Sharon Grierson (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to pay tribute to Professors Paul Dastoor and Behdad Moghtaderi and Dr Elham Doroodchi, from the new Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources, at the University of Newcastle, in my electorate. Professor Dastoor and the husband-and-wife team of Professor Moghtaderi and Dr Doroodchi were finalists in the ABC’s New Inventors program in September. In fact, of the five finalists, two were from the University of Newcastle.

Professor Dastoor, from the university’s Priority Research Centre for Organic Electronics, featured in the grand final with his organic solar cell paint. Professor Dastoor has developed semiconducting polymers capable of catching energy into a water based paint that can be printed or coated onto plastic sheets that can be placed on the roofs of houses. In the long term this technology will make it possible to directly paint a roof or building surface with solar cells, but printed solar cell technology could be available in as little as three years with myriad applications. This is exciting stuff. Solar paint would empower households across the country to generate their own electricity in a more affordable and sustainable way. This technology has the potential to reshape the energy infrastructure of Australia and the world.

The second finalists from the University of Newcastle’s Priority Research Centre for Energy, Professor Behdad Moghtaderi and Dr Elham Doroodchi, featured their GRANEX geothermal power generator. GRANEX delivers a 40 per cent improvement in both thermal efficiency and power generation on conventional power plants. GRANEX also increases the amount of electricity that can be generated from low-grade heat sources such as geothermal and industrial waste heat. Stephen de Belle, the Managing Director of Granite Power Pty Ltd, the company that has partnered with the team on the development of GRANEX, has said that ‘the performance of GRANEX would transform the power generation sector’. As we transition towards a more sustainable Australia in which we need to meet the renewable energy targets of 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020, I am extremely proud that Newcastle scientists and energy companies are leading the way in new technologies.

These two achievements build on the university’s success earlier in the year in the Vestas Winnovation Challenge, a global wind energy competition in Denmark. University of Newcastle engineering student Chris Rowe, along with his partner from the University of Toronto in Canada, beat a field of 40 finalists from 13 countries by devising an electricity generation system that tempered hydroelectric power with wind-generated electricity.

These successes are a testament to the excellence in innovation and energy research at the University of Newcastle, and I am pleased that the federal Labor government has contributed to this success. Both of these successful innovations now sit under the research umbrella of the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources, which was established in June this year through a $30 million endowment from the Australian government’s Education Investment Fund under the leadership of the Gillard Labor government. By commercialising its research in next-generation energy production, the institute will play an important part in helping to modernise Australia’s industries in order to improve energy efficiency and reduce our carbon emissions.

I am delighted that the new director of the institute is Alan Broadfoot. Alan’s track record in manufacturing—particularly as the former CEO of AmpControl, which is the largest power engineering firm in the Southern Hemisphere—and his lifelong commitment to continuous learning, innovation, research and successful enterprise can now all come together to lead what I have no doubt will be a world-leading energy and resources institute.

Newcastle is rapidly evolving and continuously renewing itself, remaining in constant step with the present and with the future. It is home to the Clean Energy Innovation Centre, the Australian Solar Institute and the CSIRO National Energy Centre and now hosts the Smart Grid, Smart City initiative. Newcastle has developed a reputation as Australia’s leading clean energy technology and research centre, and it deserves it. As we transition towards a more sustainable and greener economy, in which we use and manage our resources responsibly while getting the most out of them for the Australian community, the University of Newcastle, in my electorate, is playing a formative role. I again congratulate Professors Paul Dastoor and Behdad Moghtaderi and Dr Elham Doroodchi for showcasing to all Australians on the New Inventors final program what we in Newcastle already know about our expertise and ingenuity.