Rhode Island International Film Festival 2009

Concern about global warming has focused attention on the disruption of natural systems from the way we use resources and energy. Australia may be one of the world's largest producers and exporters of coal for electricity, but it also has some of the world's largest renewable energy resources.A number of Australians are world leaders in the field of renewable energy and sustainable solutions. They are serious about creating clean energy options that will make a big difference. Some draw energy and inspiration from nature in their clean technology designs.Dr Tim Finnigan uses bio-mimicry, or 'innovation inspired by nature', to design his oceanpower systems. Dr Robert Dane modeled the design for his Solar Sailor boat on the insect's wing, inspired by Janine Benyus' Bio-mimicry concept.Dr David Mills and Professor Graham Morrison's solar thermal technology has attracted international attention as the clean alternative to coal and nuclear power. It is being rolled out now in the US on a very large scale.Deep hot rock, or geothermal technology, was developed by Dr Prame Chopra and Dr Doone Wyborn, in the remote deserts of South Australia. They believe geothermal could provide a large amount of Australia's energy needs for the next 500 years.Dr Zhengrong Shi's solar cell research was built on work pioneered by Professors Martin Green and Stuart Wenham at the University of NSW. It made him the world's second largest solar panel supplier. Shi's ongoing support at UNSW helps PhD students, such as Eureka Prize winner Nicole Kuepper, to develop solar PV for a wider market.ANU's Dr Keith Lovegrove developed a thermochemical process to store solar energy for use in commercial power stations.Australia has been described as "The Middle East of renewable energy", because of its unique natural resources in wave, solar, geothermal and wind energy."Its accepted that there's more than 5,000 times the world's current power usage in the oceans. That's all forms of energy, its tidal, waves, currents, temperature and salinity gradients. Just the waves that break on our coastlines alone is about twice the world's current power usage. To utilise a small fraction of that is going to be very meaningful" - Dr Tom Denniss (Oceanlinx)Australia's solar resource is huge."One hour of sunlight could provide power for the world's industrial energy needs for one year &" Professor Martin Green, (Photovoltaics Dept, University of NSW).And there are some unique approaches to harvesting that energy:"We have more sun per square metre of continent than any other continent on the planet. Maybe we can consider the potential of our country to be the place where the solar energy is collected.There's a very intriguing possibility with solar thermal systems. We can use our concentrators to drive chemical reactions and generate renewable fuels that we can export to other countries. We can power Japan from solar energy collected in Australia's arid areas".- Assoc Professor Keith Lovegrove, (Australian National University and Wizard Power).Australian innovators have led the world in solar energy research and applications."The research group here at the University of NSW started in the mid-70's. In five years, we'd established a reputation because we made solar cells that had very high voltage output.Our group shot to international attention because we were doing better than anyone else on this one parameter."- Professor Martin GreenThe university's research training helped solar mogul, Dr Zhengrong Shi become the world's second largest solar module supplier. He is now one of the richest men in China.One leading technology for solar thermal power stations, (developed by Dr David Mills and Professor Graham Morrison) is being rolled out on a very large scale in the USA. It is regarded as the serious alternative to coal and nuclear for large scale power stations."Solar Thermal electricity uses the sun's heat to actually make steam or make a very hot fluid &to turn a turbine and create electricity. Our technology just changes the boiler in such a system. Instead of a nuclear boiler, we use a solar boiler. There are far more solar turbines on order throughout the world than there are nuclear turbines. Its just happened all of a sudden. And we also see timelines of plant installation which are between 2 and 4 years from the shaking of the hands. Nuclear's lucky to have 7 or 8 years".- Dr David Mills, (AUSRA)"The market for solar thermal electricity around the world is just enormous. We are now concentrating on the Californian area. In the near future, we'll see developments in Australia. The next big area is likely to be North Africa, supplying power into Europe. There's already electrical cables across the Mediterranean, where that can be fed into. The western deserts of China also have the potential to be a major solar resource."- Emeritus Professor Graham Morrison (UNSW)The Future Makers explores applications for renewable energy such as the Solar Sailor and Australia's first plug-in, plug-out hybrid car, that can run on electricity from renewable energy sources."You could supply over 90% of the US transportation sector from solar thermal electric power plants, sitting on the grid. So basically the 2 largest single emitters in the largest emitting country can be taken out by the same technology. It's a very powerful result". - Dr David MillsA vision of a renewable energy future:"When we bring those elements together; larger solar thermal plants, geothermal plants, complemented with smart metering, and small scale distributed energy like photovoltaic panels on our rooves &These will provide the sort of framework, within which we'll see sustainable energy become the dominant form of energy supply to meet the needs of tomorrow's economy". - Chris Dunstan (UTS)In this documentary directed by Maryella Hatfield, produced by Lisa Duff, edited by Krissoula Syrmis and shot by Justin Brickle - The Future Makers explores the visions of these leaders and follows them as their projects unfold.