Energy Next, powered by All Energy Australia, will transform the ICC Sydney into a showcase of Australia’s clean energy future on July 18th and 19th.
Featuring some of Australia’s most experienced and innovative clean energy experts and organisations, Energy Next will host over 20 different expert talks, presentations and panels on topics such as EV’s, Microgrids, Energy Storage, Solar PV, Wind Energy, Virtual Power Plants, Energy Data and Hydrogen & Ammonia.
Talks include insights from ACA Research on the current state of the consumer EV market, whether Perovskites are the future of Solar Energy, the role microgrids can play in decarbonization, the future of lithium-ion battery chemistry, how virtual power plants can unlock the value in a net zero transition, what Super Hybrids’ role is in making Australia a green superpower and how AI can predict future breakdowns in the renewable energy supply chain.
The full agenda breakdown can be seen here.
Outlined below are a few of the highlight topic areas set to be discussed at Energy Next.
Electric vehicles
Following increased attention and significant investment from the government (with even more expected over the next four years), it’s an exciting time for electric vehicles in Australia.
The NSW government has set a goal of at least 50% of all new car sales to be EV’s by 2030-31, promising almost half a billion in tax cuts and incentives to get us there.
Though it’s a promising start, there is still a lot of work to be done in order to make this a reality. As part of this discussion, Energy Next will feature a number of EV consumer based talks and a panel discussion focusing on EV infrastructure.
‘Model T to Tesla: The Consumer Journey to Electric in 2023 and Beyond’ presented by Amelia McVeigh from ACA Research, will share insights from the ACA Research’s Consumer Automotive Program for the first time, revealing the current state of consumer electric vehicle sentiment, level of market maturity, expectations and sensitivity around vehicle pricing and projections for future growth in the space.
Managing Director of ACE Electric Vehicles Group, Gregory McGarvie, will discuss ways for homeowners to manage their energy usage in their own homes during his presentation titled, ‘Energy Democracy for EV Owners with Home Solar.’
Additionally, ‘EV Charging Infrastructure: Where We Are and What’s to Come’, will host Jason Venning, FIMER ANZ Country Manager and Rosemary Tan, Managing Director from I-Charge Solutions, in a panel discussion that looks at the roadmap ahead for the EV infrastructure.
Microgrids
Microgrids represent a great opportunity for green power, particularly in regional areas, allowing for more security and reliability when maintaining a green energy supply.
Energy Next has included several talks on the state of microgrids in Australia as part of the agenda including ‘Advanced Inverter Capabilities and Their Role in Grid Stability’, presented by Andros Cadavid, Business Developer Manager, SMA Australia. Cadavid will discuss some of the challenges and solutions as it relates to transitioning the NEM towards a renewable energy dominated system through state-of-the-art inverter technology.
Jey Shivakumar, Principal Engineer, Energy Transformation Services, Cossill & Webley, will discuss how rather than relying on State utilities to provide the solution, private entities who are using microgrids are the most reliable way to obtain green energy in ‘Decarbonisation through the use of Microgrids’.
To end day two of Energy Next, Dr Jose Zapata, Principal, Modelling and Analytics, ITP Renewables, will give a presentation of a summary of key learnings from the recent Fringe-of-Grid Futures South Australian Eyre Peninsula project which examined the potential for the electricity distribution network on the Eyre Peninsula to transition to renewable energy microgrids.
Energy storage
Australia has a vast capacity for generating green energy but, given the intermittent nature of solar and wind generation, there’s a string of logistics that need to be discussed.
Chaired by Nishad Mendis, Energy Transition Manager for Bureau Veritas Australia, the panel discussion titled ‘Long Duration Energy Storage Technologies and Development’ will discuss the acceleration of renewables and long duration energy storage with a series of representatives associated with these next-gen technologies.
Rod Scott, CEO of Selectronic Australia, will talk about the changes in the political and economic landscapes over the last 12 months that have led to more aggressive renewable targets in ‘Smarter Storage Needed to Achieve Future Targets.’ During which, Scott will discuss how these changes have increased the public’s awareness of the vulnerability that Australia will not reach these targets without an increased focus on sovereign capabilities and resources.
Manuel Wieser, Head of Clean Energy Technologies Business for AnteoTech, will provide an overview of the commercial drive towards deployment of new battery chemistries, practical challenges and possible commercialisation time frames in ‘The Future Direction of Lithium-Ion Battery Chemistry.’ The talk further looks to clarify common misconceptions about lithium ion batteries and cell chemistries.
‘Energy Storage – An Explosive Opportunity?’ presented by Glen Platt, Executive Director of Innovation and Strategy for Emergent Group, will discuss the installation and operation of large scale battery systems involving safety, environmental and operational risks that are relatively new to industry and often not properly understood.
Tim Hill, Director, Essential Water and Energy Services, will discuss ‘Compressed Air Energy Storage’. A recent technological breakthrough has allowed Compressed Air Energy Storage to scale down to 50kWh and up to 50MWh. This breakthrough enables CAES to enter into the consumer, microgrid and commercial market which is currently almost exclusively reliant on lithium-ion batteries for energy storage.
Solar PV
Around 30% of homes in Australia have Solar PV, the biggest uptake worldwide. It is also the fastest growing energy generation type in Australia. This makes for a busy market.
Thankfully Warwick Johnston, Director, SunWiz, will present insights into all that’s happening in the solar & storage market, along with a prediction for the future during the first talk of Energy Next 2023 – ‘The Latest Update in PV & ESS.’
Thomas Fontaine, CEO, GreatCell Energy, will be giving a talk on ‘Perovskites – The Future of Solar Energy.’ Perovskites have been dubbed ‘the fastest growing technology ever’ but Google says the technology has potential but that there are issues with ‘efficiency’ and ‘longevity’. However, Fontaine and GreatCell believe the technology can be commercialised now by focusing on low light, indoor applications with shorter life spans.
Wind energy
Australia is an emerging market for offshore wind projects, with some of the best wind generating coastlines in the world, but falls behind neighbours such as Taiwan, Vietnam and Japan.
Energy Next has invited Richard Finlay-Jones, Director, Newcastle Offshore Wind Energy, to discuss a project that has been in development for over a decade.
‘The Newcastle Offshore Wind Energy Project, which was initially only a small-scale project, now has the potential to supply GW scale energy to the NEM via the high capacity Hunter Valley – Central Coast transmission and distribution network.
Hydrogen and ammonia
The Australian government is currently taking active steps for Australia to become a world-leader in Hydrogen export, as well as it having a significant role in domestic clean energy production, though this will require a significant increase in Hydrogen production.
Peter Sallans, Technical Director of Zetta New Energy, will examine both established and emerging hydrogen production processes in ‘Large Scale Hydrogen Production for Domestic Consumption and Export,’ presenting relevant opportunities Australia may have to establish a domestic hydrogen economy and to become a major player in exportation into a global hydrogen economy.
‘Delivering Low-Cost Clean Hydrogen and Ammonia Through Integrated Development of CCS, Renewable Energy Generation,’ presented by Bradley Lingo, Chairman of Pilot Energy, will discuss the first offshore carbon capture and storage operation in Australian Commonwealth Waters. This project will produce up to 1 million metric tonnes per annum of both clean ammonia for export and carbon capture for storage.
Michael Myer, Executive Chairman of Sunshine Hydro, will discuss ‘Super Hybrids Role in Australia as a Green Superpower.’ This follows a world first Super Hybrid hydrogen project planned for Central Queensland which, once completed, will create 65 million tonnes of green hydrogen energy & 220MW of reliable firm green energy per day.
Energy data
There’s no denying that generative AI has progressed beyond comprehension in recent years.. Darren Read, General Manager of Digital Services for Schneider Electric, believes that AI’s predictive capability has no limits and despite its pitfalls, can help the energy sector predict grid failures before they happen.
‘Predictive Asset Management and Digital Transformation for the Renewable Industry’, presented by Read, will discuss the different costs associated with losing an asset on wind, solar and hydroelectric plants, whilst also taking into account management measures for resource scarcity and supply chain uncertainties, and how AI can help us mitigate this and prevent issues before they have already happened
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Powered by All-Energy Australia, in partnership with the Clean Energy Council and with the support of the NSW Government, Energy Next will be spread across two days, boasting an extensive exhibition and agenda in addition to workshops and networking opportunities.
Anyone with an interest in the ‘clean energy’ space can register for FREE through this link.
For more information about Energy Next and to view the full agenda, go to https://www.energynext.com.au/en-gb.html.
