Home > Export services > Industry capabilities > Clean technologies

Clean technologies

Overview

Queensland's clean technologies industry offers enormous growth, export and investment potential. It is a diverse sector, driven mainly by small to medium sized businesses that deliver innovative products and services in green building, water/wastewater, energy efficiency, renewable energies, clean energies, waste management, recycling, land and air quality.

Many Queensland companies are successfully exporting their know-how and technologies.

This industry develops innovative solutions to pressing global issues such as population growth, climate change and environmentally sustainable economic development. It is a major contributor to the Queensland economy, providing essential technologies and services to the infrastructure, mining and urban development sectors.

Queensland's leading research facilities include inter alia the National Climate Change Research Adaptation Facility, Queensland Centre for Advanced Technology, Queensland University of Technology Institute for Sustainable Resources, Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence, Centre for Coal Energy Technologies, Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Cooperative Research Centre for Sugar Industry Innovation, Advanced Water Management Centre, International Water Centre, and the South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership, as well as research developed by Queensland universities.

Green building

Queensland's building and construction products and services are highly regarded internationally, making them a major contributor to Queensland's export markets. The industry has attracted a global reputation for its consistent and innovative state-of-the-art practices and services for construction management, development consultants and construction techniques that make new or existing buildings more durable and efficient.

Queensland is one of Australia's driving forces for green and eco-friendly material and building practices. Queensland companies' capabilities range from the supply of renewable building materials and green building design, to support consultancies providing lifecycle analysis and eco-friendly procurement. Examples of innovative and cost-effective materials are varied and include eco-friendly paint, rooves and walling systems, geo-textile filter fabrics, energy efficient lighting and insulation and water saving systems.

The State leads in research and development for sustainable building. Five of Australia's ten most environmentally sustainable cities are in Queensland, and Queensland is home to over 30 buildings that have achieved a 5 or 6 green star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. Queensland has the second largest number of 6 green star rated buildings in Australia, with Queensland suppliers having worked on the design and construction of these buildings.

Read our publications (PDF's) about global green building opportunities within:

  • China
  • USA
  • The Gulf States
  • India
  • Singapore
  • The global demand

Water/wastewater

Queensland's water sector is recognised internationally as a provider of innovative and best-practice policies, programs, technologies and services, and a major contributor to a sustainable future.

Significant achievements of the Queensland water sector include:

  • delivering water supply security in the face of climate change and high climate variability through regional water strategies, major infrastructure projects including the unique South East Queensland (SEQ) Water Grid, and world's best-practice demand management
  • development of best practice water resource planning, entitlement and trading frameworks that are well recognised nationally and internationally
  • water sector education, training, research and development, including the International WaterCentre, the Queensland Climate Change Centre of Excellence, the Queensland Smart Water Research Facility, Centre of Excellence in Water Recycling, Knowledge Hub for Healthy Rivers and Aquatic Ecosystems and the SEQ Urban Water Security Research Alliance - the largest urban water research program in Australia.

Queensland's water technologies have largely evolved as a response to the State's varied climatic conditions, including severe floods and extended periods of drought. The product and service range offered by Queensland companies is diverse across the water and wastewater sub-sectors spanning the construction, project management, manufacturing, and asset management consulting fields. Products and services exported from Queensland include:

  • packaged and transportable sewerage and wastewater treatments plants
  • water treatment systems and controllers
  • water control valves, piping and water conservation products
  • water purification for swimming pools
  • axial flow impeller and surface pumps for water circulation and destratification
  • equipment for disinfecting water by electrolysis
  • waterless composting toilets
  • consulting and project management services.

Clean/renewable energy

The Queensland Government, through industry development strategies and the Queensland Renewable Energy Plan, is driving the development of a wide range of clean/renewable energy technologies and services in Queensland. This includes the renewable energy fields of solar, geothermal, tidal, biomass, biofuels and wind power, as well as the clean coal fields of carbon capture and storage, coal seam gas and underground coal gasification. Queensland's capabilities in most of these areas are dominated by small-medium enterprises.

Queensland's capabilities in solar include grid link systems, lighting, air heaters and weather stations. Companies in this field are exporting their technologies and services throughout the Asia Pacific region.

Queensland's biomass capabilities include the development of technologies and power plants that convert biomass into electricity, the conversion of non-toxic waste products to carbon beads and rotary kiln technology.

Queensland has an expanding base of companies specialising in energy efficient products and services, including energy auditing, insulation, smart metering and consulting.

Those sub-sectors that are primarily at the research, development or demonstration stage include geothermal, biofuels, tidal, wind and carbon capture and storage.

Read our publication (PDF) about Queensland's clean technologies.

Useful links

Government

Green building

Clean energy

Water/wastewater

Others

More information

For more information about clean technologies in Queensland contact cleantech@trade.qld.gov.au

Last reviewed 30 June 2011