CANBERRA, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Australia's national science agency has launched a new venture to use next generation solar thermal technology to reduce carbon emissions in heavy industries.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) announced on Tuesday that it has secured 15 million Australian dollars (9.7 million U.S. dollars) in seed funding to commercialize its Concentrated Solar Thermal technology.

The technology uses low-cost and abundant ceramic particles to store sunlight as heat, enabling long-duration energy storage to support industrial processes, green fuel production and reliable, dispatchable power.

The CSIRO said that the technology, which can produce temperatures up to 1,200 degrees Celsius, could help reduce carbon emissions in heavy industries, including minerals refining and steel, cement, and chemical production.

To lead the commercialization of the technology, the CSIRO on Tuesday launched FPR Energy, a joint venture with finance management firm RFC Ambrian and Japanese utility company Osaka Gas.

The company plans to develop a 50 megawatt (MW) thermal plant, with up to 16 hours of thermal energy storage capacity, to demonstrate the viability of the technology at a commercial scale.

Daniel Roberts, CSIRO energy technologies research director, described the new venture as a major step toward meeting the growing demand for renewable solutions in heavy industries.

"Diversifying the way we harness Australia's abundant solar resources will help develop a low-carbon economy and support economic growth and job creation," he said.

"Helping heavy industries to transition to cleaner energy sources is essential to reaching Australia's net-zero emission targets," he said.

According to the CSIRO, greenhouse gas emissions from hard-to-abate heavy industries account for 20 percent of Australia's total annual emissions. Enditem

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