Antinuclear

 While ARENA will be business as usual for the $1.5 billion for projects already funded, ARENA will have a broad discretion in relation to the remaining $1.7 billion and any of the $1.5 billion that isn’t actually provided. ARENA is not required to continue current programs such as Solar Flagships, Emerging Renewables and Connecting Renewables. In fact, the ARENA Board is obliged to develop a completely new plan to fund renewable energy technology development in Australia.

Here is how it works. ARENA will be an independent statutory agency governed by up to six board members appointed by the federal Minister for Resources, Energy and Tourism, Martin Ferguson. Those board members are to have experience in renewable energy technology, commercialisation, business investment or corporate governance. At this stage, no appointments have been made. ARENA will have a CEO, maybe a CFO, and be staffed by RET staff.

The ARENA Bills provide minimal direction over ARENA’s approach. Each year, ARENA must develop a general funding strategy for the next three financial years. The strategy is to state ARENA’s principal objectives and priorities for the provision of financial assistance consistent with its funding purpose.

ARENA’s funding purpose is broadly described as providing financial assistance for the research, development, demonstration, deployment and commercialisation of renewable energy and related technologies. The ARENA board has not been provided with any other guidance as to how to achieve that purpose. In particular, there is no legislative guidance as to whether ARENA should follow the lead given by ACRE in its Strategic Directions document, by RET with the Solar Flagships program, or by Garnaut in Update Paper 7 about the innovation challenge, etc……

The broad opportunity extends to hybrid technologies and enabling technologies. ARENA could give funds to hybrid technologies that integrate a renewable energy generation technology with other energy generation systems to provide a combined energy flow that drives the power generation from the plant. Enabling technologies could include technologies relating to storage, supply prediction and delivery……

http://www.climatespectator.com.au/commentary/arena-new-approach-renewables