SOLAR AND STORAGE ENERGY PARTNER CONTENT
WHERE IS BIOENERGY IN THE RENEWABLE ENERGY CONVERSATION? With the circular economy providing a real focus in Australia in 2021, it is critical that renewable energy takes its rightful place as a significant driver of the sustainable outcomes needed to drive that transition. It’s also important that bioenergy starts to become a serious part of the conversation around the renewable energy transition.
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he role of bioenergy in supporting the move to a renewables dominated electricity grid remains a core focus of leading Australasian resource recovery company ResourceCo. CEO of ResourceCo Energy Systems, Henry Anning, who recently moderated a panel for Bioenergy Australia on the subject, said it is critical these issues are explored through the Energy Security Board’s Post-2025 Electricity Market Design project. “The electricity sector is rapidly transitioning from fossil fuels to renewables, from baseload to intermittent, and from large scale to distributed, but we are not seeing enough attention on what’s required to achieve those sustainable outcomes,” said Mr Anning. Mr Anning said while it was encouraging to see the Federal Government putting a focus on environmental stewardship, including work on climate resilience, implementing export waste bans, and investing in new and upgraded waste management infrastructure, bioenergy was yet to attract the same recognition. “Solar and wind renewables have previously held the focus of policymakers, but hopefully this year we will see an elevation in the role of energy-from-waste, supported by strong waste management policy. “It’s pleasing to hear the increased public debate around targets and timelines for Australia to reach net zero emissions and an acknowledgement from the Prime Minister that technology will be a significant driver of change. “We’re also keenly awaiting release of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s Bioenergy Roadmap, which will help inform investment and policy decisions in the sector.”
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As a company, ResourceCo is a leader in the development of world-class energy-from-waste plants, which divert waste from landfill and lower carbon emissions through production of a commercially-viable sustainable energy product. ResourceCo Energy manufactures processed engineered fuel primarily from waste timber materials but also previously nonrecyclable plastics, cardboard, paper and textiles. “Energy recovery from residual waste is a proven and successful energy solution widely adopted across Europe and the UK. There are a lot of upsides for Australian businesses who recognise the opportunity to reduce their long-term energy costs, risk and emissions.” As well as investing in its own plants in Adelaide and Sydney, ResourceCo has also invested in the development of tailored solutions for businesses. “The material ResourceCo produces can be used in boilers to make steam that can be then used for process heat, but it can also provide for power generation. High energy users with existing boilers using between 100,000 gigajoules and a petajoule of natural gas can convert to renewable energy by installing between a five and 40 megawatt recovered fuel boiler. “Essentially, we’re providing a unique alternative heat solution to gas, coal or electricity in the form of a 90 per cent renewable heat source, at the same time diverting resources that would otherwise be destined for landfill.”
For more information on ResourceCo and its energy-from-waste initiatives, head to www.resourceco.com.au www.energymagazine.com.au
