State offers $10m for low emissions help

Local businesses, universities and government and non-government organisations have today been urged to apply for monies under the state government's $10 million low emmissions energy development fund.

The state government is offering the funds for organisations to develop sustainable, low-emission technologies to reduce Western Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.

"The State Government is focused on supporting technologies that could help WA lead the nation in low emissions bio-energy and renewable energy including solar, wave, tidal and geothermal," Environment Minister Donna Faragher said.

"We are investing in the ingenuity of WA's brightest minds to provide practical climate change solutions through low emissions technologies, which have the potential to create new jobs and open up important export markets."

Energy Minister Peter Collier said funding was subject to successful applicants matching every $1 invested by the state government with $3 from elsewhere.

Mr Collier said previous LEED funding had included $12.5 million for the construction of Carnegie Wave Energy's low-emissions wave energy power station off Garden Island.

"The five-megawatt (MW) power station will use submerged pumping units on the seafloor to collect wave energy in the form of pressurised sea water, which will generate electricity from a hydroelectric turbine onshore," Mr Collier said.

"LEED funding of $1.5 million has also been invested in designing, building and testing an oil mallee harvesting machine. Oil mallees are recognised for their potential to provide a bioenergy source which can be grown in combination with conventional cereal cropping."