AUSTRALIA–INDONESIA JOINT SYMPOSIUM IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Jakarta, 13-17 September 2006

Energy options
Dr Jim Smitham, Deputy Chief, CSIRO Energy Technology, Newcastle, New South Wales

The electricity supply system has to meet a wide range of requirements. These range from (a) remote area power supplies (b) isolated centres of industrial or agricultural activities which are large enough to warrant local grids and finally (c) widespread networks of electricity generation, transmission and distribution where large numbers of users can be served economically.

Each situation has its own cost and technology challenges in terms of understanding the fluctuations in demand and how the supply system can be tailored to meet the demand. Distributed Generation (DG) and Distributed Energy Management and Control (DEMC) are two areas where the immediacy of generation close to load and the choices involved in shifting or reducing demand involve a degree of local decision making which is quite different from the choices involved in centralised generation, transmission and distribution.

DG can be based on fossil fuels such as natural gas, biomass or solar and the demand management systems can be based on a variety of sophisticated and unsophisticated systems. The effective use of waste heat can also make these technologies useful in reducing greenhouse emissions. The scale of DG can range from kW scale reciprocating engine based systems to MW systems based on biomass gasification and combustion. In some instances in Australia it appears that a combination of electricity production and liquid fuels production for transport may offer the flexibility to meet more than one market demand economically.

The effect of price signals for energy use and the impact of a dominant, existing technology will be discussed as part of the barriers and opportunities for change.

Jim Smitham is the Deputy Chief of CSIRO Energy Technology and Leader of the CSIRO Energy Transformed Flagship Theme on Low Emissions Electricity. For over 26 years, Dr Smitham has been involved with energy raw materials, industrial process improvement and increasing the cost effectiveness of new technologies. He has a background in chemistry, mineral processing, cost analysis and strategic planning for R&D both from an industrial and government research viewpoint. Dr Smitham was also responsible for the technology selection for the leading edge systems installed at the new $38 million CSIRO Energy Centre in Newcastle, Australia.