Speaking at the launch of the partnership, Prime Minister John Howard announced that the CSIRO’s energy technology research program would receive $8 million in funding for its solar-enhanced fuels project and its carbon dioxide-enhanced coal seam methane project.

CSIRO’s CSM project is proposed to capture 85-95% of C02 emissions from a coal-fired power station. The CO2 would then be pumped into coal seams to boost the recovery of methane gas.

“And they can, of course, be retrofitted,” Howard said, referring to the power stations.

“The research coming out of that will lay the foundations for the custom building of these capture technologies for the needs of individual power stations.”

CSIRO Energy Technology Division chief, Dr David Brockway, said the technology, which was developed by Energy Transformed Flagship, had the potential to provide a low emissions energy source and support both carbon capture and storage.

He said the centre’s solar enhanced fuels project involved using concentrated solar energy to convert gas or methane into synthesis gas using a conventional industrial process, known as ‘reforming.’

“The advantage of using solar energy in this way is that the ‘SolarGas’ can be used for many energy-intensive applications – converted to liquid fuels for transport, combusted for electricity generation, or used to produce hydrogen for future clean energy uses,” he said.

Brockway said the project would involve collaboration with China and Japan, as well as other Australian companies.

The Australian Government announced a total of $60 million funding for 42 projects as part of AP6.