Bioenergy involves efficiently extracting considerable quantities of clean, low-emission electricity from waste. Bioenergy fuel sources are often derived from agricultural, forestry and municipal wastes. Sugar cane waste – known as bagasse – remains the most common form of bioenergy generation, closely followed by landfill gas.
Other common sources include the black liquor derived from paper making, as well as sewage gas and food waste. Bioenergy generators tend to be smaller than hydro plants and wind farms.
Bioenergy generated approximately 3412 GWh of electricity in Australia in 2018. This equated to 1.5 per cent of total electricity generation, and 7.1 per cent of total clean energy generation.
of total clean energy generated in 2018
of total electricity generated in 2018
The largest bioenergy project delivered in 2018 was Maryborough Sugar Factory Limited's Tableland Sugar Mill in Queensland. The $75 million plant will use sugarcane fibre, known as bagasse, to produce up to 24 MW of electricity - enough to power 28,000 homes in the Tableland region.
Another notable project was the Select Harvest Carina West Cogeneration Plant in Victoria. This 3.1 MW 'hull-to-energy' facility is a world-first, using almond hulls and shells as an energy source for generating electricity and steam.| Project | State | Installed capacity (MW) | Fuel source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tableland Sugar Mill | WA | 24.0 | Bagasse |
| Select Harvest Carina West Cogeneration Plant | VIC | 3.1 | Biomass |
| Caboolture Landfill | QLD | 2.1 | Food processing waste |
| Goulburn Bioenergy Project | NSW | 1.6 | Food processing waste |
| Orora Botany Mill Power Station 1 | NSW | 1.5 | Waste from paper processing |
Clean Energy Australia Report
