smh: 'Use funds for research' on clean energy

AUSTRALIA should concentrate its clean energy funding on research, according to federal independent Tony Windsor, rather than controversial schemes like ''pink batts or cash for clunkers''.

Mr Windsor, a member of the government's multiparty climate change committee, spent last week researching clean energy facilities and policy-making in Europe, including an inspection of Torresol Energy's groundbreaking 20 megawatt Gemasolar power station near Seville, Spain.

Gemasolar uses 2650 mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays on to the top of a central ''power tower'' and heat salt to more than 500 degrees. The molten salts store heat, which is slowly released to power a steam turbine, generating enough electricity to power 25,000 homes.

Last month, Gemasolar became the world's first solar thermal power station to supply electricity into the grid for 24 hours - including throughout the night - a key test for solar's ability to provide baseload power.

Mr Windsor visited the plant with climate change adviser Ross Garnaut and Matthew Wright, head of think-tank Beyond Zero Emissions, which last year proposed extensive use of baseload solar in its stationary energy plan to repower Australia with 100 per cent renewable energy.

Mr Windsor said the Gemasolar plant, which had to be viewed through dark sunglasses, was ''an incredible sight''.

''I was in the vehicle with the project manager, Santiago [Arias], and when we drove in, we drove down this track between the reflectors. The tower was some 100 yards away as we started this drive and I made the point, 'we're driving into our future here', and we really are. I have no doubt that this sort of stuff is where we (Australia) should be going.''

Mr Windsor's European tour took in a full range of renewable and low-emissions technologies that could receive funding from the climate committee's proposed clean energy finance corporation, which will provide $10 billion of debt and equity finance, and loan guarantees.

Irrespective of the type of clean energy technology to be funded, Mr Windsor said: ''If there's one thing I've learnt out of this trip (it is) if you've got a bucket of money, put it into research … rather than pink batts or cash for clunkers.''

Mr Windsor said Australia should work with countries like Spain where there was ''real research and refinement going on'', not in the lab but ''in the field''.