Renewable energy for regions

Ballarat News
Wednesday 1/8/2007 Page: 28

Renewable energy will underpin sustainability in-regional Australia in the future, a La Trobe University regional development specialist says. Professor John Martin, who heads La Trobe University's Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities, said the rising price of coal generated electricity and petrol would drive regional communities to look towards solar, wind, biomass and other renewable energy sources in the future.

Prof Martin was speaking ahead of a conference, Renewable Energy and Regional Australia: Creating Local Economic Development Opportunities, to be held in Bendigo September 17-18. The conference will examine what's viable in solar, wind, wave, timber, biomass, gasification and hydrogen fuel-cell energy production for regions and the business opportunities likely to follow. The conference is the brainchild of the City of Greater Bendigo and La Trobe University.

Prof Martin said businesses were already emerging in country areas to supply renewable energy at a regional level. "We have the solar tower at Mildura, wind farms, biofuel plants such as the one at Barnawartha now in construction and feeder businesses such as wind turbine and renewable energy regulator manufacturers and others emerging," Prof Martin said. City of Greater Bendigo Cr Keith Reynard said: "This conference is all about showing how companies and communities are doing this and carving a future that will help sustain them in terms of energy and income.

"This is a great opportunity for business developers, planners and regional leaders to hear about the opportunities, challenges and scenario ahead including how renewable energy will be created, distributed and regulated." Speakers include a central Victorian man who has invented a regulator for hybrid solar and wind energy generating systems and who is now building a plant to make them, a company that's building a factory to create biofuel out of tallow to another that's creating large scale solar systems big enough to power entire towns.

For details and to register, check www.renewableenerqyconference.com.au or phone (03) 5434 6001.