Australian Biomass for Bioenergy Assessment 2015-2021
- $3.16m Funded by ARENA
- $6.55m Total project cost
Summary
The Australian Biomass for Bioenergy Assessment Project recognises that previous biomass resource mapping has either been undertaken at a regionally specific scale or is incomplete. The lack of reliable information on biomass feedstocks is a significant roadblock to the development of bioenergy projects across Australia.
Key results
This project has supported development of the bioenergy network across Australia by:
- collecting and collating data on feedstock location and availability, and amalgamating the data on the Australian Renewable Energy Mapping Infrastructure (AREMI)
- adding biomass resources for bioenergy across Australia to the AREMI, which were previously not all mapped
- making geospatial data available to renewable energy project developers, policy makers, and other stakeholders, that complements existing related information, such as energy infrastructure, power utilities, population data and land use data
- raising the profile of bioenergy in state governments, with bioenergy now being well-represented in policy, setting a strong foundation for continued state-led bioenergy industry development activities.
Learn more
Report: Australian Biomass for Bioenergy Assessment Final
This is the final report to be produced by AgriFutures for the Australian Biomass for Bioenergy Assessment Project. It discusses project outcomes, data continuity, challenges and lessons, and recommendations.
Media Release: National Bioenergy Database to Create New Opportunities
ARENA announced funding support for the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC) to undertake a comprehensive biomass for bioenergy assessment.
Project innovation
The Australian Biomass for Bioenergy Assessment Project will see the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) develop the first central and national source of biomass resources and include interactive tools to enable better access to information.
The Australian Biomass for Bioenergy Assessment Project outputs will include a detailed analysis of the types, volumes and locations of potential bioenergy feedstocks in each state.
RIRDC will work with states and territories to collect, collate and present information through the ARENA-supported Australian AREMI interface, a central source for renewable energy mapping data and information.
Benefit
The Australian Biomass for Bioenergy Assessment Project will enable better links between biomass suppliers and end users, supporting local businesses to get more value from organic material destined for landfill, disposal or other low value uses by improving information access and quality.
The AREMI platform will enable RIRDC to geospatially map existing and projected biomass resource data alongside other parameters such as existing network and transport infrastructure, land use capability and demographic data.
Read more about bioenergy and energy from waste.
Contact information
| Program Manager, RIRDC | Michael Beer Phone: +61 (02) 6923 6915 |
| Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia | Kim Brooksbank kim.brooksbank@agric.wa.gov.au |
| Sustainability Victoria | Kelly Wickham Kelly.Wickham@sustainability.vic.gov.au |
| NSW Department of Primary Industries – Forest Science – Land and Natural Resources | Fabiano Ximenes fabiano.ximenes@dpi.nsw.gov.au |
| RenewablesSA, Department of State Development | Catherine Way Catherine.Way@sa.gov.au |
| Queensland Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation | Phil Norman phil.norman@dsiti.qld.gov.au |
| Tasmanian Department of State Growth – Industry and Business Development | Martin Moroni Martin.Moroni@stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
