Quantum Power Limited owns and operates power stations generating electricity and co-generated heat from organic wet-waste stream.

Could you describe some of the biggest changes Quantum Power Limited has witnessed in the bioenergy industry over the past decade?

Quantum Power Limited is currently finding increased concern in the market around the impending carbon tax legislation, and the implications of such a tax on ‘polluters’. Given the impact that rising electricity prices are having on food processors, the impending threat of a carbon tax has resulted in increased interest in our business over the past 6 months.


What is one of the biggest challenges currently faced by players in the bioenergy industry?

The feed-in tariffs throughout Australia favour solar energy compared to other sources of renewable energy. As a result electricity generated from biogas projects needs to be sold at rates based on ‘retail’ tariffs in order to generate acceptable returns. Therefore it is necessary for a large proportion of the electricity produced from a biogas installation to be used for onsite consumption.


Two steps the bioenergy industry needs to take to play a larger role in contributing to the Renewable Energy Target:

1. The bioenergy industry needs to lobby government to ensure that bioenergy is not discriminated against when compared to the feed-in tariffs enjoyed by solar.

2. The bioenergy industry needs to do more to highlight the benefits of bioenergy versus other forms of renewable energy. For example, most forms of bioenergy production involve the removal or transformation of waste products or pollutants. Therefore the bioenergy industry doesn’t just provide renewable energy, it is also an important source of direct pollution reduction, when compared to solar, which at best provides abatement.


The greatest achievement of the bioenergy industry in Australia during the past five years has been…

The commercialisation of technologies, demonstrating that bioenergy projects in Australia have a legitimate, significant role to play in achieving Australia’s renewable energy targets.

Two government incentives/policies you would like to see implemented today:

1. The same feed-in tariffs for solar energy applied to bioenergy.

2. National consistency in regulations and legislation between states.