Low Emissions Energy Technology

Victoria’s abundant and reliable supplies of energy and relatively low cost of electricity has created a competitive advantage that has contributed significantly to Victoria’s position as Australia’s leading manufacturing State. However, the high moisture content of brown coal results in low conversion efficiencies and high emissions intensity per unit of electricity produced.

The stationary energy sector in particular has a major role to play – the production and use of energy accounts for more than 70 per cent of Victoria’s net emissions, with electricity generation alone accounting for more than 50 per cent of Victoria’s net emissions.

To make conventional power generation cleaner, the Government has developed an Energy Technology Innovation Strategy (ETIS) to drive development and market uptake of new low emissions energy technologies, and has committed funding to facilitate research, development, demonstration and commercialisation of new energy and greenhouse technologies.

However, the Victorian Government believes that no single policy instrument can efficiently and effectively meet its greenhouse and energy policy objectives – rather a suite of policy measures will be required.