All Energy Australia Conference Agenda 2025

Accelerating the energy transition: How governments can leverage limited balance sheets to accelerate the energy transition

Moderator:
Ben Coles, Head of Energy Transition, Jarden

Panellists:
The Hon Matt Kean, Chair, Climate Change Authority

Chloe Hicks, Executive Director, Strategy & Policy, EnergyCo (NSW Government)

Tim Nelson, Chair, Review of the National Energy Market (NEM) Australian Government

Speakers to be announced.

Hosted by:

Developments in grid integration technology
Chair: Oliver Lee, Head of Distributed Energy Resources, Enel X

Fireside chat: Tasmania’s role in developing deep storage and grid reliability
Rachel Watson, Chief Executive Officer, Hydro Tasmania

Fireside chat: Reshaping the grid: Enabling renewable integration through smart infrastructure and load management
Jennifer Hughes, Executive General Manager Delivery, Transgrid

Distributed intelligence at the edge
Emily Gadaleta, Senior Energy Policy Advisor, Tesla

Panel discussion

How AI predictive analytics improve BESS asset management
Alan Coller, Head of Australia, ACCURE Battery Intelligence

Turning down the noise, turning up the performance: Enhanced acoustics for BESS
Sharon Santhosh, Application Engineer, Wärtsilä Energy Storage

Lessons and future directions from ARENA’S grid-forming battery portfolio
Josiah Fajardo, Practice Lead, Infrastructure Analytics, Ekistica

11:20am – 12:40pm

Future Horizons: How startups are shaping Australian energy innovation
This panel explores why startups are vital to Australia’s clean energy future—driving bold ideas, testing new technologies, and accelerating the race to net zero.

Introduction
Megan Fisher, CEO, EnergyLab

Panel:
Chair: Nick Zeltzer, Managing Partner, Positive Ventures

Panellists:
Virescent

Kristy Battista, Chief Technology Officer, Jupiter Ionics

Megan Fisher, CEO, EnergyLab

John Wood, Chief Executive Officer, Gelion

Hosted by:

Integrate communities with planning
Chair: Tilly Oborn, Senior Advisor, Consentium

Safety = Social license
Leanne Hughson, Chief Executive Officer, Energy Safe Victoria

Ensuring an accessible transition for consumers
Lyn Bowring, Executive Director, Department of Energy, Environment & Climate Action (DEECA)

Engagement for Victoria's first offshore wind transmission line
Suzanne Waddell, Community and Stakeholder Lead, Vicgrid

Panel discussion

Transforming resistance into opportunity
Laura Harkins-Small, Social Practice Lead, Mott Macdonald

Making sure Australia's net-zero infrastructure is community inclusive and not intrusive
Tilly Oborn, Senior Advisor, Consentium

Risk identification for cultural heritage in green energy projects
Fran Scully, Principal Archaeologist, Jacobs Australia

Next step to solar deployment
Chair:

(Panel) Beyond the blueprint: Mitigating risk & challenges and maximising performance in utility solar deployment

Chair: Vaibhav Joshi, Managing Director, Oceania & SouthEast, Gamechange Solar

Panellists:

Energy efficiency for data centres
Chair:

Getting to nature positive: Data centres and new industrial co-location centres.
Chris Leat, Director, CLASP

Creating grid interactive data centres
Bradie Cetin, Power & Grid Solution Architect, Schneider Electric

Data centres: Powering the future of digital infrastructure
Steffen Aust, Industry Lead for Hydrogen Business, SMA Technology AG (Germany)

Panel discussion

Uplifting cyber security in Australia’s renewable energy sector
Darren Gladman, Head of Policy & Regulatory Affairs, SMA Australia

Connecting data centres to Australian NSPs: Why are we struggling?
Deepak Sambhi, Partner, KPMG

The path to AI green data centres
Krishna Amancherla, Founder & President, NMicron

Forecasting demand management
Chair: Jeremy Sung, Head of Policy, Energy Efficiency Council

AEMO's engineering roadmap to 100% renewables
Jonathon Dore, Manager DER Technical Integration, AEMO

Revisiting our energy system transformation
Craig Memery, Senior Advisor, Energy, Justice and Equity Centre

Maximising the value of demand flexibility: Innovative network approaches
Candice Hincksman, Manager Demand and Energy Management, Energy Queensland

Hosted by:

TRANSPORT

10:30am-11:00am

Disruption doesn’t have to mean disruptive: Managing new technology as the transport sector evolves
Rebecca Wilson, Head of Energy Business Solutions ANZ, Ampol

CHARGING

11:30am – 12:00pm

Charging: roles in different segments
Anita Saunders, Program Manager, Electric Vehicle Charging Network, RAA

12:00pm – 1:00pm

Panel discussion: EV charging optimisation: Challenges and opportunities

Moderator:

Panellists:

Load management solutions
Andrew Sung, Head of Charging, Origin Energy

Actually, smart charging
Tom Rose, Product Owner, Evnex

Opportunities in EV charging networks: Navigating innovation and technology horizons
Derek Thomson, Managing Director, NOVEOR

Hosted by:

HOT WATER

11:10am – 11:30am

Hot water pathways for social housing: Design Guidelines for Housing Providers
David Roche, Research Director, UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures

Aditi Phansalkar, Senior Research Consultant, UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures

11:30am – 11:50am

Five decades of delivering energy efficiency and electrification, with heat pumps at the core
Glenn Day, Head of Public Affairs & Engagement, Stiebel Eltron

11:50am – 12:10pm

Programs to support plumbers electrify hot water
Shayne La Combre, CEO, Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC)

Hosted by:

10:15am – 10:45am

New hybrid inverter technology & products
10 CPD POINTS

The session will cover concepts of operation, string configurations, addressing module mismatches for higher yields and understanding common DC bus configuration, system expansions, battery connection & efficiencies.

James Sturch, Technical Director, International Markets, SolarEdge Technologies

10:45am – 11:30am

How the Plumbing Industry is contributing to the Electrification of Homes.
10 CPD POINTS
Updates to the market, challenges, successes of what the Plumbing Industry is experiencing; and how it’s contributing to the electrification of homes.

Ashleigh Dalmau, CEO, Master Plumbers Association

11:30am – 12:30pm

EV bi-directional charging updates
10 CPD POINTS

This course equips participants with the knowledge to understand the current electric vehicle (EV) market and its implications for installers. It covers the state of EV and EV charging markets, the role of bidirectional chargers, and key considerations such as interoperability, cybersecurity, and system compatibility. Participants will also explore common challenges and future developments, enabling them to engage with the EV sector in a compliant, informed, and future-ready way.

Michael Shaughnessy, EV Infrastructure Officer, Electric Vehicle Council (EVC)

Hosted by:

Session and speaker details to follow.

Developments in solar storage
Chair:

Enabling new opportunities and addressing complex challenges through the development and application of advanced photovoltaic module technologies
Thomas Bywater, Country Director, Aiko Solar

Reevaluating wind and hail mitigation strategies for maximised energy yield in utility-scale solar
Aaron Gabelnick, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, ARRAY Technologies (USA)

Beyond modules: Integrated solar and BESS system solutions
Thomas Koerner, Corporate Sr. Vice President, Global Sales, MSS Business Unit Canadian Solar Inc (Canada)

Panel discussion

Prolonging performance and preventing waste: How best-practice maintenance can delay the next big solar crisis
Andrew Barrington, Managing Director, Solar Shine Australia

The power of vertical integration: Strengthening energy security through transparent, end-to-end storage
Karolina Biernacka, AUS/NZ Sales Manager; UTILITY BESS, Trina Solar

The race to the bottom: Why cheaper operations and maintenance is costing us more
Roshan Dharmasena, Managing Director, Photon Renewable Services Pty Ltd

BESS risk management: Development; distributed energy storage
Mark Twidell, Professor of Industry Practice, UNSW

Sponsored by:

Speakers to be announced.

Hosted by:

Demand management for distributed energy resources
Chair:

Powering growth with purpose: SEC plans to decarbonise Victorian homes and businesses
Chris Miller, CEO, State Electricity Commission (SEC)

Working with industry to deliver for Victorians: A window into what’s next
Paul Corkill, Chief Projects Officer, Solar Victoria

Evolving landscape and the future of market demand response
Paul Moore, Managing Director, VIOTAS Australia

System level benefits of distributed energy resources
Johanna Bowyer, Lead Electricity Analyst, Ieefa

Integrating solar, storage and distributed energy resources (DER) from the city streets to the farm
Jason Downes, Project Origination, Enervest

Cybersecurity and resilience for distributed energy fleets
Phil Blythe, Executive Director, CAPA Intelligence

Panel discussion

Not just for emergencies: Flexible demand solutions in a renewable grid
Alister Alford, Head of Market Development and Regulatory Affairs, Enel X

DER: Flexible market structures: Ready to enable 100% renewables
Yogendra Vashishtha, Head of Future Networks, EA Technology

1:40pm – 3:00pm

Startup Focus: Battery innovation & the Australian lithium opportunity
Australia has a once-in-a-generation chance to capture economic value across the lithium battery value chain. This session dives into the opportunity, highlights the Supercharge Australia initiative, and features pioneering battery startups leading the way.

Keynote:
Kirk McDonald

Panel:
Chair:
Adam Best, Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO

Panellists:
Christiaan Jordaan, Founder and CEO, Sicona

Amir Taheri, CEO and Co-Founder, Voltavate

Lara Whelan, Project Midas

Hosted by:

Mapping grassroots community engagement
Chair: Gabriel Wong, Co-Founder, Positive Good

Fireside chat: Engagement for the first Victorian Transmission Plan 2025
Monique Halliday, Lead, Victorian Transmission Investment Framework (VTIF) Engagement, Vicgrid

Transforming resistance into opportunity: Leading change
Laura Harkins-Small, Social Practice Lead, Mott Macdonald

Integrating geospatial and heritage through multi-criteria Analysis
Fran Scully, Principal Archaeologist, Jacobs Australia

Sources of outrage in energy projects and how to reduce community unrest
Margaret Harvie, Director, PlanCom Consulting

Reimagining community engagement through immersive technologies and AI-supported tools
Dr Joel Fredericks, Senior Lecturer in Design, University of Sydney, School of Architecture, Design and Planning; Consultant, Urban Planning and Community Engagement

Clarifying the regulation landscape
Chair:

The essential role of energy monitoring for ESG compliance and trust
Jaime Robles, Country Manager, Smappee

Workshop Regulatory synergy in the clean energy transition: Navigating risk and compliance in the solar and renewables industry
Ben Wright, Director, Risk Assurance and Standards, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) - Solar Victoria

Changing renewable assessment in Queensland
Sophie Lam, Director - Town Planner, Urbis Ltd

Harmonic assessment and compliance to NEM generator performance standards
Craig Aumulle, Grid Connection Manage, TrinaSolar

Sustainability reporting standards: Creating value from compliance
Lisa Zembrodt, Principle and Senior Director, Schneider Electric

IEA PV Power Systems Program (PVPS) and Australian Participation

Chair: Renate Egan, Centre Director, Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics

Integrating high PV penetrations into power systems
Iain Macgill, Professor of Energy Systems, University of New South Wales (UNSW)

Building Integrated PV
Rebecca Yang, Professor, Department of Infrastructure Engineering, University of Melbourne

Solar panel end-of-llfe management in Australia
Rong Deng, Lecturer, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW)

Hosted by:

Developments in residential energy
Chair:

Consumers: The untapped player in Australia’s energy transition
Matthew van der Linen, Flow Power

Unlocking the future of residential energy: Trends, challenges and the potential of home energy management system (HEMS)
Samuel Coupel, Director - New Energy Solutions, Schneider Electric

VPPs: Why uptake is low and how we can change perceptions
John Barton, Chief Technology Officer, Amber Electric

Regulatory reforms to leverage consumer energy resources
Aylin Cunsolo, Partner, Baker McKenzie

Hosted by:

1:00pm – 1:30pm

LUNCH BREAK

1:30pm – 2:00pm

EV Chargers: The gateway to a smarter grid
Joris Laponder, Chief Commercial Officer, Zaptec (Norway)

Hosted by:

POLICIES AND SCHEMES SUPPORTING ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Chair:
Amelia Jarrett, Policy Advisor, Energy Efficiency Council

1:00pm – 1:20pm

Utilising Energy Certificate Programs for Decarbonising Manufacturing
Aaron Jenkins, CEO, EcoVantage

1:20pm – 1:40pm

Victorian Energy Upgrades – how accredited providers can electrify commercial and industrial businesses
Tricia Lorenzo, Manager Industry Development - Victorian Energy Upgrades, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) - Solar Victoria

Jack Brown, Manager Energy Efficiency Technologies, Solar Victoria

1:40pm – 2:00pm

Crash, Boom, Slash, Revive – What’s Next for VEECs, ESCs and STCs in 2026
Nicklas Lindewald, General Manager, 4Eva Energy

Hosted by:

1:30pm – 2:30pm

Fault finding and maintenance of PV and battery systems
10 CPD POINTS

This course equips participants with the skills to diagnose, troubleshoot, and maintain grid-connected PV systems, including battery storage. It also covers fault-finding and testing procedures in line with Australian Standards, ensuring safe and efficient PV system operation.

Cody Hancock, Training Technical Lead, Global Sustainable Energy Solutions (GSES)

Hosted by:

Session and speaker details to follow.

Next step to grid-scale storage
Chair:

Energy at the edge: Transitioning the world’s most isolated large grid
Jai Thomas, Australian Coordinator of Energy, Energy Policy WA and Deputy Director General, Department of Energy and Economic Diversification

Super-hybrids, LDES, and green fuels: Building bankable 24/7 infrastructure
Rick McElhinney, Chief Executive Officer, Sunshine Hydro

The age of complexity: Prosumers and the new rules of grid engagement Gavin Mooney, General Manager Australia, Kaluza

The changing market and competitor landscape for contestable grid connection
Dan Sunderland, Director Workforce Development, Rennie Advisory

Panel discussion

Future-proofing grid-scale storage integration
Derek Thomson, Managing Director, NOVEOR

The future of home energy storage: Opportunities and challenges

Creating Energy Masters: Helping households join the transition on their terms
Michaela Reilly, Energy Transition Project Manager, SA Power Networks

Hosted by:

Green hydrogen in the clean energy mix
Chair:

Hydrogen in 2025: A turning point for Australia? Latest projects, domestic pipeline projects, regional demand, and hydrogen derivatives
Nigel Rambhujun, Hydrogen Analyst, Rystad Energy

Tasmania to lead Australia in green hydrogen production and use
Geoffrey Drucker, Managing Director, Countrywide Hydrogen

Volgren hydrogen and zero emission buses for transport
Arnaldo Sanchez, Zero Emission Buses Specialis, Volgren Australia

3:30pm – 4:40pm

Breakthrough collaborations: Industry-ready startups & pitch event
The clean energy transition won’t be achieved by industry or startups alone - it depends on powerful partnerships that turn fresh ideas into real-world impact. This session brings together industry leaders and entrepreneurs to explore how collaboration sparks innovation and delivers commercial outcomes.
The panel will be followed by a pitch event featuring startups ready to pilot and scale with industry partners.

Chair:
Megan Fisher, CEO, EnergyLab

Panellists:
Melanie Sibraa, Senior Strategy & Innovation Manager , Endeavour Energy

Christine Brennan, Innovation Manager, Powerlink

Alan Hunter, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, NRN

Marija Petkovic, Founder and Managing Director, Energy Synapse

Industry Ready Pitches

4:45pm – 5:45PM
Innovation networking drinks

Hosted by:

Trajectory for bio-fuels
Chair: Pauline Kennedy, Low Carbon Policy & Advocacy Manager, bp

Renewable powered green methanol in Western Australia
Greg Allen, Director Project Development and Deal Origination, Vestas

Fuelling the future: Empowering Australia's energy security and economic growth through low carbon fuels
Stephen Forshaw, Chief Representative, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, Airbus

Powering a low carbon liquid fuel industry in Australia: Lessons from commercial refining
James Williamson, General Manager, ANZ, Neste

The triple advantage of low carbon liquid fuels LCLF: delivering for the economy, fuel security and net zero
Pauline Kennedy, Low Carbon Policy & Advocacy Manager, bp

Hosted by:

Roadmap to decarbonisation
Chair: Jonathan Jutsen, CEO, Jutsen Innovation

Electrify with purpose: Data-driven, profitable, and scalable decarbonisation
Roy Ghandi, Principal Consultant, Schneider Electric

Decarbonising off-grid networks: The challenge for Alpine Resorts
Maurice Oldham, Technical Director - Energy and Decarbonisation, Mott Macdonald

Port and ship decarbonisation
Elisa Woodward, CEO, NetZero Oceania

Decarbonising construction: What is happening on the ground
Jessamine Welsh, Sustainability Manager, Spark NEL

Decarbonisation of regional passenger rail in Victoria
Andreas Rey, Manager Sustainability Program, V/Line Corporation

What we need to do to rapidly electrify industry to meet carbon emission targets
Jonathan Jutsen, CEO, Jutsen Innovation

Electrification across households
Chair:

Homes of the future are here and they're all electric: Guide to Victoria’s package of incentives and regulations supporting electrification
Stan Krpan, Chief Executive Officer, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) - Solar Victoria

Empowering communities: Innovative strategies for private-local government partnerships in household energy efficiency
Marco Salinas, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Hubble

From the coalface: Delivering electrification at scale
Jade Channell, Head of Customer and Partnerships, Formbay Pty Ltd

Insights and opportunities for Accredited Providers in an evolving electrification program
Tricia Lorenzo, Manager Industry Development - Victorian Energy Upgrades, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) - Solar Victoria

Consumer choices in an electrified world
Sam Bendat, CEO, Solving Zero

Electri-Fair-Cation: Enabling equitable electrification in brownfield communities
Ana Erceg, Manager, Grid Evolution, Ausnet Services

The great debate: Can we electrify everything?
Peter Benyon, Australian Market Leader – Power, Ghd

Electrification: Electrify Now is pioneering the way customers can engage and start their journey
Belinda O'Connor, Product Lead, Demand Creation, AGL

Flexible demand management

Chair:

Unlocking lower cost, resilient renewable energy access: How the SEC is collaborating to bring demand response benefits to the Victorian water industry
Rebecca Tilbrook, Energy Solutions Leader, SEC

What is next for demand response: Unlocking flexibility in a two-sided market
Paul Moore, Managing Director, Viotas

Refrigeration at scale: Unlocking flexible demand through virtual power plants
Andrew Sutherland, Head of Refrigeration, Enel X

Demand response from commercial and industrial customers: Enabling technologies and strategies to overcome barriers
Dr Lasantha Meegahapola, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, RMIT

Hosted by:

PUBLIC CHARGING

Chair:

2:00pm – 2:20pm

How to build a scalable EV charging business
Tim Washington, Chief Executive Officer, JET Charge

COMMERCIAL
MODELS

2:30pm – 3:00pm

Commercialising charging infrastructure: Lessons learnt
Anna Sawyer, Director, Deloitte

EV TECHNOLOGY
DATA AND
INTEGRATION

Chair:

3:00pm – 4:00pm

Panel Discussion EV charging: where to next?
Moderator:

Panellists:

Kerbside EV charging
Ross De Rango, Director, Vehicle Charging Solutions Australia

EV charging: winning strategies for the next two years
Robert Asselman, Head of Marketing, Chargefox

Evaluating demand for EV charging in Australia with Orkestra & ARENA
Eoin Farrell, Senior Data Scientist, Orkestra

On-Pole charging & data usage
David Anstee, Director, Withywindle

4:00pm – 4:30pm

Reliable, data-driven, driver-friendly: The future of charging
Paula Savonen, Vice President, Communications, Kempower Pty

Sponsored by:

2:20pm – 2:40pm

Check your demand side - the greatest industrial decarbonisation opportunity Australia is missing
Jarrod Leak, CEO, Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity

2:40pm – 3:00pm

Time for action – how to meet decarbonisation targets
Jonathan Pooch, Managing Director, DETA

3:00pm – 3:20pm

Monash Uni - Pump Fiction? What Really Happens When You Ditch the Gas
Kendra Wasiluk, Program Director, Net Zero and Sustainability, Monash University

Hosted by:

2:45pm – 3:30pm

Flexible demand and solar-soaking potential of hot water systems
10 CPD POINTS

Presentation will focus on two real-world trials including 20,000 households (RACE for 2030 SolarShift and ARENA PlusES South Australia Flexible Demand trial) focusing on flexible demand and solar-soaking potential of electric water heating systems (resistive and heat-pumps).
The presentation will also show the network impact of hot water orchestration, thermal modelling and emissions findings for different water heating technologies as well as demonstrate a new online facing tool to empower customers when making decisions about their water heating systems.
Dr Baran Yildiz, Senior Lecturer, UNSW

3:45pm – 4:15pm

Mental Health with TradeMutt and TIACS – Conversation Starter
Zero CPD POINTS

This course introduces participants to the importance of mental health awareness in trades through an honest and engaging conversation with the founders of TradeMutt and TIACS. It encourages open dialogue, breaks down stigma, and equips attendees with practical ways to support themselves and their peers by becoming mental health conversation starters.

Dan Allen & Ed Ross, Co-Founders of TradeMutt and TIACS

Hosted by:

Session and speaker details to follow.

BESS and grid stability
Chair:

Unlocking the future of energy storage
Kerim Mekki, Renewable Energy + Storage Director, ANZ, AECOM

Unlocking the next phase of grid stability
John Alexander, VP Large Scale & Projects, SMA Australia

Balancing resilience and economics: The evolving role of battery storage
Kevin Zhang, Director of Solution Engineering and Customer Success (APAC), Leoch Battery Australia Pty Ltd

Design considerations of energy management systems
Tirthankar Banerjee, Director, Oztron Energy

Beyond the grid’s edge: Long-duration storage for mini-grids and remote resilience
Martin Becker, VP, Origination & Development (Australia) Hydrostor

Progress update on the development of Victoria’s offshore wind energy industry
Anh Mai, Executive Director, Offshore Wind Energy Victoria (OWEV), DEECA

Opportunities for transmission investment in Victoria
Vanessa Osborne, Director, Land, Planning and Environment, Vicgrid

Building an offshore wind industry in Australia
Billy Mullin, Offshore Wind Specialist, Aurecon

Environmental and Social Due Diligence of offshore wind projects, lessons learned and the application of these to the Australian market
Nicholas Corne, Partner, ERM

Hosted by:

Ensuring network security & reliability
Chair:

Blackout in Europe: Post-mortem analysis and experiences relevant for the NEM
Enrique Garralaga Rojas, Managing Director, SMA Altenso (Germany)

Smoothing the internet of things (IoT) energy transition with AI at the grid edge
Dave Johnson, Head of Australia, Sense

Panel Discussion

Beyond existing essential system services: the emerging applications of grid-forming technology in the NEM
Megan Jackson, Head of Sales Engineering (APAC), Tesla

Human-centred visualisation for control rooms of the future
Sarah Goodwin, Senior Lecturer, Monash University

Regulatory frameworks and market integration for assets under non-firm grid connection
Rabindra Nath Shaw, Grid Connection Manager, Baywa r.w.

Emerging trends of collocating BESS with wind without compromising stability or delivery
Rajesh Arora, Connection Services Lead - Australia & New Zealand (Energy Transition and Renewal, Aecom Australia

Streamlining the design and installation of microgrids
Michael Murray, Director - Microgrid Solution, Generac

Inside the nerve centre: Operating Australia’s evolving grid in real-time
Jason Krstanoski, General Manager of Operations & Maintenance, Transgrid

Consumer engagement at the forefront
Chair:

Panel discussion

The heroes of the transition: Why the SEC is putting consumers at the heart of home electrification

Moderator:
Ruchika Deora, General Manager, Consumer Energy Solutions, SEC

Sumone Chakravarti,
Executive General Manager, Consumer and Innovation, SEC

Jess Christiansen, Partnerships Manager, SEC

11:00am – 12:20pm

Startup Focus: Innovation Driving Industrial Decarbonisation

Startups pioneering technologies to decarbonise industry share their progress, reflect on sector challenges, and explore what’s needed to scale their impact.

Keynote: Chris Lee, CEO, Climate-KIC

Panel
Chair: Chris Lee, CEO, Climate-KIC

Panellists:
Tia Collings, CEO and Co-Founder, Enaxiom

Mark Croudace, CEO, MGA Thermal

Prashant Parulekar, Founder & CEO, InfigoLabs

Nathan Steggel, Director, Aratherm

Hosted by:

Commercial drivers for the NEM
Chair:

Adjusting consumer tariffs: Customer behaviour changes along the solar journey to energy independence
Dan Adams, CEO, Amber Electric

Replacing thermal generation: The role of large-scale batteries in the NEM
Josef Tadic, Regional Director, Tesla

Accelerating the energy transition: Path to a sustainable future
James Katsikas, Chief Executive Officer, EDF Australia

Panel discussion

An overview of the NEM: Opportunities and challenges
David Dixon, Senior Analyst, Rystad Energy

Dispatch, trading and bidding: Is that what a control room does?
Ellise Janetzki, Operations Manager, Overwatch Energy

Beyond the bottom line: Rethinking how we benchmark BESS trading performance in the NEM
Matt Grover, Director, Energy Markets APAC, Fluence

Impact of network outages on market volatility
Nadali Mahmoudi, Director- Electricity Market & Network Modelling, EPEC Group

Developments in REZ planning
Chair:

Victoria’s new energy zones explained
Adele McCarthy, Executive Director, Strategy and Planning, Vicgrid

EnergyCo and renewable energy in NSW
Hannah McCaughey, CEO, Energy Corporation of NSW

Insights from REZ projects: How renewable projects deliver benefits
Harshal Patel, Director - Renewable Energy, Beca

Lessons from the first Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) in Australia
Michael Diggle, Technical Director, Energy, Aurecon

REZ, DNA and DCA: Navigating the legal frameworks and issues
Tanya Denning, Partner, K&L Gates

DER demand management

Chair:

From blind spots to insights: Real-time LV monitoring for the DER era
Richard McIndoe, Chairman, Edge Zero

How energy matching Is unlocking consumer access to renewables and accelerating the clean energy transformation
Steve Hoy, Co-founder and CEO, Enosi Energy

AEMO's engineering roadmap to 100% renewables
Jonathon Dore, Manager - DER Technical Integration, AEMO

Impact of network DER Integration - a real-world challenge
Ajay Biswas, Associate Vice President, HCL Australia Services Pty Ltd

DER in large- scale master-planned communities: Network benefits
Jey Shivakumar, Principal Engineer - Energy Transformation Services, Cossill & Webley Pty Ltd

A framework for assessing DER management maturity
Chris Green, Solution Architect, Itron

Building the plane as we fly it: Our experience in running an industry co-design process to develop a high-level design for AEMO’s CER Data Exchange
Ed Chan, Head of Energy Advisory, Australia, Mott Macdonald Australia

Applying AI in the CER Sector
James Sturch, Technical Director, International Markets, SolarEdge Technologies

Community batteries: Industry insights on development and operation of distribution BESS
Parvathy Sivadas, Senior DER Engineer, AGL

Digitalisation and AI in the energy sector – the future of jobs in energy
Chair:

Simon English, Network Technology Manager, Powercor

Tim Burt, Director, Strategy & Planning, Future Skills Organisation

Saf Flatters, Emerging Data Scientist

Hosted by:

CHARGING AT HOME AND BUSINESSES

Chair:

10:00am – 10:30am

From UK to AU: Home electrification, why it matters, and what can be learnt from the UK (the good and the bad)
Shahram Shadan, Managing Director, myenergi APAC

10:30am– 11:00am

The EV as the hub of the home and business energy systems
Justin Harding, Head of Innovation and Engineering, Australian Motoring Services

11:00am – 11:20am

COFFEE BREAK

BUILDINGS

11:30am – 12:00pm

Power distribution challenges and solutions in commercial and multi residential buildings
Peter Jessup, National E-mobility Business Development Manager, Schneider Electric

Hosted by:

11:10am – 11:30am

Heat pumps for commercial sector – case study
Chun Goh, General Manager, Energy Smart Water

11:30am – 11:50am

Why are banks interested in this? Commercial buildings report

11:50am – 12:30pm

Electrifying Australia’s commercial buildings
Rob McLeod, Senior Advisor, Policy & Research, Energy Efficiency Council

Hosted by:

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Using hot water heaters to optimise PV self-consumption and assist grid stability
10 CPD POINTS

Dean will present the potential of water heaters as domestic thermal batteries, to optimise PV self-consumption and benefit the grid voltage and frequency stability. Dean will draw on academic publications he has authored, along with the latest research undertaken at RMIT, highlighting practical applications and current regulatory/market limitations. He will demonstrate it's possible to lower consumer energy costs whilst assisting the grid transformation into 100% renewable energy.

Dr Dean Clift, R&D Manager and Technical Specialist, Rheem Australia

Hosted by:

Speakers to be announced.

Integrating clean energy with the grid
Chair:

VicGrid's Victorian transmission plan
Alistair Parker, Chief Executive Officer VicGrid

Innovating for the future: Leveraging utility-scale technology to transform Australia’s grid
Shane Bannister, Principal Adviser Strategy & Innovation, Tesla

Grounded in Australia: Deployable helical pile foundations for BESS, solar, wind & transmission
Brodie Houghton, Managing Director, Solidity Pty Ltd

Crunch time for Western Australia's WEM
Sally Bogle, Vice President - APAC Renewables & Power, Rystad Energy

Assessing harmonic filter design and sizing under divergent TNSP methodologies in the power system
Dominique Alonso Sorensen, Grid Connection Manager, Electronicas Arteche Smart Grid (Spain)

Panel discussion:

Unlocking Australia’s potential: Harnessing renewable energy and BESS for energy security & grid resilience
Elisabeth Balding, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, EDF Australia

Matching Australia’s grid with its renewable superpower ambition
Kylie Turner, Sustainable Economies Lead, Climateworks Centre

Panel Discussion: Cumulative Impacts and cumulative benefit: What rural and regional leaders need to unlock benefits of renewable energy development

Moderator:
Andrew Bray, National Director, RE Alliance

Panellists:
Chris Souness, Chief Executive Officer, Wimmera Southern Mallee Development, VIC

Veronica Terry, Program Manager, Regional Development, Cradle Coast Authority, TAS

Tracy Lefroy, Shire President, Shire of Moora, WA

Alison McLean, Executive Manager - Economic Development and Tourism, Hay Shire Council

Hosted by:

Pathway to green hydrogen
Chair:

From concept to reality: A year of operational insights from Endua's Hydrogen Power Bank at Archerfield Airport
Ben Mcgruer, Head of Engineering, Endua

Next-gen green hydrogen production: High-efficiency advanced electrode technology without precious metals
Tulika Raj, CEO, SunGreenH2 (Singapore)

Producing green hydrogen while treating wastewater
Emma Clark, CEO, WATR-H2

Grid connection of large-scale hydrogen electrolysis plants
Mehdi Ghazavi Dozein, Lecturer, Monash University

Innovations in demand management
Chair:

Household demand flexibility and Energy Masters, the story so far…
Peter Pudney, Professor, University of South Australia

The Queensland Distribution System Operator (DSO) Building the ship to sail off the map
Blake Harvey, Grid Transformation Lead, Energy Queensland

Transition to active distribution network planning and operation - the key to a lower cost transition
James Seymour, Chief Executive Officer, Centre for New Energy Technologies Ltd ("C4NET")

Check your demand side - the greatest industrial decarbonisation opportunity Australia is missing
Jarrod Leak, CEO, Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity

Maximising the value of demand flexibility - innovative network approaches
Candice Hincksman, Manager Demand and Energy Management, Energy Queensland

Household energy use and impact
Rob Passey, Senior Research Fellow, UNSW

Demand-side solutions are the key to lower energy bills and system costs
Jay Gordon, Energy Finance Analyst, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis

Demand response from commercial and industrial customers: Enabling Technologies and strategies to overcome barriers
LASANTHA MEEGAHAPOLA, Deputy Head of Department (Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering) RMIT University, Melbourne

Panel discussion

Emergent network solutions for activating demand flexibility
Daniel Eghbal, Manager Future Network Strategy, Energy Queensland

1:00pm – 2:20pm

A positive climate podcast
A Positive Climate Live: join us for a live, recorded episode of A Positive Climate podcast featuring one of Australia's leading energy startups
Nick Zeltzer, Managing Partner, Positive Ventures & Guest

Hosted by:

Investing in grid-scale storage
Chair:

Grid-scale storage: Unlocking the full market opportunity
Craig Stallan, Executive General Manager, Lumea

Comparison of sodium-Ion and semi-solid batteries for micro-grid BESS applications
Jeremy Whaley, CTO - Energy Storage, CD Power

Revolutionising embedded networks: Exploring the impact of community batteries and MondoGrid
Andrea Hill, Energy Solutions Lead, Mondo

Navigating noise compliance: Setting up BESS projects for success
Tim Ryan, Associate Director - Acoustics Energy Lead, WSP Australia Pty Ltd

Solar energy to provide heating and lighting for buildings and industry
Chair: Ken Guthrie, Director, Sustainable Energy Transformation Pty Ltd

Solar hot water: An overlooked key to unlocking a sustainable energy future
Robert Taylor, Professor, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of New South Wales

Advancing low-carbon lighting solutions: IEA SHC task 70 and opportunities for Australia
Veronica Garcia Hansen, Associate Professor in the School of Architecture and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology

Unlocking Rooftop Potential ? Why PV thermal is the missing link for Australian solar installers
Doug Smith, CEO, Coolsheet PVT

Hosted by:

Unlocking bioenergy: Powering Industry and agriculture
Chair: Scott Grierson, Managing Director/CEO, Valorify

Building Australia's bio economy: New industries, energy, and opportunities
Scott Douglas, CEO & Founder, Green Lab Futures

Biogas systems and energy certificate programs; Unlocking value for decarbonising farms
Katie Tebbatt, Commercial Manager, Ecovantage

The missing link in Australia's clean energy future
Scott Grierson, Managing Director/CEO, Valorify

Hosted by:

Transforming talent: Upskilling and retraining for the energy workforce
Chair:

Panel discussion

Shifting gears: How career transitions are powering the energy transition
Elizabeth Karpiel, Senior Engineer, DNV

Bright minds, bright futures: The SEC has gone back to school to teach students about future renewable energy careers
Marcus Leong, General Manager Strategy and Performance, SEC

Ian Crowhurst, Head of Future Capacity & Talent, Origin Energy

Veronica Quinless, Senior Strategic Advisor – Clean Energy, TAFE Gippsland

Hosted by:

COMMERCIA
LISATION

12:00pm– 12:30pm

Redesigning building infrastructure to deliver charging solutions: Barangaroo 400 EV rollout
Philip Graham, Chief Executive Officer, Cleanpeak Energy

COMMUNICATIONS
AND
CYBERSECURITY

12:30pm– 1:30pm

Securing Open-source technologies in charging infrastructure

1:00pm –1:30pm

LUNCH BREAK

Hosted by:

IMPROVING HOME ENERGY PERFORMANCE

Chair: Rob McLeod, Senior Advisor (Policy and Research) at Energy Efficiency Council

1:00pm – 1:20pm

Understanding Early Failures in HPHWS: Exploring the Role of Voltage
Alan Pears, Senior Industry Fellow, RMIT University

1:20pm – 1:40pm

Hot Water as Flexible Load
Hamish McKenzie, Strategy and Growth Manager, VPP, AGL

1:40pm – 2:00pm

The role of VPPs in the energy transition
Merrily Hunter, CEO, MAC Trade Services

Hosted by:

1:30pm – 2:30 pm

10 CPD POINTS

Hosted by:

Speakers to be announced.

Marketplace readiness for virtual power plants
Chair:

How AI-driven virtual power plants are changing the game for residential communities
Carly Irving-Dolan, Executive Director - Energy and Connectivity, Prospecta Utilities

VPP Readiness Index
Hugo Khelifa, Manager/Head of Sydney Office, Blunomy

VPP learnings from the West
George Martin, Chief Technology Officer, Plico

Virtual power plants: How a single site could make or break your portfolio
Mark Netto, Partner, VPP Partners

Economic models for VPP participation: Behind the meter - energy management
Pawan Verma, Solutions Engineer, Fronius Australia

Virtual power plants: Orchestrating Australia's distributed energy future
Tomás Eastwood, Senior Technical Support Engineer, AlphaESS Australia

Panel discussion

Power of partnerships to prove and expand VPPs
Leesa Blazely, Project Director, Momentum Energy

No Signal, no power: Why VPPs need connectivity to thrive
Carly Irving-Dolan, Executive Director - Energy and Connectivity, Prospecta Utilities

Boosting VPP adoption: Crafting customer-centric and compelling value propositions
Nirmit Sharma, Manager Customer DER, Synergy (Electricity Generation and Retail Corporation)

Marketplace reforms
Chair:

The role of gas
Stephanie Bashir, Principal, Nexa Advisory

Early steps towards reconciliation - learnings from CleanCo's Reflect RAP process
Rimu Nelson, GM Customer and Energy Markets, CleanCo QLD

Hosted by:

New technologies for clean energy
Chair:

The use of IoT, AI and machine learning in extracting greater value and productivity from renewable energy assets
Brett Milne, Managing Director and Founder, Karit

Using AI predictive analytics to increase BESS safety
Jasper Seitz-McIntyre, Customer Success Manager, ACCURE Battery Intelligence GmbH (Germany)

Ada in action: How AI intelligence impacts solar adoption
Andrew Birch, Co-founder and CEO, OpenSolarBS (UK)

Optimising every electron: Building a holistic clean energy future
Matt Sainsbury, Communications, Sunshine Hydro

Exploring non-DNSP grid-connected town micro grids and the future of resilience for regional communities
Chris Wallin, Commercial Program Manager, Yarra Energy Foundation

Future of battery energy storage systems (BESS)
Chair: Kerim Mekki, Renewable Energy + Storage Director, ANZ, AECOM

Evolving revenue streams for utility-scale batteries
Marija Petkovic, Managing Director, Energy Synapse

Optimising battery returns despite operational challenges
Sahand Karimi, Chief Executive Officer, OptiGrid

Lessons from Europe
Aaron Gerdemann, Head of Business Development, SMA Technology AG (Germany)

FCAS and demand response
Tanya Denning, Partner, K&L Gates

Deploying neighbourhood batteries: Successes, struggles, and solutions
David Fogarty, Project Engineer, Engineering & Program Development, Mondo

Batteries: Our clean energy tipping point
Renae Gasmier, Head of Innovation & Strategy, AGL

2:50pm – 4:10pm

Breakthrough tech: Live startup pitchfest

Curious about the next big energy breakthrough? Join us for a fast-paced pitchfest where cutting edge startups showcase the technologies set to transform the industry.

Pitches
• Brightspace
• Flipped Energy

Hosted by:

Corporate PPAs in 2025: Large energy users and data centres
Chair: Jackie McKeon, Program Director, Business Renewables Centre Australia

Panellists:

Vinit Chitkara, Director APAC Energy, Equinix

Chunkiu Ng, Principal Consultant, CORE Markets

Aylin Cunsolo, Partner, Ashurst

Danial Trujllo, PPA Origination & Power Markets, OX2

Jonathan Trevor, Sustainability & Energy Manager, BOC Australia

Developments for grid-scale storage
Chair: Joy Sumner, Co-director Franco- Australian Centre for Energy Transition (FACET), Swinburne University of Technology

Beyond the battery: Social licensing and community partnership in grid-scale storage projects in Aotearoa New Zealand
Lauren Faithfull, Manager – Renewables, McKay Ltd

Beyond lithium-Ion: Future storage solutions for energy hubs
George Koolman, Renewables and Storage Lead Australia, Royal HaskoningdDHV

Carbon capture, utilisation and storage: Possible mitigation to global emissions
Joy Sumner, Co-director Franco-Australian Centre for Energy Transition (FACET), Swinburne University of Technology

Changing the energy planning standard with Solar and BESS
Mark Parker, Executive Director & Founding Director of EPEC, EPEC Group

Data centre sustainability
Chair: Ivan Fernandez, Vice President, Australia & New Zealand, Frost & Sullivan

The Australian data centre maintenance services market: Status and outlook
Ivan Fernandez, Vice President, Australia & New Zealand, Frost & Sullivan

Facilitate seamless grid connection of inverter-based data centres
Abbas Abbasi, Market Solutions Specialist, Ausnet Services

Data centres: Solving the step change in large load electrification
Jacob Kharoufeh, Connections Partnership Development Manager, Ausgrid

Data centre energy efficiency and building a sustainable IT infrastructure
Rozane Bezuidenhout, Director Future Energy Systems, Tata Consulting Services

Industry-led training: Building the workforce through education excellence
Chair:

Panel discussion
Tom Emeleas, General Manager, ANZETA, NECA Training & Apprenticeships

Shawn O'Sullivan, Executive Director, TAFE Queensland

Ty Theodore, General Manager, Clean Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence

Jo Abbey, Principal, Aurecon

Hosted by:

1:30pm – 2:00pm

Using real driver experiences and first party data to humanise a balanced charging ecosystem
Daniel Tait, Senior Program Manager, JOLT

OUTLOOK FOR HEAVY VEHICLES

Chair:

2:00pm – 2:30pm

(Forecast) Electric trucks: The V2G powerhouse of the future?
Adrian Salinas, Knowledge Sharing Manager, Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)

2:30pm-3:00pm

MegaWatt Charging System (MCS) roll out in Australia and New Zealand
Elizabeth Yeaman, Managing Director, CharIN

3:00pm – 3:30pm

Panel discussion: Developments in trucking
Robert Kochhan, Senior Professional Leader, National Transport Research

Dave Clements, Group Executive Operations, Transurban

Alexandra Kelly, Zero Emissions Delivery Lead, IKEA

Romesh Rodrigo, Head of Vehicle Homologation, Regulatory Affairs and Future Mobility, Daimler Truck Australia Pacific

3:30pm – 4:00pm

Preparing the grid for the EV surge: Visibility, flexibility, and consumer engagement
Dave Johnson, Head of Australia, Sense

4:00pm – 4:30pm

Data-driven insights into home charging and grid Implications: Case study in Victoria
Hao Wang, Senior Lecturer, Monash University

Sponsored by:

Hosted by:

2:20pm – 2:40pm

Home Energy Upgrades: Paving the way for scalable, community-led energy upgrades across Australia
Rob Raven, Professor of Sustainability Transitions and Deputy Director, Monash Sustainable Development Institute

2:40pm – 3:00pm

The opportunities and challenges for bundled services and one-stop shops
Felicia Richardson, CEO, Enviroflex

Hosted by:

2:45pm – 3:30pm

NETCC compliance learnings - CER installations
10 CPD POINTS

This presentation will focus on key findings and learnings from the NETCC chair – Dr Penelope Crossley; and members of the NETCC compliance team

Dr Penelope Crossley, NETCC Chairperson & NETCC Compliance team

3:45pm – 4:15pm

Installer/
Manufacturer/Industry
roundtable – co-hosted by CEC/Industry rep’s
Small group discussion giving installers & Manufacturer’s/Industry opportunity to ask questions and answers

James Sturch, Technical Director, International Markets, SolarEdge Technologies

Dr Dean Clift, R&D Manager and Technical Specialist, Rheem Australia

Hosted by:

Speakers to be announced.