A two day forum dealing with the challenges of Australian cities moving to renewable energy systems will be held in Sydney next year.
The inaugural Renewable Cities Forum 2016, which was officially launched by Exhibition and Trade Fairs event director, Luke Kasprzak, will be held in Sydney on June 1 and 2 next year.
The forum will be co-located with the successful Australian Energy Storage exhibition and will enable delegates to view emerging technologies and low carbon transport options that will change the energy landscape of Australian cities.
Renewable Cities Forum program manager, Mary Hendriks, said there will be presentations on how to plan for cities using 100 per cent renewable energy.
She said topics will include generating power in the urban environment, designing precincts and buildings for power sharing, and trends and barriers to electrifying transportation.
"Planning for the transition to new and smarter energy systems is an important step for each urban area, and this forum opens the space for learning and sharing between the cities and towns of Australia," Hendriks said.
"Mayors and senior managers from each urban area will be invited to take part in the event. There is even a session dedicated to connecting young local government leaders from across Australia."
The event is aimed at Mayors, Council CEO’s, senior managers, town planners, policy makers and all those directly involved in planning the energy future of Australia's cities.
Earlier this week new technologies to reduce Australia's dependence on natural gas and diesel were discussed at the Australian Bioenergy Conference in Tasmania.
Clean Energy Finance Corporate (CEFC) executive director, Paul McCartney, said Australia has the potential to be a leader in bioenergy.
He said a CEFC report found that Australia could nearly double its bioenergy and energy from waste capacity in the next five years.
The CEFC announced a $100 million commitment to the Australian Bioenergy Fund, to be managed by the Foresight Group. The fund is seeking additional private sector equity to deliver a $200 million-plus boost to bioenergy projects in Australia.
“We have identified some 800MW of new generation capacity in bioenergy in the next five years, requiring $3.5 billion to $5 billion in new investment,” McCartney said.
“Australia already has some 114 bioenergy and waste from energy plants in operation, with a total of 812 MW of installed capacity. The new Australian Bioenergy Fund is designed to help unlock important opportunities for bioenergy across the economy.”
Headquartered in the UK, and with international offices in San Francisco and Rome, Foresight has more than $3.25 billion of assets under management and is currently establishing a presence in the Australian market.
Foresight partner, Nigel Aitchison, said the company is well positioned to succeed in Australia where the market already has a strong appetite for investment in renewable energy.
"For Foresight, this fund presents the perfect platform to help build the Australian bioenergy market," he said.