initial feedback from the conference, page-21

Definitely SAS, the place to ask questions was at the booth.

One more thing before I head off, it seems that a couple of the CWE management team were called in to Victoria in recent weeks at *very* short notice by the Vic Govt to discuss the CWE ETIS grant application. (I had also heard that elsewhere, not sure if it was here on HC.)

It seems they were grilled about the CETO technology. To my way of thinking that sounds a bit like what sales people call a "buying signal" - if you are actually interested in purchasing something you ask a lot of pertinent questions and raise objections which a good sales person with a good product can address. If you don't want to buy a product you don't bother raising difficult objections - you just have a nice chat, ask some nice questions and move on. If the Vic Govt was grilling them then maybe they were raising objections which could mean that CWE has at least passed the short list stage.

Solar Systems was a high profile ETIS recipient but as you may have heard in the press they were unable to raise sufficient capital are now in administration and being sold off to the highest bidder, and apparently there is plenty of interest!

ETIS brief summary here:

"Energy Technology Innovation Strategy (ETIS)

Overview

Victoria is facing significant environmental challenges to the economic advantages it derives from utilisation of its very low-cost brown coal resources.

The State accounts for 22 percent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, and approximately 52 percent of these arise from the use of brown coal for electricity generation in the State.

As the key stakeholder for the Victorian community, the Government is seeking to deliver two key policy objectives:

To contain greenhouse gas emissions from the supply and use of energy in order to develop over time a sustainable energy sector; and
To drive improvements in energy efficiency and facilitate investment in sustainable energy supply sources to support the continuing competitiveness of Victoria's industrial base.

Delivering these objectives requires leadership and a well-coordinated and well-funded approach by the Government, working with researchers and industry, to ensure successful progression of new, low-emission energy technologies through their innovation processes. To achieve these objectives an Energy Technology Innovation Strategy (ETIS) has been agreed and implemented to position Victoria for least-cost solutions for stationary energy supply and use in a carbon-constrained world.

New Funding Announcements

In April 2008, the Victorian Government announced new ETIS funding:

$72 million towards large scale sustainable energy demonstration projects that will position Victoria as a world leader in the fight against climate change.

$110 million fund to establish new large-scale, pre-commercial Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) demonstration projects, as part of $127.4 million to secure Victoria's clean coal future."

There was also a suggestion from the CWE management I spoke to at the booth that it is possible that the Federal Govt and the Vic Govt could try and co-ordinate their grants and this may also be a source of delay, but this is all conjecture. Of course any Vic Govt grant would have caveats regarding Victorian sites just as I believe the LEED grant does for WA sites.