Chairperson of Bioenergy Australia Roslyn Prinsley welcomed guests to the two-day Conference, and introduced the Hon. Tony Kelly, New South Wales Minister for Planning, Infrastructure and Lands, who officially opened the conference.
Mr Kelly provided an in-depth overview of the current government position with regard to bioenergy in New South Wales and in wider Australia, and was keen to show the state’s strong credentials in effective bioenergy policy, including having the first state-wide biofuels mandate.
Mr Kelly particularly focused on the biofuels industry, saying that although the industry was slow to begin with, it has significantly improved. However, Mr Kelly mentioned that he personally, as well as on behalf of the government, was very disappointed that the mandate had been suspended for six months due a to lack of supply.
Jack Saddler, University of British Columbia, Canada and Co-Task Leader IEA Bioenergy Task 39 presented an overview of the biofuel industry in North America and Canada as a means of relating the task ahead in Australia for the industry. Mr Saddler’s presentation, entitled ‘The Biorefining Story: Progress in the Commercialisation of Biomass-to-Ethanol,’ emphasised that he was convinced of the biofuel industry’s future success, however “it is just going to take a lot longer than people would like it to.”
Mr Saddler also touched on the contentious food versus fuel debate, acknowledging that the costs and the availability of feedstock was going to be strong determinant of success of biofuels.
Another international guest was Jim McMillan of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) USA and Co-task Leader IEA Bioenergy Task39, who presented a paper on advanced biofuels developments in the United States. Mr McMillan offered a very positive account of the advanced biofuels industry in the United States, showing how advanced biofuels research and development was booming; an indicator for the future of the Australian industry.
Mr McMillan said that commercialisation of the industry was taking off, and that the drivers for the industry showed no signs of abating. Mr McMillan indicated that the United States was now moving away from a polarised view of the industry to a more flexible approach, including the adoption of hybrid-based bioenergies.
The day’s second session focussed on policy and government programs. Speakers included Richard Niven, Federal Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism; Andrew Livingston, Regulator, Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator; Ric Brazzale, Green Energy Markets; Roslyn Prinsley, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation; and Greg McDowall, Department of Lands, New South Wales.
A notable message from the plenary sessions was that the diversity and complexity of the bioenergy industry as a whole is making commercialisation difficult in the public and private spheres. The need for bioenergy to be broken down and simplified into separate categories was put forward as a fundamental precursor to its success.
The technical sessions, focusing on various worldwide bioenergy developments, were divided into various interest areas, including International Developments in Liquid Biofuels – IEA Bioenergy Task 39; Biomass Heat and Power; Biogas and Livestock Waste, and Woody Biomass; Liquid Biofuels; Algae; Biomass feedstocks; Innovation in Gasification and, Fuels Technologies and Business Issues.
Within the sessions, presentations were given by broad range of university, government and company speakers from Australia and around the world, including a particular Scandinavian influence, with numerous speakers from Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
These in-depth sessions of the conference showcased the current developments in the field of bioenergy and biofuels across Australia and the world. The strong interaction and engagement between delegates and speakers seen during the sessions gave a measure as to the high level of activity within the industry.
Preceding the Conference, an optional technical tour was made available to delegates to visit biomass and bioenergy facilities in greater Sydney.
The exhibition area of the conference was impressive, with numerous private exhibitors showcasing their latest products and research developments. Within this area, 19 PhD students from Australia and the world were also able to display their various projects on posters, much to the interest of the conference attendees.
The Independent Federal MP for New England Tony Windsor was the guest speaker at the Conference Dinner.
