The $100 million initiative will see Government, energy and communications sectors working in partnership to deploy Australia's first commercial-scale smart grid, with the potential to reduce home energy bills, cut carbon pollution and help in the fight against climate change.
“Smart grids provide greater ability to incorporate and distribute renewable energy, save money through cutting-edge ‘self-healing’ technologies, and reduced demand, and empower consumers to manage their energy use,” said Environment Minister Peter Garrett at the announcement.
“Like an ‘energy Internet,’ smart grids enable energy to be delivered where and when it is required, improving reliability and reducing losses; the potential economic and environmental benefits are staggering.
The successful consortium will be led by an electricity distributor, and membership likely to include be a mix of electricity retailers, product and service suppliers, governments, academic bodies, consumer interest groups and other non-government organisations.
Consortia have until late January 2010 to submit their bids. Grant guidelines and application forms are now available.
Early estimates show that if smart grid applications are adopted around Australia they could deliver an estimated minimum reduction of 3.5 mega-tonnes of carbon emissions per annum, said Garrett.
The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, said the Smart Grid, Smart City initiative will help Australia lead a global transformation as energy networks deploy broadband-enabled solutions to drive efficiency. The National Broadband Network is intended to enable a whole range of efficiency and productivity gains across the economy, including in the energy sector, Conroy said.
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