Renewable and Sustainable Energy Technology - International ...

Key Findings andRecommendations128In 2008, Melbourne experienced a number of mild storms, resulting in electricity blackoutsthat lasted from a couple of hours up to a number of days in some areas. These events haveconfirmed that our electricity grid is very fragile and the future for delivering electrical energymay become uncertain.A decision needs to be made as to renewing the grid, or upgrading and maintaining theexisting infrastructure, all of which comes at a huge financial cost, or to re-invent the waythat the grid is utilised.The reality is that we can produce as much renewable energy as is possible, but withouta grid that supports the transportation of electrons to the consumer, we are wasting ourenergy and efforts. We need a plan to embrace other possible solutions to the problem.Key Findings for IT MDI-EnergyIT MDI-Energy Ltd is a company that has commenced operating here in Australia and plansto commence manufacturing in Melbourne during 2009. (see Attachment D for full detailsregarding the potential of this technology for reengineering Australia). It will implement theInformation, Communications, Energy and Transport Technology (ICET) package. Thispackage includes electricity generators and vehicles powered by the MDI compressed airengine technology. They have also been working on other retrofit solutions for our existingtransport fleet.The solutions are available to Australia, covering three important categories essential forimplementation of an effective, efficient and sustainable ‘alternative’ to current systems:• Distributed solar-based point-of-use electrical power generation,• Networked transport of goods and people, and• Advanced affordable broadband communications.As a complete system the ICET package from IT MDI-Energy seems able to facilitatetransformation of our ageing electricity grids into ‘intelligent grids’. An intelligent electricitygrid network will enable utilisation of the ageing electricity grid without overstressing it andwithout the enormous expense of renewing the grid infrastructure.This is impossible without low cost, high speed data transfer as this allows generationcapacity across the entire network to be micromanaged. If this can be achieved it is thenpossible to envisage the reduction and eventual elimination of centralised fossil fuel basedelectricity generation without the fear of job losses, but with the vision of transitioningpersonnel to ‘green, sustainable jobs’.Australia has been falling further behind the rest of the world in relation to its data networksand broadband services and if this important infrastructure is not brought up to currentworld standards it will inhibit and effectively neutralise efforts to feed distributed electricityfrom any source back into the grid.Recommendations for IT MDI-EnergyIndustryAustralia is uniquely placed in the world and we need to find our own 100% SustainableSolution. De la Torre believes that IT MDI-Energy offers a unique solution that needs to beseriously considered in the light of the Fellowship findings.