The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, MP Prime Minister of Australia Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Dear Prime Minister, Re: Curtailment of grants from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency for renewable energy innovation We the undersigned are writing to you out of great concern that the granting function of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will be severely curtailed following recent Government policy changes. Grants are an essential component of technology innovation. This new policy will damage Australian renewable energy R&D, early stage commercialisation and education. Support for innovation lies at the heart of accelerated growth of the renewable energy industry. It supports later-stage commercialisation directly through technology development, and indirectly through education and training of skilled engineers and scientists. Through the consistent provision of grants for innovation over 40 years, Australia has contributed very far above its weight in renewable energy innovation. Additionally, University research groups underpin undergraduate and postgraduate education and training. Several well-known examples illustrate these points (see below), and detailed reports are being prepared to demonstrate this. Competitive grants are accepted worldwide as a highly effective method of supporting R&D and early stage commercialisation. Equity returns, as proposed for ARENA, have rarely been effective in Australia at an early stage in the innovation chain. Very few projects that ARENA has funded would have proceeded under this proposal. In contrast, sustained provision of grants leads to technology development and education, and substantial benefits flow to Australia. Grant-supported renewable energy R&D and education is a crucial part of climate change mitigation, and will be seriously downgraded by this new policy. We urge the Government to continue ARENA’s grant funding role in order to support R&D, early stage commercialisation and education. Australian grant-supported innovation Examples of successful Australian renewable energy technology development and training include: The Australian-developed PERC silicon solar cell constitutes about half of new solar cell production lines worldwide, and will soon dominate the worldwide solar industry according to the International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaics (http://www.itrpv.net/);
The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, MP Prime Minister of Australia Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Dear Prime Minister, Re: Curtailment of grants from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency for renewable energy innovation We the undersigned are writing to you out of great concern that the granting function of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will be severely curtailed following recent Government policy changes. Grants are an essential component of technology innovation. This new policy will damage Australian renewable energy R&D, early stage commercialisation and education. Support for innovation lies at the heart of accelerated growth of the renewable energy industry. It supports later-stage commercialisation directly through technology development, and indirectly through education and training of skilled engineers and scientists. Through the consistent provision of grants for innovation over 40 years, Australia has contributed very far above its weight in renewable energy innovation. Additionally, University research groups underpin undergraduate and postgraduate education and training. Several well-known examples illustrate these points (see below), and detailed reports are being prepared to demonstrate this. Competitive grants are accepted worldwide as a highly effective method of supporting R&D and early stage commercialisation. Equity returns, as proposed for ARENA, have rarely been effective in Australia at an early stage in the innovation chain. Very few projects that ARENA has funded would have proceeded under this proposal. In contrast, sustained provision of grants leads to technology development and education, and substantial benefits flow to Australia. Grant-supported renewable energy R&D and education is a crucial part of climate change mitigation, and will be seriously downgraded by this new policy. We urge the Government to continue ARENA’s grant funding role in order to support R&D, early stage commercialisation and education. Australian grant-supported innovation Examples of successful Australian renewable energy technology development and training include: The Australian-developed PERC silicon solar cell constitutes about half of new solar cell production lines worldwide, and will soon dominate the worldwide solar industry according to the International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaics (http://www.itrpv.net/);
Arenaletter.docx