Дисертації з теми "Biomass energy industries Australia"

Mallee biomass is considered to be a second-generation renewable feedstock in Australia and will play an important role in bioenergy development in Australia. Its production is of large-scale, low cost, small carbon footprint and high energy efficiency. However, biomass as a direct fuel is widely dispersed, bulky, fibrous and of high moisture content and low energy density. High logistic cost, poor grindability and mismatch of fuel property with coal are some of the key issues that impede biomass utilisation for power generation. Therefore, innovations are in urgent need to improve biomass volumetric energy densification, grindability and good fuel matching if co-fired with coal. Biomass pyrolysis is a flexible and low-cost approach that can be deployed for this purpose. Via pyrolysis, the bulky biomass can be converted to biomass-derived high-energy-density fuels such as biochar and/or bio-oil. So far there has been a lack of fundamental understanding of mallee biomass pyrolysis and properties of the fuel products.The series of study in this PhD thesis aims to investigate the production of such high-energy- density fuels obtained from mallee pyrolysis and to obtain some new knowledge on properties of the resultant fuels and their implications to practical applications. Particularly, the research has been designed and carried out to use pyrolysis as a pretreatment technology for the production of biochar, bio-oil and bioslurry fuels. The main outcomes of this study are summarised as follows.Firstly, biochars were produced from the pyrolysis of centimetre-sized particles of mallee wood at 300-500°C using a fixed-bed reactor under slow-heating conditions. The data show that at pyrolysis temperatures > 320°C, biochar as a fuel has similar fuel H/C and O/C ratios compared to Collie coal which is the only coal being mined in WA. Converting biomass to biochar leads to a substantial increase in fuel mass energy density from ~10 GJ/tonne of green biomass to ~28 GJ/tonne of biochars prepared from pyrolysis at 320°C, in comparison to 26 GJ/tonne for Collie coal. However, there is little improvement in fuel volumetric energy density, which is still around 7-9 GJ/m[superscript]3 in comparison to 17 GJ/m[superscript]3 of Collie coal. Biochars are still bulky and grinding is required for volumetric energy densification. Biochar grindability experiments have shown that the fuel grindability increases drastically even at pyrolysis temperature as low as 300°C. Further increase in pyrolysis temperature to 500°C leads to only small increase in biochar grindability. Under the grinding conditions, a significant size reduction (34-66 % cumulative volumetric size <75 μm) of biochars can be achieved within 4 minutes grinding (in comparison to only 19% for biomass after 15 minutes grinding), leading to a significant increase in volumetric energy density (e.g. from ~8 to ~19 GJ/m[superscript]3 for biochar prepared from pyrolysis at 400°C). Whereas grinding raw biomass typically result in large and fibrous particles, grinding biochar produce short and round particles highly favourable for fuel applications.Secondly, it is found that the pyrolysis of different biomass components produced biochars with distinct characteristics, largely because of the differences in the biological structure of these components. Leaf biochars showed the poorest grindability due to the presence of abundant tough oil glands in leaf. Even for the biochar prepared from the pyrolysis of leaf at 800°C, the oil gland enclosures remained largely intact after grinding. Biochars produced from leaf, bark and wood components also have significant differences in ash properties. Even with low ash content, wood biochars have low Si/K and Ca/K ratios, suggesting these biochars may have a high slagging propensity in comparison to bark and leaf biochars.Thirdly, bio-oil and biochar were also produced from pyrolysis of micron-size wood particle using a fluidised-bed reactor system under fast-heating conditions. The excellent grindability of biochar had enabled desirable particle size reduction of biochar into fine particles which can be suspended into bio-oil for the preparation of bioslurry fuels. The data have demonstrated that bioslurry fuels have desired fuel and rheological characteristics that met the requirements for combustion and gasification applications. Depending on biochar loading, the volumetric energy density of bioslurry is up to 23.2 GJ/m[superscript]3, achieving a significant energy densification (by a factor > 4) in comparison to green wood chips. Bioslurry fuels with high biochar concentrations (11-20 wt%) showed non-Newtonian characteristics with pseudoplastic behaviour. The flow behaviour index, n decreases with the increasing of biochar concentration. Bioslurry with higher biochar concentrations has also demonstrated thixotropic behaviour. The bioslurry fuels also have low viscosity (<453 mPa.s) and are pumpable at both room and elevated temperatures. The concentrations of Ca, K, N and S in bioslurry are below the limits of slurry fuel guidelines.Fourthly, bio-oil is extracted using biodiesel to produce two fractions, a biodiesel-rich fraction (also referred as bio-oil/biodiesel blend) and a bio-oil rich fraction. The results has shown that the compounds (mainly phenolic) extracted from bio-oil into the biodiesel-rich fraction reduces the surface tension of the resulted biodiesel/bio-oil blends that are known as potential liquid transport fuels. The bio-oil rich fraction is mixed with ground biochar to produce a bioslurry fuel. It is found that bioslurry fuels with 10% and 20% biochar loading prepared from the bio-oil rich fraction of biodiesel extraction at a biodiesel to bio-oil blend ratio 0.67 have similar fuel properties (e.g. density, surface tension, volumetric energy density and stability) in comparison to those prepared using the original whole bio-oil. The slurry fuels have exhibited non-Newtonian with pseudoplastic characteristics and good pumpability desirable for fuel handling. The viscoelastic behaviour of the slurry fuels also has shown dominantly fluid-like behaviour in the linear viscoelastic region therefore favourable for atomization in practical applications. This study proposes a new bio-oil utilisation strategy via coproduction of a biodiesel/bio-oil blend and a bioslurry fuel. The biodiesel/bio-oil blend utilises a proportion of bio-oil compounds (relatively high value small volume) as a liquid transportation fuel. The bioslurry fuel is prepared by mixing the rest low-quality bio-oil rich fractions (relatively low value and high volume) with ground biochar, suitable for stationary applications such as combustion and gasification.Overall, the present research has generated valuable data, knowledge and fundamental understanding on advanced fuels from mallee biomass using pyrolysis as a pre-treatment step. The flexibility of pyrolysis process enables conversion of bulky, low fuel quality mallee biomass to biofuels of high volumetric energy density favourable to reduce logistic cost associated with direct use of biomass. The significance structural, fuel and ash properties differences among various mallee biomass components were also revealed. The production of bioslurry fuels as a mixture of bio-oil and biochar is not only to further enhance the transportability/handling of mallee biomass but most importantly the slurry quality highly matched requirements in stationary applications such as combustion and gasification. The co-production of bioslurry with bio-oil/biodiesel extraction was firstly reported in this field. Such a new strategy, which uses high-quality extractable bio-oil compounds into bio-oil/biodiesel blend as a liquid transportation fuel and utilises the low-quality bio-oil rich fraction left after extraction for bioslurry preparation, offers significant benefits for optimised use of bio-oil.

Energy is one of the biggest costs of production in industries and Small scale industries in Uganda are faced with a big burden due to the high energy costs they incur in their operations. Due to the high costs associated with electricity and fossil fuels, biomass energy continues to supply the bulk (81%) of industrial energy demands. However unsustainable harvesting of tradition biomass fuels (firewood and charcoal) is leading to depletion and causing a hike in prices of this important energy source. This study determined current thermal loads for 4 small scale industries, the costs of the fuels used, possible agro waste replacement options and economic comparisons of gasification using these fuel alternatives. Questionnaires, interviews and quantitative measurements of the various parameters were undertaken to establish current fuel usage and costs. Economic and emission reductions analysis were conducted using RETScreen energy planning tool. Results of indicated that the current combustion and heat transfer devices are very inefficient leading to intensive energy demands. Proposed gasifier systems of the range of 30 kW to 100kW fuel power, would cost between US$ 6,156.35 and US$20,371.20. It was further established that installing gasifiers and incorporating agro wastes in the fuel mix (60%) would greatly reduce expenditure on fuels with pay back periods ranging from 0.4 – 3 years. Risk analysis further showed that fuel costs and operations and maintenance would attract the highest risk to the net present value of each proposed gasifier installation. From these results, it was recommended that gasification coupled with use of agro wastes provides viable cheap alternative for small scale industrial thermal energy needs

The research reported here explored, a "new" approach to biomass energy conversion for small-scale process heat-applications. The conversion process uses close-coupled catalytic. combustion to burn combustibles in effluent generated by primary combustion or gasification of biomass fuels. Computer control of primary and secondary air flow rates allow control of the devices output power while maintaining fuel-lean or stoichiometric conditions in the effluent entering the catalytic combustion zone. The intent of the secondary combustion system is to ensure "clean" exhaust (i.e., promote complete combustion). A small-scale combustor/gasifier was built and instrumented. Characteristics of combustion were studied for three biomass fuels so that primary and secondary air flow control strategies could be devised. A bang-bang type controller was devised for primary air flow control. Secondary air as controlled based on feedback signals from an inexpensive automobile exhaust gas oxygen sensor. The control strategies and catalytic combustion were implemented on prototype combustor/gasifier and the device was tested with good results. Power turn down ratios of 4 to 1 and 3 to 1 were achieved. The zitconia-type automobile exhaust gas oxygen sensors adapted well to the combustion environment of biomass fuel, at least for short periods (long term durability tests were not conducted). The secondary air control system was able to maintain fuel-lean flows for the most part and, the secondary combustion system provided reductions of approximately three fourths in carbon monoxide emissions.
Master of Science

New federal legislation proposes to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with biofuel production. To comply, existing corn ethanol plants will have to invest in new more carbon efficient production technology such as dry fractionation. However, this will be challenging for the industry given the present financial environment of surplus production, recent profit declines, numerous bankruptcies, and lender imposed covenants. This study examines a dry-mill ethanol firm's ability to invest in dry fractionation technology in the face of declining profitability and stringent lender cash flow repayment constraints. Firm level risk aversion also is considered when determining a firm's willingness to invest in dry fractionation technology. A Monte Carlo simulation model is constructed to estimate firm profits, cash flows, and changes in equity following new investment in fractionation to determine an optimal investment strategy. The addition of a lender-imposed sweep, whereby a percentage of free cash flow is used to pay off extra debt in high profit years, reduces the firm's ability to build equity and increases bankruptcy risk under investment. However, the sweep increases long-run equity because total financing costs are reduced with accelerated debt repayment. This thesis shows that while ethanol firm profits are uncertain, the lender's imposition of a sweep combined with increased profit from dry fractionation technology help the firm increase long-run financial resiliency.

CAPES
O objetivo geral deste estudo foi avaliar o potencial de produ;áo energética de ligninas extraídas de subprodutos de diversas culturas agricolas brasileiras, dentre elas: bagaço de cana de açúcar, serragem de madeira, palha de milho, palha de trigo, folhas de capim elefante e casca de arroz. Para isto, foram realizadas caracterizações físico-químicas, dentre elas: análise elementar, análise imediata, determinação do poder calorífico superior, granulometria, e determinação da composição de holocelulose, lignina e extrativos das amostras. A pesquisa foi dividida em três etapas: amostragem e caracterização da matéria prima, processamento dos resultados obtidos e verificação do potencial das biomassas em relação ao rendimento de lignina e suas propriedades. Foi adotado um planejamento experimental fatorial 22 para o tratamento estatístico dos dados obtidos. De acordo com os resultados foi comprovado que, tanto a granulometria dos sólidos na faixa estudada, quanto os métodos de extração Klason e Willstatter não influenciaram no rendimento da extração de lignina, bem como no poder calorífico destas. O rendimento médio de extração de lignina para a serragem de madeira foi ligeiramente superior, como esperado. Adicionalmente, foi verificado que o poder calorífico das ligninas foram significativamente maiores do que das biomassas in natura correspondentes. Por outro lado, foi encontrado que o potencial de energia térmica das ligninas varia principalmente em função dos dados de produção da cultura agrícola e dos coeficientes de disponibilidade dos subprodutos. Dentre as estimativas de potencial de geração de energia térmica das biomassas testadas, destacam-se as ligninas do bagaço de cana e da palha de milho. Estudos ainda se fazem necessários para determinar o potencial das ligninas extraídas no ramo da indústria química através do conhecimento da composição.
The aim of this study was to assess the energetic potential obtained from lignins extracted of several Brazilian biomasses, among them: sugar cane bagasse, sawdust, corn straw, wheat straw, elephant grass leaves and rice husk. To achieve this objective, physicochemical characterization, including: ultimate analysis, proximate analysis, superior calorific value determination, fraction size, and compositional determination of holocellulose, lignin and extractives of samples. The research was divided into three steps: sampling and characterization of the raw material, processing the results and verifying the potential of biomass over the yield of lignin and its properties. It was used a 22 factorial experimental design for the statistical treatment of the obtained data. According to the results, it was confirmed that both the particle size of the solids in the studied range, the extraction methods as Klason and Willstatter no influence on the extraction yield of lignin, as well as the calorific value of these. The average yield of extraction of wood sawdust lignin was slightly higher, as expected. Additionally, it was found that the calorific value of lignin were significantly higher than the corresponding biomass in natura. Moreover, it was found that the potential of thermal energy from the lignins varies mainly depending on the production data and the availability coefficients of crop to byproducts. Among the estimated potential to generate thermal energy from biomasses tested, highlight the lignin from sugar cane bagasse and corn straw. Further studies are needed to determine the potential of the lignins extracted in the field of chemical industry through the knowledge of its composition.

The aim of this research is to investigate characteristics of accident denominators across age groups in mining and associated process industries in the Port Hedland region of Western Australia. Emphasis has been focussed on comparing young, inexperienced groups with older, more experienced groups. A literature review revealed some key contributors to accidents among younger workers, in particular, those who had only recently entered the workforce. The review also revealed contributors impacting accidents regarding other age groups over a wide range of industry types. From these findings an accident construct model and questionnaire were designed to identify contributing and mitigating denominators which input to accidents occurring across the defined age groups.

The aim of this research is to investigate characteristics of accident denominators across age groups in mining and associated process industries in the Port Hedland region of Western Australia. Emphasis has been focussed on comparing young, inexperienced groups with older, more experienced groups. A literature review revealed some key contributors to accidents among younger workers, in particular, those who had only recently entered the workforce. The review also revealed contributors impacting accidents regarding other age groups over a wide range of industry types. From these findings an accident construct model and questionnaire were designed to identify contributing and mitigating denominators which input to accidents occurring across the defined age groups.

This thesis develops quantitative methods for evaluation and design of large-scale biofuel production systems with a particular focus on bioreactor-based fuel systems. In Chapter 2, a lifecycle assessment (LCA) method is integrated with chemical process modeling to select from different process designs the one that maximizes the energy efficiency and minimizes the environmental impact of a production system. An algae-based ethanol production technology, which is in the process of commercialization, is used as a case study. Motivated by this case study, Chapter 3 studies the selection of process designs and production capacity of highly distributed bioreactor-based fuel system from an economic perspective. Nonlinear optimization models based on net present value maximization are developed that aim at selecting the optimal capacities of production equipment for both integrated and distributed-centralized process designs on symmetric production layouts. Global sensitivity analysis based on Monte Carlo estimates is performed to show the impact of different parameters on the optimal capacity decision and the corresponding net present value. Conditional Value at Risk optimization is used to compare the optimal capacity for a risk-neutral planner versus a risk-averse decision maker. Chapter 4 studies mobile distributed processing in biofuel industry as vehicle routing problem and production equipment location with an underlying pipeline network as facility location problem with a focus on general production costs. Formulations and algorithms are developed to explore how fixed cost and concavity in the production cost increases the theoretical complexity of these problems.

This thesis contributes to the development of thermochemical liquefaction as a process for biofuel production. This study investigated residues from sugarcane, energy crops and algae. The potential amount of energy from biomass resources were investigated for each region in Australia. The work was at a larger laboratory scale than other workers which allowed more detailed characterisation of each sample and more thorough investigation of the fuels. Importantly, various bio-crude oils were successfully generated which were comparable with heavy fossil fuel based oils by changing only the processing conditions and without catalytic upgrading.

A mixed integer programming model is developed to determine a logistical design for maximizing rates of return to harvest, storage, transportation, and bioreflning of herbaceous crop residue for production of biofuels and feed for ruminant animals. The primary objective of this research is to identify the optimal location, scale, and number of pretreatment and biorefinery plants in northeastern North Dakota. The pretreatment and biorefinery plants are modeled under the assumption that they utilize recent technological advancement in AFEX and Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation, respectively. Potential feedstocks include wheat straw, barley straw, Durum straw, and com stover. Results indicate that the minimum ethanol rack price that will effectively trigger the production of cellulosic ethanol is $1.75 per gallon.

The sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) plant has in recent years been added to the Biofuel Industrial Strategy (Department of Minerals and Energy, 2007) by the South African government as a crop grown for the production of bio-ethanol. Sugar beet is commonly grown in Europe for the production of sucrose and has recently been cultivated in Cradock and the surrounding areas (Engineering News, 2008). The biofuel industry usually ferments the sucrose with Saccharomyces cerevisiae to yield bio-ethanol. However, researchers are presented with a critical role to increase current yields as there are concerns over the process costs from industrial biotechnologists. The beet factories produce a pulp by-product removed of all sucrose. The hemicellulose-rich pulp can be degraded by microbial enzymes to simple sugars that can be subsequently fermented to bio-ethanol. Thus, the pulp represents a potential source for second generation biofuel. The process of utilising microbial hemicellulases requires an initial chemical pre-treatment step to delignify the sugar beet pulp (SBP). An alkaline pre-treatment with ‘slake lime’ (calcium hydroxide) was investigated using a 23 factorial design and the factors examined were: lime load; temperature and time. The analysed results showed the highest release of reducing sugars at the pre-treatment conditions of: 0.4 g lime / g SBP; 40°C and 36 hours. A partial characterisation of the Clostridium cellulovorans hemicellulases was carried out to verify the optimal activity conditions stated in literature. The highest release of reducing sugars was measured at pH 6.5 – 7.0 and at 45°C for arabinofuranosidase A (ArfA); at pH 5.5 and 40°C for mannanase A (ManA) and pH 5.0 – 6.0 and 45°C for xylanase A (XynA). Temperature studies showed that a complete loss of enzymatic activity occurred after 11 hours for ManA; and 84-96 hours for ArfA. XynA was still active after 120 hours. The optimised lime pre-treated SBP was subsequently degraded using various combinations and percentages of C. cellulovorans ArfA, ManA and XynA to determine the maximal release of reducing sugars. Synergistically, the highest synergy was observed at 75% ArfA and 25% ManA, with a specific activity of 2.9 μmol/min/g protein. However, the highest release of sugars was observed at 4.2 μmol/min/g protein at 100% ArfA. This study has initiated the research within South Africa on SBP and its degradation by C. cellulovorans. Preliminary studies show that SBP has the potential to be utilised as a second generation biofuel source.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of Hancornia speciosa (known as mangaba in Brazil) seeds for the production of bio-oil, in order to minimize the pollution problems caused by the inappropriate disposal of this residue and add value to this material which poses an environmental risk. The study was divided into two parts: the characterization of the biomass (through elemental analysis (CHN), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), thermogravimetry (TG), and the moisture, ash, protein, oil, fiber, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin contents); and the characterization of the bio-oil (thermogravimetry, infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry-CG/MS). The mangaba seeds had a moisture content of 7.78±0.03%, high quantities of carbon (58.07%) and oxygen (27.18%), a calorific value of 23.45 MJ kg-1 and contained ash (1.87±0.06%), oil (27.33±0.37%), protein (12.10±1.60%) fiber (11.98±0.46%), cellulose (17.07%), hemicellulose (22.57%) and lignin (10.16%). The thermogravimetric curve for the sample showed a mass loss of around 90% up to a temperature of 450 °C. In the pyrolysis experiments the variables included temperature (450 and 600 °C), sample mass (5 and 11 g) and prior heating (with or without). The best conditions for the bioproduction of the bio-oil were 600 °C, 11 g of seeds and prior heating of the furnace. The characterization of the samples by FTIR allowed the presence of functional groups such as phenols, alcohols, ketones, acids, alkanes, alkenes, amides, nitriles and esters to be identified. The CG/MS analysis confirmed the results obtained with the infrared spectroscopy, with carboxylic acids and hydrocarbonates (~ 90%) being qualitatively identified as the major components, besides the presence of other compounds such as furanes, phenols, nitriles, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, esters and amides.
O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o aproveitamento das sementes de mangaba para a produção de bio-óleo, a fim de minimizar problemas de poluição devido à disposição inadequada dos resíduos e agregar valor a este passivo ambiental. O trabalho foi dividido em duas partes: caracterização da biomassa (análise elementar (CHN), espectroscopia de infravermelho (FTIR-ATR), termogravimetria (TG), teor de umidade, cinzas, proteínas, teor de óleo, fibras, celulose, hemicelulose e lignina) e caracterização do bio-óleo (termogravimetria, infravermelho e cromatografia gasosa/espectrometria de massas-GC/MS). As sementes de mangaba apresentaram teor de umidade de 7,78±0,03%, alta quantidade de carbono (58,07%) e oxigênio (27,18%), poder calorífico (23,45 MJ kg-1), teor de cinzas de 1,87±0,06%, teor de óleo 27,33±0,37%, proteínas 12,10±1,60%, fibras 11,98±0,46%, celulose (17,07%), hemicelulose (22,57%) e lignina (10,16%). A curva termogravimétrica da amostra apresentou cerca de 90% de perda de massa até a temperatura de 450 °C. Os experimentos de pirólise incluíram como variável temperatura (450 e 600 °C), massa de amostra (5 e 11 g), com ou sem aquecimento prévio. A melhor condição para a produção de bio-óleo foi a 600 °C, 11g de semente e com aquecimento prévio do forno. Através da caracterização da amostra em FTIR foi possível identificar a presença de grupos funcionais como fenóis, alcoóis, cetonas, ácidos, alcanos, alcenos, amidas, nitrilas e ésteres. Por outro lado, as análises de GC/MS confirmaram os resultados obtidos com o infravermelho, sendo identificados qualitativamente os ácidos carboxílicos e hidrocarbonetos (~ 90%) como componentes majoritários, além de serem encontrados outros compostos como furanos, fenóis, nitrilas, aldeídos, cetonas, alcoóis, ésteres e amidas.

Algae are primary producers in aquatic ecosystems and are thus the most important organisms in maintaining ecosystem functioning and stability. The usage of algae by humans is quite extensive; they act as an ingredient in aquaculture feed, a potential biomedical resource, as a fertiliser and as a nutritional source. Recently, algae have been identified as a third generation biofuel feedstock for fuel generation which essentially means that algae are more efficient, net carbon neutral and have less impacts on the environment. Algae as organisms are extremely sensitive to changes in the immediate environment. The interaction of parameters with each other causes minute changes in the environment which may alter the algae biomass present and the lipids that can be extracted from the biomass. The focus of this study is to model and determine which conditions maximise algal biomass and the subsequent lipids that can be extracted from the biomass. This will allow biofuel producers to understand which conditions are the best for harvesting algae in artificial conditions or harvesting algae from the wild. Furthermore, the model developed has broad application for biofuel specialists, pollution remediation specialists and biologists. This model developed is able to determine the present state of the algal bloom and uses the present state to predict the future state of bloom hence determining the optimal conditions to harvest. The model was developed under optimal ranges described by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and designed to replicate the most common combinations of parameters present in the wild. For the purposes of this study, various combinations of parameters within their optimal ranges that is temperature (18 – 24°C), salinity (20 – 24 p.p.t.) and photoperiod (25 – 75% light exposure) were assessed. The model was run for 72 hours with sampling every 6 hours. Every six hours, algal growth was measured by the biomass present (chloro-pigments used as estimators); this was done by fluorescence. Lipids were then extracted from algal biomass using the Bligh and Dyer method (1959). Spline curves were fitted to the data and analysis performed using Mathematica 8.0. It was found that photoperiod was the most important variable in controlling algal growth. Furthermore, lipids extracted from biomass were at their highest when algae were exposed to the conditions 75% light exposure, 21°C and 22 p.p.t. These conditions would allow for the highest amount of biofuel to be produced. Generally, algae biomass trend graphs mimic lipid trend graphs over the 72 hour period that is when lipids are at their maximum, biomass concentrations are at their maximum. It can be concluded from time model that the best time to harvest biomass is 48 hours from the initial start time of algal growth to gain the highest amount of lipids for biofuel production.
Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2012.

University of Technology, Sydney. Institute for Sustainable Futures.
After decades of stability the Australian electricity market is undergoing changes. Current government targets aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5% and raise renewable electricity production to 45 TWh by 2020. In addition, increases to natural gas prices, aging generation assets and falling electricity demand have had an impact in recent years. Uncertainties exist around current policies, including the carbon pricing mechanism and the renewable energy target, but in light of Australian and international ambitions to lower greenhouse gas emissions the deployment of renewable energy technologies is essential. In recent years wind and photovoltaic installations have shown the highest renewable energy growth rates while concentrating solar power has struggled, despite Australia having some of the best natural resources for concentrating solar power in the world and some selected government funding. Reasons for the slow uptake include the comparatively high cost and lack of financial incentives. While technology costs are expected to decrease by up to 40% by 2020 through deployment as well as research and development, other cost reduction options have to be identified to promote short-term implementation in electricity markets such as Australia where the wholesale cost is low. To overcome the cost problem and to address other relevant implementation barriers this research analyses the hybridisation of concentrating solar power with biomass and waste feedstocks. The results of this research include: ▪ a recommendation for a categorisation system for CSP hybrid plants based on the degree of interconnection of the plant components ▪ the availability of combined resources to generate up to 33.5 TWh per year and abate 27 million tonnes CO₂ annually ▪ an analysis of the most suitable CSP technologies for hybridisation ▪ a technology comparison showing CSP cost reductions through hybridisation of up to 40% ▪ the identification of cost differences of up to 31% between different hybrid concepts ▪ an analysis showing that the current economic and policy settings are the most significant implementation barriers ▪ two case studies with different biomass and waste feedstocks requiring power purchase agreements of AU$ 100-155/MWh. Based on the various benefits of concentrating solar power hybrid plants, this research analyses the potential role of this technological pairing in Australia’s transition to a low carbon energy future. The research concludes that concentrating solar power hybrid plants, not only hybridised with biomass and waste feedstocks, can immediately enable a lower cost deployment of concentrating solar power facilities in Australia. The technology, deployment and operation of the first hybrid installations would provide market participants with valuable lessons and would have the potential to reconfigure the electricity market towards more sustainable generation. This could help promote the development of future low-cost concentrating solar power plants in Australia.