An AUD50 million ($34 million) cash pot has been released by the Australian government to fund feasibility studies into how microgrids can replace, upgrade or supplement existing power supplies.
The ‘Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund’ (the program) will provide up to AUD50 million by the end of 2024.
The program will explore how microgrids can be deployed in off-grid and fringe-of-grid communities located in regional and remote areas.
The program aims to allow:
· viable projects to attract funding to support scale-up and implementation of microgrid systems in regional and remote communities
· increase human capital (skills and knowledge) in the design and deployment of microgrids
· demonstrate commerciality and/or reliability and security benefits of deploying and upgrading microgrids
· reduce barriers to microgrid uptake in remote and regional communities
· increase dissemination of technology and/or project knowledge regarding the deployment and upgrading of microgrids
Where feasibility studies find that microgrids are economically viable, additional support can be sought from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).
