With the exodus of car manufacturing in Australia, some component manufacturers are diversifying into producing items for the renewable energy sector.
The Australian Government’s $20 million Automotive Diversification Programme has resulted in a significant renewable energy export opportunity for South Australian company, Precision Components.
The company received a $1 million investment from the Australian Government to set up Heliostat SA, which employs former auto industry workers and uses pressed metal machinery previously tasked with automotive parts manufacturing.
Heliostat SA manufacturers mirrors that reflect and concentrate sunlight onto a receiver on top of a tower to create superheated steam, which can then be used to drive a turbine for generating electricity
Precision licensed CSIRO heliostat technology in early 2014. Smaller than conventional heliostats, the CSIRO’s technology uses an advanced control system to attain high performance from a relatively inexpensive design.
The heliostats produced by Heliostat SA will feature in a hybrid solar power tower system to be built by Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems in Yokohama, Japan and will be used in additional solar research projects in that country over the next few years.
“To have CSIRO’s heliostats selected by MHPS, a global leader in energy, proves that our technology is up there with the best in the world. Our successful collaboration with Heliostat SA also shows the benefits of science working closely with industry to create value for the Australian economy,” said CSIRO Energy and Resources Executive Director Dr Alex Wonhas.
After major car manufacturers decided to shutter operations over the next couple of years, the Australia Government set up the Automotive Diversification Programme to reduce impact on parts suppliers by assisting suppliers and workers transfer skills and equipment to new industries.
Minister for Industry and Science Ian Macfarlane praised Precision Components’ diversification efforts.
“This is a perfect example of manufacturing transitioning successfully to a whole new field, using the skills and equipment from one industry to benefit a very different one. It’s also an illustration of what can be achieved when science is brought to the centre of industry policy,” he said.
Another company to diversify into renewable energy under the programme is Ballarat’s Ceramet Pty Ltd, which received $340,000 to go towards a $980,000 program for new production lines manufacturing items for the solar, electronics and building industries.
Image source: CSIRO
