While Victoria’s investment in innovative waste-to-energy projects might not be as advanced as ‘Mr Fusion’, it’s a step in the right direction. Image: Jesse Loughborough
When real life takes a hint from popular Hollywood movies like Back to the Future Part II, generally the whole internet sits up and listens, especially in the aftermath of 2015’s hysterical celebration of the film’s whimsical vision of the future.
One of the hallmark technological features that the film illustrated was a waste-to-energy device installed in the Delorean time machine dubbed as ‘Mr Fusion’, which essentially eliminated the need for a car battery.
While governments in the past have explored such an idea, now the Victorian government is making a $300,000 investment in innovative waste-to-energy projects that will capture energy from organic waste and keep it out of landfill and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The state government’s funding will support local government and businesses to install small-scale on-site or precinct-scale anaerobic digestion technology for organics recovery and as an alternative energy source.
Anaerobic digestion is a process that breaks down organic waste, such as food and compost, to produce heat and gas which can then be used to produce energy.
According to the government, the funding aims to help overcome barriers to uptake of these technologies by supporting pilot projects that demonstrate the viability of organics recovery and processing, and which can easily be replicated.
The Daniel Andrews government feels that waste-to-energy technology is a significant opportunity to increase the recovery and reprocessing of food waste in the commercial and industrial sector.
This is an important obstacle to overcome because in 2011-12, over 280,000 tonnes of food waste was generated by the commercial and industrial sector with only 10 per cent recycled.
With boosting employment always on the agenda, the government also feels that it also presents opportunities for economic development with the potential to create jobs and drive investment in Victoria’s waste and resource recovery industry.
Victorian Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water Lisa Neville said this funding will support businesses that produce organic waste onsite and have identified alternative technologies as a future opportunity.
“These new technologies could reduce our reliance on fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil, resulting in a reduction in our emissions,” Ms Neville said.
Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio said the use of recovered organic materials as a renewable energy source is an emerging opportunity that the government is committed to exploring further.
“These new technologies present an exciting opportunity to grow sustainable jobs in Victoria,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
