Australia's renewable energy future
about the Academy's
public events,
including lectures
Overview
Addressing the effects of climate change that will arise from the accumulation of greenhouse gases depends on reducing the amount of energy we consume that is derived from non-renewable resources, such as coal and oil. But what is renewable energy and when and how will we be able to use it?
One thing is clear – there is no one simple answer to achieving sustainability. This public lecture series examined a range of renewable energy technologies that are currently in various stages of development, providing a realistic assessment of their ability to supply Australia's energy needs into the future.
Each lecture will focus on a renewable energy source including wind, wave, solar, fuel cells, biomass and geothermal. Leading researchers in their field will answer key questions such as: How does it work? What is the current stage of development? What are the relative costs? When will it be commercialised? How will it be deployed? Does Australia have technological strengths that can be capitalised upon in global markets? What are the potential impediments?
4 August 2009
The contribution of renewables in Australia’s future energy mix
Dr John Wright
Advisor, Sustainable Energy Partnerships
CSIRO Energy Transformed Flagship
7 July 2009
Tidal energy
Dr Tim Finnigan
CEO and founder
BioPower Systems
2 June 2009
Wind Energy: How it works and where is it going?
Professor David Wood
Priority Research Centre for Energy
University of Newcastle
7 April 2009
Solar thermal concentrators: Capturing the sun for large scale power generation and energy export
Professor Keith Lovegrove
Solar Thermal Group Leader
Department of Engineering, ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science
3 March 2009
Bioenergy options for Australia
Dr Steve Schuck
Manager
Bioenergy Australia
3 February 2009
Fuel cells: A real option for base load electricity
Dr Karl Föger
Chief Technology Officer
Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd
2 December 2008
Geothermal energy
Dr Anthony Budd
Project leader, Geothermal Energy Project
Onshore Energy and Minerals Division
Geoscience Australia
5 November 2008
Wave energy: The industry now and in the future
Dr Tom Denniss
Executive Director and Chief Technology Officer
Oceanlinx
7 October 2008
Solar photovoltaics: Power source for the future?
Professor Martin Green FAA
ARC Federation Fellow, Scientia Professor and
Research Director of the Photovoltaic Centre of Excellence
University of New South Wales
2 September 2008
A low carbon economy based on renewable energy: The only way to go
Dr Barney Foran
Fenner Centre for Research and Environmental Studies
Australian National University
