Australia’s national science agency has recruited top energy research organisations in the global push to decarbonise electricity systems.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) on Thursday, April 22, 2021 announced that it would contribute to the Global Power System Transformation (G-PST) consortium.
The G-PST aims to bring leading electricity system operators and researchers from around the world together to accelerate the transition to low-emission, low-cost, secure and reliable power systems.
The Australian contingent would consist of the CSIRO, Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), the University of Melbourne, RMIT University and global consultancy firm Stratagen.
“The energy sector is a central tenant of our net zero future,’’ John Ward, research director of the CSIRO’s Energy Systems Research Programme, said in a media release.
“It accounts for 54 per cent of Australia’s emissions and has the most mature range of low emission technology options for immediate and long-term opportunities.
“The cost of renewable energy is no longer our major challenge integrating this energy efficiently into our electricity systems is what we need to solve.’’
The CSIRO and its partners would spend the initial research phase focusing on quantifying the technical requirements of future power systems to operate reliably and at the lowest cost.
Michael Gatt, the chief operations officer of AEMO, said Australia was well positioned to develop solutions to reducing energy emissions.
“We’re looking forward to collaborating with Australia’s leading science agency, CSIRO, and researchers to address emerging challenges as we transition to a low emissions future energy system,’’ he said.
