The state government and Carnegie Wave Energy have celebrated the next stage in the development of a five megawatt demonstration wave power station near Garden Island.
The state government and Carnegie Wave Energy have celebrated the next stage in the development of a five megawatt demonstration wave power station near Garden Island.
Over the weekend, Energy Minister Peter Collier, Environment Minister Donna Faragher and Carnegie celebrated the installation of a mooring off Garden Island for a prototype CETO (wave energy converter) unit, which coincides with the official launch of the wave energy project.
CETO technology is capable of converting wave energy into zero-emission electricity and also powering the desalination of water.
The state government has provided $12.5 million to the project through the Low Emissions Energy Development fund, which was established to support new, low emissions technology.
Attending the project's launch, Mr Collier said demonstration projects such as this provided emerging technologies with the opportunity to prove their commercial viability while contributing to the expanded national Renewable Energy Target scheme.
"The State Government is developing a clear direction for Western Australia's energy sector over the next 20 years through the Strategic Energy Initiative, with a priority on providing clean, secure, reliable and competitive energy," he said.
"The Liberal-National Government's support for initiatives such as the CETO wave energy project demonstrates its commitment to the development and uptake of renewable energy supplies, while meeting our support for the national target of 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020."
Mrs Faragher said the mooring placement signified a major step towards developing a successful, environmentally-friendly energy source.
"Carnegie has prepared detailed engineering drawings and specifications for the CETO unit, which was the first milestone in our formal funding agreement, and I am looking forward to the next milestone involving the deployment of the CETO prototype unit," she said.
"By working together with industry, business and the community, we can ensure WA is at the forefront of delivering innovative, practical renewable energy solutions to provide a cleaner energy future for the State over the long term.
"A successful CETO prototype deployment will ultimately lead to the first commercial scale wave energy unit to be operational in Australia."