The Franco-Australian Centre for Energy Transition (FACET) is pleased to announce the first six recipients of the 2024 FACET grant, marking a significant step forward in fostering collaborative energy transition projects between France and Australia. This initiative is backed by financial support from both the French and Australian governments, each committing €1 million and AUD 1 million annually over the next four years.
This large-scale partnership is an unprecedented example of France and Australia’s shared commitment to advancing their bilateral roadmap in sustainable development and a greener future. In 2024 alone, FACET has already invested AUD 3.5 million, with additional co-investment from project partners, underscoring the centre’s value to both French and Australian companies. This initiative comes at a time when the energy transition is of increasing economic and political significance, highlighting the need for international cooperation in addressing critical energy challenges.
On October 28th, at the inaugural symposium held in Melbourne, the six projects approved by the FACET Steering Committee were officially announced. These initiatives include two strategic programs designed to promote the adoption of innovative solutions by startups and to prepare the future energy workforce, alongside four applied research grants aimed at developing new French-Australian industrial-scale demonstrators.
This year, FACET has expanded its program to include seven new academic partners across Australia & France: University of Sydney, Victoria University, Flinders University, and Adelaide University, along with French institutions: East Paris Institute of Chemistry and Materials Science (ICMPE) and CNRS’ CROSSING lab. These partners join the core group of CEA research and innovation centre, University Grenoble Alps and Swinburne University of Technology, to enhance expertise at the highest level. In addition, more companies have joined FACET, bringing our network of First Movers in industry collaboration to over 20. These initial projects are helping FACET extend its reach beyond Victoria into New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, and soon Western Australia, where an expert delegation from CEA, alongside a Business France mission on critical minerals with 30 French companies, will visit as part of the IMARC conference in Sydney.
Highlighting 2024 projects
1. Innovation & Startup Programme:
Project’s name: The EDF x FACET x Swinburne Startup Programme
The EDF x FACET x Swinburne Startup Programme aims to create synergies between French and Australian companies by facilitating the adoption of startup solutions that address key challenges in the energy transition. This program focuses on identifying and supporting innovative projects related to long- and short-term energy storage, renewables, alternative green fuels green hydrogen and transmission infrastructure. By creating partnerships with key market players, the program will provide startups with essential commercial and technical support, fostering collaboration and driving sustainable technological advancements in the Australian energy sector.
James Katsikas, CEO of EDF Australia emphasized the significance of this partnership. “We are deeply committed to the global fight against climate change. As an organization we spend A$1B annually on research and development to ensure we remain at the cutting-edge of energy innovation. This partnership enables us to combine that global expertise with local innovation to work alongside dynamic startups and to find new and impactful solutions that can accelerate Australia’s energy transition. By combining our global expertise with local innovation, we aim to drive the development of cutting-edge technologies that will make a lasting difference. As part of the French energy giant EDF Group, our worldwide network We will aim to provide start-ups with essential commercial and technical support, fostering collaboration and driving sustainable technological advancements. Ultimately our investment in this program will assist us deliver better outcomes in the infrastructure projects we are developing across Australia.in the Australian energy sector. Start-ups will gain access to our robust portfolio of R&D innovation centres that drive advancements in energy transition and sustainability including the EDF Lab Paris-Saclay, a world-class research hub in France focused on low-carbon energy and smart cities.”
The urgency of the climate crisis is clearer than ever, highlighting the need for diverse solutions to reduce carbon emissions across all industries. While large-scale renewable energy projects are crucial, a broader range of innovative approaches is essential to fully decarbonize the economy.
Professor Allison Kealy, Director of Swinburne’s Innovative Planet Research Institute and co-director of FACET, highlighted the importance of innovation and collaboration in addressing energy challenges. “The transition to a sustainable energy future requires bold, innovative thinking, and partnerships like this one play a crucial role. This collaboration will enable us to leverage our combined expertise in technology commercialisation to make meaningful progress in energy storage, transmission, and decarbonisation efforts.”
Partners: EDF Australia, EDF Lab Asia Pacific, Swinburne University of Technology
2. Education Programme:
Project’s name: FACET Skills Roadmap for the Clean Economy
The FACET Skills Roadmap for the Clean Economy will chart the capabilities of both France and Australia to prepare for the demands of the future energy market. This initiative will focus on developing a workforce equipped to meet the challenges of energy transition and create new opportunities for growth in the clean energy sector. Consultations with key industry players and peak bodies will commence in November 2024. The study will span 8 months and is aimed at delivering actionable outcomes, offering recommendations for institutions, industry, and academia to effectively plan for the future.
Partners: Swinburne University of Technology, CEA/INSTN, University Grenoble-Alps
3. Development of efuel production
Project’s name: Pre-FEED Study for Australian Green H2/CO2 eFuel Demonstration Plant
Downer and CEA are collaborating with the Franco-Australian Centre for Energy Transition (FACET) on a pre-FEED (front end engineering design) study, to construct a commercial-scale demonstration plant in Australia, producing synthetic fuels (eFuels) for the maritime and aviation sectors.
The team will work with FACET’s founding partners, including CEA research and innovation centre, the Australian host institution, Swinburne University of Technology, Université Grenoble-Alpes, alongside FACET’s ‘First Movers’ companies, including Airbus, CMA CGM & Safran, on the study.
Spanning an eight-month period, the project will leverage Downer’s subject matter expertise in solution architecture, asset management, and decades of experience in Australia’s industrial and power generation sectors to develop the conceptual design for the eFuels plant.
Partners: Downer, CEA, University of Sydney, University of Adelaide, H²potential
According to Murray Richards, Executive General Manager – Industrial & Power Generation, Downer “The energy transition is a complex challenge that requires collaboration and innovation. By working closely with universities, research institutions, and industry, we can unlock practical solutions that drive real impact.
With decades of expertise in solution architecture, asset management, industrial services and power generation, Downer is proud to play a key role in this project with FACET. eFuels represent a critical piece of the puzzle in reducing emissions across hard-to-decarbonise industries like maritime and aviation. This initiative reflects our commitment to practical, future-focused solutions that help create a more sustainable tomorrow.”
4. Future of electric network
• Project’s name: Enhancing Transactive Demand Response and Hosting Capacity Evaluation for Community Microgrids
This project aims to advance transactive demand response (TDR) systems for electrified thermally adaptive buildings integrated in community microgrids for dynamic operating envelopes (DOE) and hosting capacity (HC) assessments. Leveraging previous collaborations with Swinburne University, Victoria University, CSIRO, and the CEA Smart Grid Laboratory, the project will develop a robust energy market optimization system and adaptive building management systems that responds dynamically to grid conditions. Through the implementation of cutting-edge technologies such as micro-Phasor Measurement Units (micro-PMUs), the project will enhance power quality monitoring and improve BMSs performance, buildings thermal performance and grid resilience. The goal of this project is to develop a smart energy management system that optimizes energy distribution and supports a more sustainable, efficient building energy systems, and resilient grid infrastructure. This work will have far-reaching implications for both Australian and European energy markets, contributing significantly to the global energy transition and buildings electrifications.
Partners: Swinburne University of Technology, CSIRO, CEA Smart Grid Laboratory
• Project’s name: Human-Centred AI for Complex Energy Systems
As the world moves away from fossil fuels for power supply, conventional grids should evolve to facilitate the integration of multiple sources of renewable energy. One of the main challenges in this transition is to find ways of coping with the increasing variability of (renewable-based) production. To ensure the stability of the grid, it will be necessary to have enough “controllability” of consumption so that it can better “follow” the production (assuming part of the power flow can be stored). A key part of this challenge is to enhance the flexibility and engagement of end-users. To that end, a consortium of researchers will work in partnership with industry stakeholders to build effective and resilient interactions of AI/ML models of control and forecast with humans for the efficient management of complex energy networks. Our approach combines human factors, AI and ML techniques to better model consumption. Sociotechnical frameworks that support the development of trust in this teaming will play a key role in its success. The outcomes of this research should advance the instantiation of management systems to support more resilient grids through data-driven modelling and control.
The University of Adelaide’s Professor Anton Middelberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research) welcomed the FACET funding. “This collaboration demonstrates the University of Adelaide’s ongoing commitment to deliver world-class research into artificial intelligence that aims to support a more sustainable future,” said Professor Middelberg. “I congratulate our team on the start of their collaboration with Université Grenoble-Alpes. The links formed through this agreement will have a global impact.”
Partners: University of Adelaide (including the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources and the Australian Institute of Machine Learning), the University of Grenoble-Alpes, CEA Smart Grids Laboratory, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS’ CROSSING lab).
5. Batteries of the future
Project’s name: Aqueous Polymer Hybrid Batteries
The project Aqueous Polymer Hybrid Batteries for Future Sustainable Energy Storage proposes three innovative solutions for developing the next generation of rechargeable batteries. Two French (ICMPE and CEA) and one Australian (Flinders University) institutes will work together to achieve this goal through three objectives: (i) replacing metallic cathodes with organic radical polymers (ORPs) to minimize the reliance on critical and strategic metals such as lithium and cobalt; (ii) switching from organic to aqueous electrolytes to eliminate toxic and flammable solvents, imparting battery production and operation with high safety; and (iii) employing abundant and environmentally safe materials such as zinc, magnesium, and calcium to mitigate resource scarcity and address economic and ecological challenges in energy storage. The team will reveal the storage mechanism of these novel hybrid batteries and optimize their performance using advanced techniques. Prototype polymer/hybrid batteries (100 mAh, 1.2-1.5V) will be produced by the Consortium, expecting to pave the way for the next generation of eco-friendly energy storage solutions and replace millions of small energy devices currently dominated by lithium-ion batteries
Partners: Flinders University, ICMPE, CEA research and innovation centre
FACET is proud to lead these ground-breaking initiatives, which bring together cutting-edge research, industry innovation, and educational development to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.
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