Australia and the United States will collaborate in the research of renewable energy, electricity grids, hydrogen and plastic waste following a Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries.
Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a leader in clean energy research, development, and deployment.
The agreement was signed at the Sydney Energy Forum by CSIRO Chief Executive, Dr Larry Marshall, and NREL Deputy Laboratory Director for Science and Technology and Chief Research Officer, Dr Peter Green.
“This partnership represents a shared commitment from two leading energy research bodies to work together to help drive scientific and technical innovation across nationwide energy systems,” CSIRO’s Dr Marshall said.
“It builds on the existing collaboration between our two organisations in solar energy resilience, the Global Power System Transformation Alliance and plastics research.
“It aligns closely to Australia’s national interests, including in hydrogen and grid resilience as well as CSIRO’s major research missions to help end plastic waste and build Australia’s clean hydrogen industry.”
The agreement transforms the agencies’ existing relationship from one based on individual projects to a comprehensive program of solution-driven science, research and innovation.
“We are excited about this MoU, which will facilitate expanded collaboration between our two research institutions,” NREL’s Dr Green said.
“Together we will leverage the significant intellectual, research, and infrastructure capabilities of both institutions to address some of the most pressing challenges associated with achieving the global energy transition.
”Under the agreement, CSIRO and NREL will initially focus on four areas of strategic importance to Australia: hydrogen, global power system transformation (G-PST), plastics, and an accelerator/incubator program for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that has the potential to transform our global energy future.”
Featured image: CSIRO’s Larry Marshall (left) and NREL’s Peter Green. Image: CSIRO
