogen, by 2050. This is equivalent to more than half of Germany’s annual power generation.

A World Energy Council report has identified Australia as a potential ‘Giant’ in hydrogen exports, due to its land and resource capacity. Victoria is well-placed to secure its position in this rapidly emerging international market due to our abundant renewable resources, a skilled workforce, existing gas pipelines and export infrastructure.

The initiative includes an Energy Innovation Fund to support new energy technologies, with Round 1 of the fund currently open to offshore wind proposals. Pre-applications for Round 2, which will support other renewable energy technologies, is also open. More details can be found on the website.

Investment opportunities International investors have long been attracted to Victoria’s strong economy, world-class infrastructure and stable investment environment. Australia ranks amongst the top-10 countries for rule of law, and the top-five for quality of regulatory environment, fair administration of justice, the safeguard of personal security and protection of property rights. Melbourne is also rated as Australia’s most innovative and liveable city.

Strong policy settings, ambitious renewable energy targets and clear planning frameworks provide confidence to investors and our advanced manufacturing and supply chain capabilities position local suppliers to support project development.

The Business and Industry Engagement Team within Victoria’s Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning can help clean energy investors, suppliers and project developers unlock the many opportunities that Victoria offers.

The team maps the supply chain and identifies businesses with capability to improve local participation in the building, operation and maintenance of large projects and in the supply of new technologies and solutions for local businesses.

For further information, contact the Energy Group’s Director, Industry Engagement and Development Gabrielle Henry (a German speaker) or Peter Hansford, Manager Business Development.

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New energy technologies

Supporting next generation energy technologies

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Battery storage

BASF contributes to renewable energy solutions

By BASF Australia

Floods, cyclones, bushfires: 2020 was marked by natural disasters in Australia. As a result, the topic of sustainable and reliable energy is more important than ever to the Australian population.

To drive the movement towards a more sustainable lifestyle in Australia, numerous federal and state-led initiatives focusing on green hydrogen and batteries have been launched.

Plans are in place for Australia's coalfired power plants to be replaced by renewable energies by 2040, and The Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre (FBICRC) is working with industry, researchers, governments, and the community to drive several flagship projects in this space.

Whilst wind and solar energy already play an important role in Australia’s renewable energy mix – a total of 2.3GW

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of solar capacity was installed around the country in 2020 – these energy sources have their own challenges. Most notably, as energy sources they are intermittent in nature, meaning when it is cloudy or there is little wind, only very small amounts of energy can be generated, and on sunny or windy days, more energy is generated than can be consumed. Therefore, there is the need for solutions that can level out these fluctuations and ensure a reliable power supply.

German chemical company BASF has risen to this real-world challenge, partnering with Japanese ceramics manufacturer NGK Insulators Ltd (NGK). BASF New Business GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF, currently distributes sodium-sulfur (NAS®) batteries produced by NGK. The partners are also jointly developing the next generation of NAS®’ batteries.

Designed for stationary energy storage applications, NAS® batteries can store a high amount of energy that

Battery storage

NAS® BATTERIES

The system shown above is 4 container combined system and each NAS® battery is a containerised solution which come as a package with a battery management system (BMS). One container has a power of 250kW and an energy content of 1450kWh.

1

container

1450 k W h

energy content

can be discharged when needed over a 4 to 8-hour period to ensure reliable power supply. The high-energy, longduration NAS® batteries are climate resilient, offer enhanced safety and are environmentally conscious with no toxic materials used.

“At BASF we are passionate about creating solutions for a sustainable future and we know that sustainable technology will play a key role

250 k W power

in addressing renewable energy challenges,” said Phil McColl, BASF Regional Business Manager Mining Solutions Asia Pacific & Head of Mining Australia and New Zealand.

“We see promising potential for NAS® batteries to support both industry and consumers in having access to a reliable power supply that, in effect, reduces CO2 emissions and saves energy costs at the same time.”

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Battery storage

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NAS® batteries are a containerised solution which come as package with a battery management system (BMS).

One container has a power of 250kW and an energy content of 1450kWh. The modular container design allows the battery to be built out to GWhsized systems, as well as expanded in the future to meet increased energy needs. NAS® batteries maintain their functionality for at least 20 years or 7300 equivalent operation cycles (whichever comes first). The battery can also be charged to 100% and discharged to 0% without negative impact on its lifespan.

“Implementation of NAS® batteries at global sites have already proved successful in diverse microgrid and grid connected applications”, reports Dr Seong Han Yu, Sales Manager Australia Business Build-Up E-Power Management BASF New Business GmbH. Since 2011, a NAS® battery system has supported a facility with a 1MW/7.2MWh microgrid on Catalina Island, CA, USA. At this site, the NAS® battery system has been used to optimise the conventional diesel-fuelled generator, thus regulating voltage, and stabilising the island’s power system whilst offering environment protection and cost reductions. With Australia’s geographical size, there is similar application potential in industries such as mining, where remote communities could benefit from reliable and sustainable energy storage.

NAS® batteries can also be combined with other types of energy storage technologies to achieve optimal energy use and costs. This is the case in Varel, Germany, where a hybrid system with 4MW/20MWh NAS® and 2.5MWh Li-ion

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“Implementation of NAS® batteries at global sites have already proved successful...” batteries has been in operation at a demonstration project since 2018, illustrating the synergy of meeting power requirements with lithium-ion and energy requirements with the NAS® battery system. While Australia has been a heavy adopter of renewable generation (solar/wind), energy storage and power generation are critical elements in an overall solution.

BASF New Business has optimistic plans for NAS® batteries in entering the Australian market, and is currently in discussion with potential customers about the first projects in Australia.

“With Australia’s favourable conditions for energy generated by solar and wind, and the deployment of a commercialised and proven stationary, high-energy, long-duration energy storage device like NAS® batteries, it really is a win-win for sustainability and reliability,” concluded Dr Han Yu. “We’re looking forward to bringing the first units to Australia and support our customers’ transition to fully developed, sustainable energy solutions.”

To learn more about NAS Batteries, visit www.nasbatteries.basf.com.

Top: In Varel, Germany, a hybrid system with 4MW/20MWh NAS and 2.5MWh Li-ion batteries has been in operation at a demonstration project since 2018.

BASF in Australia and New Zealand serves key industries in the agriculture, coatings, manufacturing and mining sectors, and posted sales of about €348 million in Australia and New Zealand in 2020. As of the end of 2020, the company had 394 employees and operated 6 production sites across agricultural solutions, performance products and functional materials and solutions. BASF has been active in Australia for more than 90 years, and for about 60 years in New Zealand.

Further information is available on the internet at www. basf.com/au.

Battery storage

About us

Bottom: Since 2011, a NAS® battery system has supported a facility with a 1MW/7.2MWh microgrid on Catalina Island, CA, USA.

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Solar

SMA accelerates Australia’s renewable transition through German / Australian cooperation

By Joshua Birmingham, Project Sales Director, SMA Australia

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The progress of the renewable energy transition in Australia has been nothing short of remarkable. In 2015, Broken Hill Solar Farm became the first utilityscale solar farm connected to the National Electricity Market (NEM). In just five years, Australia now has up to 6.5GW of solar connected to the NEM. SMA Solar Technology, through its subsidiary SMA Australia Pty Ltd, has supplied around 65% of those plants.

The speed of this development has presented a unique set of challenges.

A grid once dominated by centralised and synchronised generation assets has become a diffuse web of consumers, prosumers and producers.

SMA, through its ingenuity, innovation and commitment to the Australian market, has made the most of these opportunities.

SMA was founded in 1981 in Niestetal, Germany, and has been a trend setter in renewable energy technology for the past 40 years. Groundbreaking inverter technology has seen SMA make a significant contribution in the transition of solar technology from “pioneering” to the cheapest form of new-build energy. In this pioneering vein, SMA established its operations in Australia in 2007. SMA secured all of the first round of Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) projects and has remained the dominant inverter supplier ever since. Other notable achievements include Australia’s three largest solar farms – Western Down, Darlington Point, Limondale – as well as Australia’s largest hybrid renewable microgrid at the Agnew Gold Mine, which is also the first in the country to incorporate wind on a large scale at a mine site.

The collaboration between SMA’s German team (numbering over 500 staff in research and development alone) and the Australia-based team (upwards of 70 staff) has been key to the success, both of SMA as a supplier and to the renewable energy transition itself. SMA’s central inverters are manufactured

Solar

The large-scale solar market in Australia has been progressing at enormous speed. The uptake of renewable energies to power Australia has seen unique challenges. Through the collaboration between German and Australian market players, SMA Solar Technology AG has become a key player in driving the renewable transition and has supplied over 60 per cent of Australia’s large-scale solar farms.

“The future of Australian solar, while challenging, looks bright.”

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Solar

In just five years, Australia now has up to 6.5GW of solar connected to the NEM.

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5

yrs

6.5 GW

Solar

S MA

SMA Solar Technology AG, through its subsidiary SMA Australia Pty Ltd, has supplied around 65% of those plants.

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Solar

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entirely in Germany at the facility in Kassel and then integrated with medium-voltage equipment in Australia or Italy. Locally, SMA has always worked closely with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and grid authorities to ensure assets and the wider grid operate as stably as possible.

The future of Australian solar, while challenging, looks bright. On a grand scale, projects such as Sun Cable and the Asian Renewable Energy Hub could see Australia become a global powerhouse in green hydrogen and renewable energy export. On top of this, an ongoing program of coal generator retirements, high gas prices and the global move towards sustainable generation will see continuing growth in renewable assets. With increasing numbers of projects, grid connection is getting more difficult as more plants try to secure connection to fewer available connection points. The strength and stability of the grid will continue to be an issue, and technology providers will have to get smarter to adapt. SMA continues to develop solutions including integrated storage, grid-forming inverters and engineering services.

Despite policy instability, grid complexities, EPC Power Corporation failures and competitors abandoning the market, SMA has remained a constant player in the Australian largescale solar market. This would not have been possible without the cooperation between SMA’s German and Australian teams. SMA continues to strive to create independence in the supply of green energy using decentralised renewable energy in a connected world.

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About us SMA is a leading global specialist in photovoltaic system technology committed to setting the standards today for the decentralised and renewable energy supply of tomorrow.

Headquartered in Germany, SMA established the Australian subsidiary over 20 years ago. SMA offers solutions for centralised and decentralised PV power plants as well as for residential PV applications and PV hybrid projects in over 190 countries across the globe.

“SMA continues to strive to create independence in the supply of green energy using decentralised renewable energy in a connected world.”

Solar Above and middle: SMA manufacturing facility in Germany.

Bottom: SMA delivered the PV and battery inverters with advanced voltage source control for EDL’s Agnew Hybrid Renewable Project at Gold Fields’ Agnew Gold Mine in Australia.

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Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence enables the future of renewable energy

By Catalina Tobar, Unleash live

Drone Inspection

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Today, renewable energy sources make up 26% of the world’s electricity, and according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) that’s expected to reach 30% by 2024. Many organisations around the world have joined collaborative efforts with the goal of achieving a more sustainable future.

For example, the state of Victoria announced recently the allocation of $540 million to the development of six

renewable energy hubs across the state. However, experts state that the renewables industry needs to grow even faster if the world wants to avoid “the unmanageable global warming” all scientists talk about. Here is where digitalisation comes in, to transform the renewable energy sector with technology such as artificial intelligence for renewable energy projects to deliver more reliable and efficient outcomes.

Wind farms, solar farms, powerlines and pipelines are largely commoditised infrastructures, and stakeholders are looking for ways to improve their margins, turning to video analytics platforms such as Unleash live.

Unleash live is an A.I. cloud-based platform that provides advanced technical and digital analysis assessments to renewables asset manufacturers, operators, and owners to inform decisions around risk mitigation, productivity improvement, and lifetime extension for wind farms, solar farms and powerlines.

Why renewable energy operators are going digital Renewables assets such as wind turbines or solar panels have a life expectancy of approximately 30 years, which means that the first generation of these are starting to age and, as a result, maintenance costs increase, margins start to reduce and the safety of the operators decreases.

Moreover, asset downtime and under-performance is one of the main challenges in this industry.

For example when a wind turbine experiences non-expected operational issues, wind turbine inspectors have to be sent to climb the wind turbine on a rope, take pictures of the turbine, then send those pictures to an engineer to diagnose the issues, which then he reports back to the wind turbine operators so they can fix them. This whole process is timeconsuming, high-risk, weather-dependent and costly. Additionally, anomalies in the assets often go undetected until they’re discovered in one of the scheduled

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Artificial Intelligence

The desire to do things right and for humanity to live our lives in a way that is less destructive for the environment has been around for decades, but in the past years it’s gained even more momentum, it is unquestionable that the need for us to live more sustainable lives is at a leading position on the global agenda.

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Artificial Intelligence

“Unleash live has forecasted that their clients will reduce their inspection costs by up to 40% across the asset lifetime”

maintenance runs, which is extremely detrimental to the asset’s lifetime value and productivity.

Most energy providers are aware that their processes can be optimised and are continuously seeking more cost-effective maintenance practices.

However, having to completely re-design their processes and workflows seems to be more of a hindrance than helpful. The good news is companies like Unleash live have designed a solution to deliver computer vision into their customer’s workflows, allowing them to access real-time operational data and develop advanced analytics capabilities to support their decision making.

Digitalisation in the field Unleash live has significant experience in building world-class aerial A.I. object recognition, classification, and flow models. This has allowed them to efficiently build, train and implement highperformance models with a scalable architecture to optimise the inspection process for the renewables sector assets such as wind turbines and solar panels.

Wind farm Unleash live Windfarm A.I. is a complete solution for companies that engage in wind farm construction, maintenance, or service.

It provides a complete workflow for capturing, storing, analysing

A TR ADITIONAL WIND TURBINE INSPECTION

10

hours

$9,000

(approximate figures)

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Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence

SAVINGS FROM INSPECTING SOLAR PANELS WITH UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES (UAV)

$US 1.2K per megawatt

95%

more eff icient

(average figures compared to manual inspections)

IMPACT OF UNLEASH LIVE

20%

Increase in a c c u ra c y

eliminate human factors from site inspections

40%

Reduction in inspection costs across the lifetime of the asset

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6x

Faster data collection

Increase productivity, by inspecting 3 turbines per hour

7+

Fault categories classif ied

Fully automated end-to-end solution allows standardised, repeatable and accurate inspections

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faults are recognised, as well as monitor their asset’s performance for compliance and valuation purposes. This solution was developed with the goal of facilitating a clean and sustainable path for cities and governments to achieve their sciencebased emission reduction targets.

Solar panels Conventional solar plant inspection methods are mostly done manually, which as a result doesn’t allow photovoltaic defects to be detected accurately, making the reporting process inaccurate, complex and time-consuming.

However, it’s been proven that drones can detect malfunctioning panels quicker than a field crew on foot. According to T&D World, inspecting solar panels with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) saves on average $US1.2K per megawatt in costs and is 95% more efficient than manual inspections.

What makes Unleash live’s Solar A.I. solution different from other drone inspection providers is that it turns real-time

data into insights. The platform is integrated to Unleash live’s customer’s workflows, delivering a continuous real-time end-to-end visual inspection process, which allows the users the opportunity to schedule fully autonomous drone flights, while automating the aerial data collection process and reporting systems. Lastly, they’re able to obtain real-time insights in order for them to be able to predict issues and incidents before they happen.

Artificial Intelligence

and sharing visual maintenance data and insights. It’s a centralised location that integrates the data captured and generates reports on workflows.

This enables experts to: - collaborate from the field or the office - recognise issues - categorise insights - build a digital passport of the asset.

Allowing the users to improve their asset productivity and reduce time-to-insight, from anywhere. The images below show one of Unleash live’s customers (Hugo Velasquez from Zenobe Energy) performing a real-time inspection of a wind turbine, located 1,078 km away, all from the comfort of the office.

To eliminate the manual time-consuming analysis, Unleash live trained their A.I. algorithm to identify up to 9 different types of blade faults with high accuracy. It is also able to predict maintenance issues and therefore mitigate the probability of risks. Additionally, the users of this solution are able to generate alerts when certain events/

“they’re able to obtain real-time insights in order for them to be able to predict issues...”

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Artificial Intelligence

The power of data

Conclusion

About us

While the above is more theoretical, one thing we all agree on is that successful industry players are the ones that optimise their processes, and turn their data into insights, which is exactly what Unleash live’s customers achieve.

This is possible with the 6 different components of Unleash live’s A.I. analytics:

As the world becomes more reliant on renewable energy, organisations will need accurate mechanisms to both manage and leverage these, and digitisation is the driving force to make this possible. The examples above from Unleash live reflect how A.I. is allowing environmentally focused organisations to increase their potential for renewable energy operations to be effectively operated, whilst remaining economically viable and reducing the resources required. Therefore, at this point in time, artificial intelligence is the most reliable and effective way for humanity to make a sustainable future possible, now.

Unleash live is a video analytics platform combining vision and A.I. analytics to remove the guesswork from running remote infrastructure operations. Essentially, we measure reality for large-scale enterprises.

1. A.I. Analytics – Extract key insights faster at a lower cost 2. VR & 3D Experiences – Generate immersive VR environments, orthomosaics, point clouds for clear asset quality assessment 3. Digital Passport – Access, search, store and review your media from one central location 4. Live Collaboration – Collaborate in real time, remotely 5. Inspection Optimisation – Plan and execute regular missions 6. Integration and reporting – Visualise your data trends for faster decision-making

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Citations: Sophie, V. (2020).Victoria budgets $540m to develop six new Renewable Energy Zones.

Solar Inspection

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A r t i pf ilcai cael hI on lt de el lri gTo e npci ec

Insulation

Unlocking a reduction in energy demand

By James Bedford Product Portfolio Manager, Knauf Insulation

Changing the way households pursue energy savings will reduce the requirement for energy generation

chain benefits by reducing peak load on the power grid.

The Australian Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources identifies Australian households as being directly responsible for 20% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Initial data from smart metering In order to achieve ambitious 2050 net technology in the EU suggests that the zero carbon targets, it is essential for renovation of 400,000 homes, focusing both Federal and State governments on improving the thermal resistance of to address the demand side of energy the external building envelope, would efficiency with similar focus and investment that is currently dedicated to reduce demand by 2,000 gigawatt hours per year. the supply side of the market.

Further European studies have shown Over the last 20 years, many countries have implemented successful initiatives that slightly improving the thermal to improve energy efficiency in buildings, resistance of the external envelope of a house can reduce household power and recently many governments have usage by up to 70%, highlighting why further prioritised energy efficiency insulation is the low-hanging fruit of in buildings as a rebound mechanism energy efficiency upgrades. To provide out of the economic challenges caused a sense of the opportunity in Australia, by the COVID-19 global pandemic. a pitt & sherry report has estimated that Improving the energy efficiency of buildings is not only a jobs multiplier but between 800,000 and 1.4 million homes do not have ceiling insulation, and also delivers positive health outcomes, even more do not have wall insulation. environmental outcomes and supply

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jobs for the same level of investment.

The Victorian Government demonstrated leadership in this space, announcing a $797 million investment into a ‘Household Energy Efficiency Package’. This initiative was highly welcomed by industry, with the CEO of the Energy Efficiency Council Luke Menzel reflecting on the economic opportunities in a press release: “We know that energy efficiency upgrades of buildings have the biggest jobs multiplier of any form of clean-energy stimulus. Victoria is harnessing that jobs multiplier to supercharge their post-COVID recovery,

Insulation

The opportunity is even bigger when you consider that this excludes underinsulated homes.

With unemployment in Australia reaching a 20-year high and the expiration of JobKeeper looming as a complicated labour participation barrier, opening up the retrofit jobs machine is a logical win-win for the environment and the economy. It is estimated that energyefficiency upgrades to the exterior envelope of houses could produce 15 jobs for every million dollars of investment, compared, for example, with wind generation which produces only 1.8

MINIMUM ENERGY PERFORMANCE STANDARDS TO DECARBONISE BUILDINGS A B

Illustration of an incrementally increasing minimum energy performance standard by energy performance certificate class

C D E F G NE T ZERO

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3% The rate of renovation must be tripled

9% The depth of renovation must be increased

17% Renovations currently achieve on average only 9% to 17% energy savings

In Europe, a RAP report (June 2020) concluded that to achieve net zero emission targets, the rate of renovations on existing buildings must be tripled from 1% to 3% Regulatory Assistance Project (rap) all rights reserved

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New grids Existing grids New hydro New nuclear Wind power Solar PV Unabated coal-fired power Unabated gas-fired power Hydrogen production CCUS Reduce methane emissions Urban transport infrastructure High-speed rail Buildings efficiency retrofit Efficient new buildings Industry efficency

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IEA all rights reserved

“It is estimated that energy efficiency upgrades to the exterior envelope of houses could produce 15 jobs for every million dollars of investment.”

however, it is the tip of the iceberg if we are to comprehensively reduce greenhouse emissions. In a study commissioned by EURIMA (European Insulation Manufacturers Association) it was estimated that the rate of renovation must be tripled from 1% to 3% if the EU is to achieve net zero.

Commitments made by the Australian Government in 2020 have been a positive step in the right direction – and in many ways are catching up to the existing enthusiasm of homeowners who already see the value in retrofitting for both the health and energy savings benefits. The greatest opportunity to effect emission reduction, create jobs and deliver health outcomes in the home in 2021 and beyond is through the integration of energy efficiency in buildings into policy framework.

Insulation

create thousands of good, local jobs and cut carbon along the way.”

While government investment will drive industry uptake and deliver jobs, many Australians have already been inspired to address home comfort in what can be described as a renovation boom sparked by working from home circumstances.

Consumer spending has dramatically shifted towards home improvement, with retail giant Bunnings gaining 13.9% growth over the last financial year, with most of the growth coming from the second half of the year following pandemic restrictions – resulting in store-on-store sales growth of 25.8%.

Most home improvement retailers sell retrofit products for DIYers, including insulation, draught sealing and energyefficient appliances, such as heating and hot water systems.

The renovation wave and uptake in DIY projects has been a global phenomenon not limited to Australia,

About us Knauf Insulation is part of the Knauf Group of Companies, a global leader in the manufacture of building products.

In Australia, Knauf Insulation has been supplying glasswool since 2010.

Knauf Insulation has a successful track record in the creation of research and development programs that have significantly increased production efficiencies and sustainability in the global insulation industry.

Knauf Insulation is also active in the development of products and systems for buildings that are customised for regulations in each country, including the support of energy efficiency and sustainability.

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P luasci ne h B e sosl dReerpTo r e ps ei cn t a t i o n

Business Representation service by the GermanAustralian Chamber

By Birgit Tegethoff, AHK Australien

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The Australian market offers diverse opportunities in a range of industries for German technologies and solutions. Yet exploring a market space far away from your home turf can raise challenges.

Through our Business Representation service, we aim to tackle these challenges by laying bare all the specifics of your industry. In close alignment with your immediate wants and needs, we devise a tailor-made market entrance and positioning strategy for the Australian market space. For this, we identify potential business partners, proactively scan for market opportunities such as public tenders or financial support funds, engage in customer acquisition, develop networking strategies, and initiate introductions to relevant Australian stakeholders such as industry representatives and policy makers.

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Next to our proactive business development assistance, our Business Representation service also includes numerous business support mechanisms.

As such, either our Melbourne or Sydney address can function as your principal place of business or registered address.

We guarantee timely processing of all incoming correspondence, maintain and keep your company register up to date if needed, and set up a customer hotline to receive enquiries on your behalf.

Take advantage of our long-standing expertise and in-depth knowledge of the Australian market and local customer expectations. By engaging our Business Representation service, we guarantee a gradual and sustainable positioning of your product and brand in Australia.

For more information about the AHK Australien’s Business Representation service, contact us.

BIRGIT TEGETHOFF +61-2-8296 0455 birgit.tegethoff@germany.org

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Waste Management

“Waste to energy”: not just a slogan, a real challenge for Australia

By Thorsten Winkler, COO of entec biopower The native German is a respected industry expert and joined the renewable energy sector in 2004. Thorsten has successfully established new businesses all around the globe.

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Up to 50% of our household waste is organic waste, although saying that, this organic fraction could have been used to create energy, eg. electricity, gas, heat or steam. As of today, the common way of disposing of waste and organic waste in Australia is putting it into landfills. At the same time, the landfills are running out of space and transport costs are increasing drastically. In some rural areas there is a shortage in electricity supply and grid stability has become an issue.

Throughout the last 20 years some companies, mainly from Europe, have developed technical solutions to effectively use the organic fractions coming from domestic waste.

At mechanical recycling facilities (known as MRFs) the organic waste is separated from the non-organic waste.

The non-organic waste, such as plastic, can then be further treated and converted to RDF – refuse-derived fuel – in order to replace fossil fuels such as coal.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the common methods used to further treat the organic portion. Under anaerobic conditions, bacteria turn organic matters into methane and carbonneutral CO2. Ingeniously, all of the effluent from an AD plant can be used as organic fertiliser.

One of the big advantages of an AD plant is the fact that anaerobic digestion is the only source of renewable energy that can easily be stored without putting huge batteries in place. Hence, one of the most remarkable features of AD and “waste to energy” is the resulting 24/7 baseload energy supply. Along with the process of recognising these advantages, there are also numerous challenges that come along with these new technologies.

The first challenge to mention is the market approach. It’s essential for a European technology supplier to team up with a local partner in Australia.

Instead of competing against each other, a combination of European technologies and engineering paired with local business experience can openup doors significantly quicker. Here, organisations like the German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce can support both sides.

Acceptance is another big obstacle that has to be overcome. Production of biogas (methane) is nothing dangerous, nor a new technology.

However, still today, you find people being scared of these words and

Waste Management

These days we often hear the slogan “waste to energy” referred to in the news, but what does it actually mean?

And what challenges does it present for Australia?

“Waste to energy” is not just a slogan –itʼs already happening...

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Last but not least, Australia needs to trust in the proven technologies from Europe. The more than 9000 plants built in Germany sends a very clear message.

The Australian renewable energy market should focus on getting one, two or maybe three reference sites on the ground – instead of talking about the countless numbers of opportunities – and make things happen.

After five years in the making, entec biopower has successfully established a partnership with an Australian partner, who became our exclusive distributor and partner in the country. German engineering and equipment paired with the local knowledge and expertise of our partner will lead us to success in 2021.

Despite COVID19, we successfully delivered the first engineering packages for some waste-to-energy opportunities in 2020. The German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce supported us terms. A proper education, ideally from in our quest to find the right partners and helped us avoid the repeated mistakes government bodies, needs to happen. other companies from overseas have Today, waste in the amount of 2.48 made in Australia before. tonnes per capita and a total amount “Waste to energy” is not just a of 74.1 million tonnes of waste accrue in slogan – it’s already happening! One Australia per annum (Source: National tonne of food waste can, more or less Waste Report 2020). With an expectation replace 1m³ of natural gas. Instead of that the population will grow significantly in the coming years, incentives and drivers putting organic waste, food waste and need to be put in place to encourage these especially food-processing waste to land, let’s start using these residues as a different routes to be utilised. power source effectively in Australia.

Specific policies can be created to support the “waste to energy” concept and allow it to reach a new level. Policies like “no organic to landfill” are quite common all around the globe. Just think about the additional landfill space created by removing the 50% organic content from the waste being dumped.

“Itʼs essential for a European technology supplier to team up with a local partner in Australia – instead of competing against each other.”

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Waste Management

About us Since 1979, entec has provided its national and international clients with professional solutions for the treatment of food waste and packaged food waste, as well as all sorts of organic waste streams. entec specialises in largescale projects based on the latest industrial standards. Its key clients include food processing companies, municipalities, waste management companies, renderers, slaughterhouses (abattoirs), distilleries and the fruit and vegetable industry.

More than 300 established projects speak for themselves.

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Partner organisations

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G e r m a n y Tr a d e & I n v e s t

The economic development agency of the Federal Republic of Germany Visit our website to find out more Germany Trade & Invest

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G e r m a n y Tr a d e & I n v e s t

Who we are and what we do

By Heiko Stumpf & Carola Jäger

Want to locate to Europe’s most important market?

Then we are your first point of contact. We inform you free of charge with current industry analyses, individually tailored tax and legal information, and financing and funding opportunities in Germany.

Germany Trade & Invest is the economic development agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The company helps create and secure extra employment opportunities, strengthening Germany as a business location. With more than 50 offices in Germany and abroad and its network of partners throughout the world, Germany Trade & Invest supports German companies setting up in foreign markets, promotes Germany as a business location, and assists foreign companies setting up in Germany.

Please feel free to contact us!

HEIKO STUMPF Director Australia & New Zealand +61 (0)2 8296 0494 heiko.stumpf@gtai.com

CAROLA JÄGER Consultant Australia & New Zealand +61 (0)2 8296 0417 carola.jaeger@gtai.com

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G e r m a n y Tr a d e & I n v e s t

Hitting the gas H2 is the future

By Germany Trade & Invest

With billions of euros in government investment and ample infrastructure already in place, Germany’s hydrogen sector is the next big thing.

Foreign investors are actively encouraged to join the country’s hydrogen revolution.

A decade ago, power utilities serving the area in and around the city of Mainz in the western German state of RhinelandPalatinate had a problem. The city was keen to promote renewables like wind and solar, but the power grid struggled to absorb surpluses on particularly sunny or windy days. On the other hand, when renewable electricity output dropped, the power company had to make up the difference.

In 2015, work started on the Energy Park Mainz facility, which converts electricity generated from renewables to hydrogen. The gas can then be stored, sold or pumped into pipelines serving local heating plants. Known as

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power-to-gas or power-to-hydrogen, the technology addresses one of the biggest hurdles to Germany’s transition to clean energy or Energiewende.

Read more about Germany’s Energiewende, smoothing out energy supply, attracting serious investment, and Germany’s National Hydrogen Strategy here.

“We wanted a way to relieve the pressure” Birgit Scheppat, Professor University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden

G e r m a n y Tr a d e & I n v e s t In 2015, work started on the Energy Park Mainz facility, which converts electricity generated from renewables to hydrogen through electrolysis technology. The gas can then be stored, sold or pumped into pipelines serving local heating plant and it’s visible to visitors inside the Energy Park Mainz. © picture alliance/Andreas Arnold/dpa.

Germany has committed to dramatically expanding its hydrogen fuelling infrastructure. © Philipp Wente/laif.

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INVESTORS G e r m a n y Tr a d e & I n v e s t

Battery Recycling in Germany: Opportunities in a dynamic market

By Germany Trade & Invest

Even during the coronavirus crisis, important challenges must be faced. Germany is taking a lead in battery recycling to provide answers to the biggest crisis of our age – climate change.

Neometals Ltd. recently announced a joint venture with the SMS group in Germany to demonstrate and commercialise an innovative lithium battery recycling process. Germany Trade & Invest is providing investor support and site selection services to Neometals.

Germany Trade & Invest’s Anne Bräutigam and Flérida Regueira Cortizo spoke to Jeremy McManus, General Manager – Commercial and Investor Relations – of Australian Stock Exchangelisted company Neometals Ltd. Read the full interview here.

© SMS group engineering competence centre in Hilchenbach.

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G e r m a n y Tr a d e & I n v e s t

FACT SHEET

Environmental Technologies in Germany A long tradition of environmental technologies aligned with pioneering environmental policy and a supportive legal framework have helped establish Germany as a leading green economy player that is home to one of the most advanced environmental technologies markets worldwide.

Find the comprehensive fact sheet to Environmental Technologies in Germany here.

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de:hub G e r m a n y Tr a d e & I n v e s t

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DISCOVER ALL THE DIGITAL HUBS

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de:hub

The Digital Hub Initiative By de:hub

Be part of Germany’s biggest digital network.

We are the Digital Hub Initiative. At twelve centres of excellence across Germany, we connect medium-sized businesses and larger corporates with new

innovation partners from the scientific and start-up communities. This is digitalisation, made in Germany.

For everyone who wants to learn more about the Digital Hub Initiative, our Hubs, and current trends in the digital ecosystems, come check out our website: www.de-hub.de/en

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Membership profiles & offers

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Member4Member offers

Exclusive Member4Member offers Services

2 free months of PRO plan subscription on 2M’s Remote Simultaneous Interpreting Platform – enable remote simultaneous interpretation (RSI) for your virtual global events and meetings.

Global Legal Expense Insurance specialist ARAG Group, headquartered in Düsseldorf, has expanded its operations and launched business activities in Australia. To celebrate its opening, ARAG Services Australia is offering a premium discount for Year 1 to any member of the German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

Software development and IT services company Bluebirdz offers Chamber members an exclusive 20% discount on software development services.

Brokat is offering small and medium digital packages specifically designed for launching and boosting the digital presence for your business.

Crowe Australasia offers complimentary Customs Duty Review for AHK Australien members.

Dammann GermanEnglish Translations is offering all Chamber members a 30% discount on the translation of personal documents.

German Australian Marketing Services is offering Chamber members a 50% discount on their first ‘Market & Competitor News’ email bulletin, and 20% off Benchmark Studies.

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Membe4Member offers

Miscellaneous

Need to uncover requirements for implementing effective learning: imc can help. As a starting point we’re offering a complimentary consultation where we can work through your requirements and identify solutions applicable to your business.

KVP-Solution: 1st assessment for business crisis management free of charge; digital marketing services – free SEO assessment and keyword check, as well as 10% discount on packages.

ONE IP: Free evaluation session on intellectual property requirements – The IP Health Check is a free one-hour evaluation session to establish IP protection requirements, based on the business’ activities in Australia and internationally.

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Special discounts for talent acquisition, HR and business setup: one-hour coaching on Australian job market for any members (resume the Australian way, cover letter, and tips and tricks on how to be successful during an interview).

Tenant CS are a commercial tenant representative business who are independent from all major real estate agencies. To celebrate our longstanding relationship with the Chamber, we are offering fellow members a highvalue, complimentary lease review and workspace analysis to identify quick wins and provide long-term recommendations.

Audi Australia are delighted to offer you, as a member of the GermanAustralian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the benefits and superior servicing of the Audi Corporate program on the entire range of premium new Audi vehicles.

As a member of the German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, you and your spouse enjoy exclusive benefits when you purchase a new BMW through BMW Corporate.

Chamber members can be one of the first to experience Captain Cook Cruises’ Harbour Bar, with an exclusive entry price of just $5 per person, normally $29.

Faber-Castell is offering a selection of their finest writing instruments at discounted prices (up to 40%). This offer is exclusive for members and not available elsewhere.

Hofbräuhaus Melbourne, in the heart of Chinatown, is the home of German comfort food for more than 50 years.

Members of the GermanAustralian Chamber receive a 10% discount.

ROBINSON Club GmbH offers exclusive discounts for AHK members at ROBINSON Clubs Noonu (Maldives) and Khao Lak (Thailand).

Discounted rates for AHK Members – settle in with amazing deals on 14+ night stays starting from $55 per night in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.

Wine Window is pleased to offer exclusively to Chamber members a 10% discount on all orders. Our wines are produced by young wine-makers in familyrun wineries in the Rheinhessen-Pfalz area.

Member4Member offer submissions: We are pleased to present you with a range of discounts and special deals from AHK Australien members for AHK Australien members.

Member4Member offers

“Die Woche” is the only German-speaking newspaper in Australia.

The weekly published newspaper offers AHK members a discount of 30% on the annual subscription of the pdffile and 10% discount on the printed version.

Mercedes me Store Melbourne is proud to offer a preferred rate for hire of our stunning boardroom space.

Please log in to our member area to book these special deals.

If you have an exclusive rate or special product that you would like to offer your fellow members, please e-mail us to submit your offer.

TINA THOMS tina.thoms @ germany.org.au

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New members

“Autism is not a processing error, it’s a different operating system.” ‘auticon’ is an international, innovative, awardwinning and fast-growing IT consulting & services company. It is a successful social impact enterprise that employs exclusively adults on the autism spectrum and provides high-value consulting services to blue chip clients in the areas of Quality Assurance & Testing, Analytics, Software Development & Migration as well as Compliance & Reporting. Globally the business employs more than 250 people of whom more than 170 are on the autism spectrum. ‘auticon’ is backed and supported by many influential investors and family offices in Europe, including Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Susanne and Felix Porsche.

For more information, please visit: www.auticon. com

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Pragmatic, result-oriented, data-driven, and clientfocused, Bluebirdz is a professional IT company dedicated to delivering exceptional digital experiences to clients. By incorporating an innovative approach, our goal is to transform businesses and provide them with the tools they need to establish themselves as an authority.

We use powerful methods and transforming technology to streamline our clients' needs, ranging from web and app development, to IT strategy, infrastructure, and more.

We do not offer a generalised plan for every business; instead, we work closely with each and every client, understand their requirements, and offer a customised strategy that works for them. Our team has the required expertise and knowledge to provide personalised services that assist businesses in various industries. Your satisfaction is our priority, and we will ensure you are satisfied with the services we deliver.

Krones plans, develops and manufactures machines and complete lines for the fields of process, filling and packaging technology.

The product portfolio is rounded off by products and services from Krones’ subsidiaries, like digital container decoration and intralogistics. Every day, millions of bottles, cans, and special-shaped containers are handled on lines from Krones, particularly in breweries, the soft-drinks sector, at producers of still or sparkling wines, spirits, in the food and luxury-goods industries, the chemical, cosmetics and pharmaceutical sectors.

levels. Clients, ranging from large multinational enterprises to small and medium businesses, trust Detack’s reliable and competent consultancy for continuous improvement of their cybersecurity levels.

Detack is ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certified and its main solution, EPAS (Enterprise Password Analytics), is a patented in North America and in Europe. Detack holds the Trust Seal “IT Security made in Germany” of the IT Security Association Germany.

Go Air Land Sea is a young dynamic company offering a comprehensive freight forwarding package, spearheaded by an aviation focus and well-supported by a highly professional team.

Our clients and agents are backed up with thorough knowledge of all aspects of international shipping, air and sea cargo, logistics, warehousing and customs clearance. We have a dedicated 24/7 presence for time-critical shipments.

HR for Life is dedicated to helping small businesses, and startups unfold their potential, see the opportunities and drive change through unique solutions. We are offering everything you need to make sure you have the best people on board, your teams are productive & happy, and all the HR fundamentals are in place. Whether you need support with your talent strategies, diversity & inclusion programs or HR administrative projects – HR for Life is here to help.

As a leader in photovoltaic technology, SMA is setting the standards today for the renewable energy supply of tomorrow. SMA’s portfolio includes efficient PV inverters, holistic system solutions, intelligent energy management, and batterystorage. Digital energy and extensive services round off SMA’s offering. SMA’s multiaward-winning technology is protected by >1,500 patents and utility models. 90GW+ of SMA inverter capacity has been installed in over 190 countries. Over 750,000 SMA inverters have already been installed across Australia alone, producing over 35% of Australia’s solar electricity.

SMA has had a presence in Australia for over 20 years and offers solutions for centralised and decentralised PV power plants as well as PV hybrid projects. The local team consists of over 60 skilled engineering, sales, marketing and service staff to offer the best solutions for large-scale applications.

Our experts provide support with planning and design, engineering and project management as well as installation and commissioning.

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N e w pml aecme hb oe lrd pe r oTo f i lpei cs

Detack GmbH is a German company, based near Stuttgart, well-known as a one of the leading privateowned German suppliers of cybersecurity consulting and solutions. Established in 2000, the company has since been employing its expertise in assisting German and international customers with identifying and remediating security vulnerabilities in IT systems and applications.

Detack, in close cooperation with its customers, is also involved in developing tailored and effective security measures at both technical and organisational

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Hannover Re Group is the third largest reinsurance company in the world with a global premium income of close to 23bn EUR. It has a long history in, and commitment to, Australia.

The first contract was written in the 1970s and with a growing portfolio, Hannover Rückversicherung AG – Australian Branch (ABN 88 002 927 031) was registered as a foreign corporation in Australia in 1985. Littlewoods Services Pty. Ltd. Limited was appointed to provide administration, claims, regulatory – and accounting services whilst underwriting remained in Hannover.

In 2004, the local facultative underwriting operation went local and Treaty P&C in 2012 at which

time all functions were effectively performed locally.

The branch and business have since developed further and moved to L33, 100 Barangaroo Avenue into new premises in March 2018. In the same year a few months later, the transition to a fully fledged operation with all services was completed and the previously outsourced functions are now performed in-house.

As of today, Hannover Re Australian Branch is the third largest P&C reinsurer in Australia and underwrites all classes of Property & Casualty Treaty and Facultative business with a premium income of close to $900m. It is led by Michael Eberhardt as Branch Manager.

Insight Australia Travel is a 100% Australia-focused travel specialist led by Birgit Bourne from Germany.

With nearly two decades of experience designing Australian travel itineraries we offer incentive travel, Indigenous immersions, nature, wildlife and conservation touring,

educational and student travel, foreign language touring, special interest travel and technical tours as well as travel for sporting teams / sporting events and performing arts troupes. We are the ground handler for the German cruise ship fleet of Phoenix Reisen in all ports of Australia.

Holiday here this year!

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Hydrogen Systems Australia is a motivated team of highly experienced and dynamic professionals with the purpose of developing and deploying environmentally vital, zero emission, Green Hydrogen-based renewable energy systems. As hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and provides our planet with infinite potential in the energy space, we plan to help shape our sustainable energy future with the supply of leading-edge, renewable Green Hydrogen technologies.

Our Goals... Are to grow and nurture our dynamic team while also removing diesel and fossil fuels from energy production and storage.

Our Focus... A cleaner planet and greener approach to renewable energy production and needs. We have the technology, the expertise and experience to deliver.

Our Foundations... Are based on lean engineering and manufacturing principles, continuous improvement, as well as on highly collaborative relationships with suppliers, business partners, governments and academia to ensure our solutions always meet our customers’ needs.

Human health is at the core of Raumedic Group's business. The company specializes in processing medical-grade thermoplastic polymers and silicones at five production sites in Germany and the United States.

As a partner of the international medical technology and pharmaceutical industry, the polymer specialist develops and produces customised components for customers, including tubing, catheters and molded parts as well as complex groups of components and systems for diagnostic and therapeutic uses.

p l a c e h o l d e r To p i c

We are Merck, a vibrant science and technology company, operating across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 58,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live.

From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere.

Everything we do is fuelled by a belief in science and technology as a force for good. A belief that has driven our work since 1668 and will continue to inspire us.

We are curious minds dedicated to human progress.

Accelerate — magazine of the AHK Australien is published quarterly by the German-Australian Chamber of Industry & Commerce and distributed free of charge to members and non-members in Australia and abroad.

COVER IMAGE Credit: ipopba, iStock EDITORIAL OFFICE/ ADVERTISING Ulrike Andresen-Nikolai, Vanessa Klingler, Michael Zettinig LAYOUT/ PROOFING/ PRODUCTION The End Creative Agency www.theend.com.au start@theend.com.au SYDNEY OFFICE media@germany.org.au Level 6, 8 Spring Street, Sydney 2000 P: +61-2-8296 0446 MELBOURNE OFFICE International Chamber House, Level 5, 121 Exhibition Street Melbourne VIC 3000

P: +61-3-9027 5615

Knauf Insulation is a leading global manufacturer of glasswool products that has been supplying the Australian construction industry since 2009. The Knauf Insulation product range utilises a range of patented technologies originating from the parent company in Germany to provide builders with high-performance energy efficiency and acoustic characteristics.

CarbonLite is a building company specialising in the construction of ultra efficient homes. With a team of Australian and international craftsmen, we have been successful in raising the profile of the Passive House concept in Australia.

MEDIA KIT If you'd like to see our Media Kit, please find it here.

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The German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce is the first point of contact for all bilateral business matters.

www.germany.org.au