The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has launched its $43 million Industrial Energy Transformation Studies Program, which aims to identify opportunities to reduce energy costs and emissions in the industrial sector.
Grant funding will support feasibility and engineering studies to establish the business case for replicable projects that demonstrate energy efficiency and renewable energy technology solutions for Australian industry.
Funding through the program will be available to companies and organisations in the agriculture, mining, manufacturing, gas supply, water supply, waste services and data centre sectors.
These sectors have been identified as Australia’s largest energy users, primarily to produce heat for industrial processes.
Applicants can apply for between $100,000 and $500,000 for feasibility studies, and between $250,000 and $5 million for engineering studies.
“Helping large energy users to reduce emissions is essential to decarbonising the economy and helping Australia meet our emissions reduction goals,” says ARENA CEO Darren Miller.
“Whether it’s by integrating renewable energy into existing processes or increasing energy efficiency to minimise energy demand and cost, the Industrial Energy Transformation Studies Program will identify credible and innovative solutions to the challenge of reducing emissions in industry.
“As Australian industries look to decarbonise, we must find smart, replicable solutions to help cut energy costs and reduce emissions in hard-to-abate sectors.
“Through this program, ARENA is looking to support solutions that can provide blueprints for businesses across energy intensive industrial sectors.”