Northern Territory Leading Energy Innovation

Member for Lingiari and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia and Indigenous Affairs Warren Snowdon has told Parliament it should be looking to the Territory for new and workable energy initiatives.

Mr Snowdon said the Territory company Powercorp led the field in energy conservation and using renewable energy sources.

'The Federal Government should learn from what Powercorp has achieved,' he said.

'Led by two creative and innovative thinkers in Alan Langworthy and Juergen Zimmerman, the company has gone from automating remote community power stations in the Territory to pioneering wind-diesel systems and damping down power surges through its new technology.

'From its manufacturing base in Darwin, Powercorp is supplying power generating plant to mining sites, industrial complexes and remote communities throughout Australia and is responsible for the new power station on the Cocos Islands.

'And they're expanding way beyond our borders.

'Powercorp, now operating in Malaysia, Alaska, Antarctica and Portugal, is widely recognised as one of the most advanced renewable energy companies in the world.

'This is Australian enterprise at its best and I'm proud that it is a Territory company that is making the world take notice.

'On a smaller scale, there's a house in Alice Springs – the Cool Living House – whose owners had designed the house specifically to conserve energy while being an appropriate house for our climate.

'Using readily available technology, they were able top cut their power and water bills, slicing more than $1200 a year of the average household expense.

'What these two examples show is that there are strong innovators in our community and we should be using their thinking because their solutions apply to where we live,' Mr Snowdon said.

2006-09-07