All Energy Australia Conference Agenda 2026

Attracting investment finance
Chair: Peter Hawkes, Managing Director, Woods Street

Turning policy into bankable projects....CEO's guide to securing FID (Final Investment decision)
Claire Elkin, Founder & CEO, Engineering Equilibrium

From megawatts to megabankable: How grid stability is reshaping renewable energy finance
John Alexander, Managing Director, Large-scale Solutions & Projects, SMA Australia

From volatility to value: Financing Australia’s energy transition at scale
Guy Olian, CEO, Smart Ease

FIRB essentials for renewable & battery projects: Minimising risk, cost and delay
Andrew Bukowski, Partner, McCullough Robertson

Credible sector pathways power better transition planning and investor confidence
Michael Li, Research Strategy Lead, Climateworks Centre

The trust deficit: Why small storage struggles to get financed and what fixes it
Rakhesh Martyn, Founder & CEO, Hachiko

Sponsored by:

Grid integration & connectivity
Chair: Clean Energy Council

Hosted by:

Flexible demand management

Chair:
Jeremy Sung, Head of Policy, Energy Efficiency Council

Beyond deployment: Unlocking consumer value from the flexibility
Emily Gadaleta, Senior Energy Policy Advisor, Tesla

It takes a system: collective energy management in the WEM
Lucy Heales, Head of Business Customer and Growth, Synergy

From energy buyer to energy player: How commercial customers are becoming market participants
Mena Goyen, Head of Insights and Data Products, Origin

From network to whole-of-system outcomes: A DNSPs evolving role in an optimised energy future
James Brown, Senior Manager, Enterprise Innovation, SA Power Networks

Hosted by:

Supercharge Australia innovation challenge #4 awards
Come see the cohort pitch and the winner of the Supercharge Australia Innovation Challenge #4 be crowned live on the All Energy stage! Join us for the Supercharge Australia Innovation Challenge #4 Awards to celebrate startups accelerating innovation across the entire lithium battery value chain. During the event, participating startups will pitch their investment opportunities to the room, before the Challenge winners are announced. Throughout this hyper-accelerated program, startups have worked with industry-leading mentors, pitch coaches, and built connections within a supportive battery innovation ecosystem. The awards ceremony will spotlight Australia and Southeast Asia’s growing battery innovation opportunity, and recognise the role startups play in building cross-border partnerships.

Speaker:

Hosted by:

Boosting solar power capability
Chair:
Vaibhav Joshi, Managing Director - Oceania and Southeast Asia, Gamechange Energy

Beyond installed capacity: Maximising performance of utility scale solar projects in Australia

Speakers:
Pat Behan, National Renewable Energy Leader, Aon

Donald Richmond, Managing Director – APAC, RINA Consulting

Nicholas Lyos, Market Director – APAC, Raptor Maps

Sponsored by:

Unlocking the power of electrification

Chair:
Dani Alexander, Chief Executive Officer, UNSW Energy Institute

From aspiration to upgrade: What's holding households back and what works
Katherine McConnell, Founder & CEO, Brighte Capital

Energy transition or energy dependency?
Ben Spincer, Executive Chairman, PowerPlus Energy

What households actually say yes to: New evidence on financing home energy upgrades
Scott Bocskay, Managing Director, PLF Accelerator Pty Ltd

Beyond disclosure: Building the decision layer for smarter, low-energy homes
Marco Salinas, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Hubble

The missing middle: Electrifying apartments & rentals
Shyamal Pal, Founder, Electrifying Australia

Mapping the future of AI
Chair:

Speed to power: Delivering clean energy infrastructure for Australia's AI economy

Australia's energy challenge is changing. Driven by AI, data centres and industrial electrification, electricity demand is growing faster than almost anyone predicted. For data centres, the priority is no longer only low-cost clean power, but speed to power: how quickly reliable, scalable infrastructure can be delivered and connected.

This session will explore how renewables, storage and enabling infrastructure can meet this new wave of demand while supporting Australia's broader energy transition. Bringing together leaders from industry, policy, investment and major energy users, the discussion will examine how Australia can accelerate deployment, improve grid readiness, unlock investment and turn clean energy ambition into connected infrastructure at scale.

Sponsored by:

Tackling the challenges of decarbonisation
Chair:
Owen Pascoe, Director – Research, Clean Energy Finance Corporation

Electrifying Victoria at scale: Victorian energy upgrades for home and businesses
Renae Gasmier, Executive Director (Energy Efficiency Target Reform), Solar Victoria

What the energy transition means for Australia's fossil fuel exports
Anita Talberg, Decarbonisation Lead, Climate Resource

Regional cooperation on decarbonisation
Carmela Pavlic Searle, Director Industrial Decarbonisation, Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT)

From paper to power: Digitising utility-scale solar construction for decarbonisation
Jenna Connellan, CEO and Co-Founder, Surya

Accelerating maritime decarbonisation
Clare Grandison, Senior Policy Advisor - sustainability and industry transformation, MIAL

Decarbonisation: The missing middle for commercial & industrial
Huon Hoogesteger, MD, Smart Commercial Solar

11:30am – 12:00pm
Sponsor session

12:00pm – 12:30pm

Improving EV charging infrastructure in apartment buildings
Andrew Sung, Head of Charging, Origin Energy

HEAVY TRANSPORT | FLEET MANAGEMENT

12:30pm – 1:00pm

From diesel to electric: Decarbonising heavy operational fleets
Ryan Thomas, Senior Manager Supply Chain Logistics, Transgrid

Hosted by:

GRID TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION: WHERE TO NEXT

11:30am – 12:10pm

PANEL DISCUSSION: Strengthening the grid renewal and transmission infrastructure
As ageing infrastructure, growing electricity demand and the rapid integration of renewable energy place increasing pressure on power networks, grid renewal and transmission expansion have become critical priorities. This panel will examine the investments, policies and technologies needed to modernise transmission infrastructure, improve network resilience and unlock new renewable energy capacity.

Moderator:
Alan Rai, Executive Director - Energy & Environmental Markets, Core Markets

Panellists:
Ahmed Tayeh, Managing Director, ElectraGlobe PTY LITD

Alan Coller, Head of APAC & MEA, ACCURE Battery Intelligence GmbH

Viswa Easwaran, Manager - Grid Connections and Advisory, APD Global

INTEGRATED GRIDS & NETWORKS

12:10pm – 12:40pm

Future-ready DSO operations: AI-assisted grids
Bradie Cetin, Power & Grid Solution Architect, Schneider Electric

12:40pm – 1:10pm
LUNCH BREAK

Sponsored by:

11:10am – 11:30am

Australia's EV, home solar and battery revolution
Sam Evans, Youtube, The Electric Viking

11:30am – 11:50am

Australia's home and business battery boom — what the data says happens next
Warwick Johnston, Founder & Managing Director, SunWiz

1:10pm – 1:40pm

Optimising business visibility through energy data
Chair:
Fekra Gasser, Product Manager - Energy Intelligence and Connectivity, NHP Electrical Engineering Products

Panellists:
Brendan Meller, Head of Energy Optimisation and the Energy Management Centre, Woolworths Group

Geoff Buckley, Head of National Rollouts, SJ Electric

Serene Yip, Sales Manager, Socomec

Hosted by:

11:30am – 12:30pm

Hybrid inverter technology review
Cody Hancock, Training Technical Lead, GSES

Hosted by:

11:00am – 11:45am

Victoria’s energy policy and investment landscape, and the future of renewable fuels

Hosted by:

12:00pm – 12:45pm

Heat pump compliance in the field: Lessons from inspections

Hosted by:

Energy efficiency for data centres

Chair: Kane Thornton, Head of Strategic Impact, CDC

Managing Australia's AI leadership opportunity in balance with the renewable energy transition
Belinda Dennett, Chief Executive Officer, Data Centres Australia

Followed by interactive panel discussion

Cameron Evans, Director, Data Centre Planning and Delivery, Amazon

Laura Caspari, Chief Renewables Officer, Engie

Victoria Mollard, Executive General Manager, Economics and System Security, AEMC

Planning parameters for REZ

Chair:

Hosted by Clean Energy Council

Electrification & energy efficiency

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

Getting there faster: Making consumer participation central to the energy transition
Sumone Chakravarti, Executive General Manager - Consumer & Innovation, SEC

Household energy upgrades can lower energy bills and support the wider grid
Jay Gordon, Energy Finance Analyst, IEEFA

Electrification at scale: What’s really holding the market back?
Travis Gribbon, Product Manager, Electrification, ZECO Energy

Using RapidRate to identify the most effective energy upgrade options for dwellings
Melissa James, Senior Experimental Scientist, CSIRO

Hosted by:

AI as a catalyst: Driving the energy transition forward
AI is no longer a future prospect, it’s a critical catalyst for the energy transition. From optimising electrotech to revolutionising grid management, artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of clean energy. Hear from cutting-edge startups and industry pioneers on how they are leveraging AI to move faster, scale smarter, and drive superior climate outcomes.

Chair:

Speakers:
David Hu, President, Green Dynamic

Roxane Bandini-Maeder, CEO & Co Founder, Geoneon

Sarah Siayap, Strategy & Ops Specialist, Neara

Hosted by:

How biofuels stack up as a clean energy resource

Chair:
Fraser Thompson, Domestic Chair, Low Carbon Fuel Alliance of Australia & NZ, Bioenergy Australia

Hosted by:

Upskilling the workforce: Where to next
Chair: Rachael Wilkinson, Senior Advisor – Policy and Projects , Energy Efficiency Council (EEC)

Putting talk into practice: Ways to increase the number of skilled workers in the energy sector
Kate Raymond, CEO, Master Electricians Australia

What the Victorian energy jobs plan and the women in energy strategy tell us about the shape, gaps and opportunities for skills to 2040
Vanya Kumar, Executive Director, Department Of Energy, Environment And Climate Action (DEECA)

Driving the workforce of the future – electrifying training continues through Solar Victoria
Luke Pickles, Manager, Workforce Development, Solar Victoria

Empowering tradeswomen to lead workforce change initiatives through collaboration with unions, employers and training providers
Emma Hall, Project Manager, Big Sister Energy Skills Australia

Reimagining education, career readiness, and social license
Liz Gallo, CEO, WhyMaker

Pilot programs, industry and VET partnership and future skills for emerging markets
Shawn O'Sullivan, Executive Director TAFE Centre of Excellence Clean Energy Batteries, TAFE Queensland

Energy efficiency across multiple touchpoints

Chair:
Anthony Bell, Director – Policy and Regulation, CEMA Advisory Pty Ltd

Panel Discussion: From Australia to Europe: Scaling Energy Innovation Through Global Partnerships
Stefan Padberg, Senior Vice President Innovation, E.ON

Panellists: To be announced

Sharing the sun: What France's collective self-consumption boom tells Australia about the next round of DER reform
Catalina Villaro, Energy Analyst, Gridcog (France)

Electricity network regulation reform: Which direction is up?
Anthony Bell, Director – Policy and Regulation, CEMA Advisory Pty Ltd

Large-scale renewables take centre stage

Chair:
Christiaan Zuur, Director, Energy Infrastructure, KPMG

15 for 15 to Lithium: The long-duration gap in
Henning Rath, CEO, EnerVenue

Beyond megawatt-hours: Why long-duration storage must be valued as infrastructure, not just energy
Kevin Zhang, Head of Emerging Business & Application, Hithium

Tasmania's role in developing deep storage and grid reliability
Rachel Watson, CEO, Hydro Tasmania

Project development in solar and BESS
Michael Henderson, CEO, Flux Renewables

Reimagining utility BESS under a distributed utility program model
Ben Cerini, Head of Energy Markets, Enervest

Site first: Where battery value is won before a project is built
Tony Fullelove, Managing Director, APAC, Akaysha Energy

Why connection strategy determines BESS success
James Hunt, General Manager Energy Investment and Services, Lumea

1:30pm – 2:00pm

Electric trucking – lessons learned from Europe
Mahan Perera, CEO, HubZero Energy

2:00pm – 2:30pm

Electrifying heavy transport: Why infrastructure, not vehicles, is the real challenge
James Kennedy, Founder & CEO, Virtos

OVERCOMING EV CHARGING BARRIERS

2:30pm – 3:30pm

Panel Discussion: No driveway? No problem
This panel brings together leading experts to share diverse perspectives on EV charging for applications where the owner doesn’t have off street parking, unlocking key insights into the technologies, challenges, and opportunities driving the sector forward.

Moderator: Mark Stephens, Data Analyst, Electric Vehicle Council

Panellists:

Ross De Rango, Director, Vehicle Charging Solutions Ptd Ltd

Andrew Forster, CEO, EVX

Yasemin Selvi, CEO & Co-Founder, Alchemy Charge Pty Ltd

Charlie Richardson, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Nox

Julie Perrissel, Founder & CEO, Ivygo

Hosted by:

1:10pm – 1:40pm

EVs, solar and the chaos between the curves
Ana Erceg, Manager Future Network Programs, AusNet

1:40pm – 2:10pm

Grid-forming in operation: Real-world insights from a utility-scale BESS
Samuel Wiggins, Managing Director, Service & Technology, SMA Australia

INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT ACROSS THE GRID

2:10pm – 2:40pm

Delivering reliability at scale: Aligning policy and markets for long-duration storage
Sara Taylor, Director, Regulatory & External Affairs, Hydrostor

2:40pm –3:10pm

Storage = Grid reliability
Erin van Maanen, Executive General Manager, Strategy & Commercial, Hydro Tasmania

3:10pm – 3:40pm

Consumer protection, active energy participation, home energy systems
Kim Blackmore, Associate Professor, Australian National University

Sponsored by:

1:40pm – 2:00pm

Reframing electrification: Delivering cost-effective net zero in commercial buildings
Nicholas Tassigiannakis, Managing Director, Bridgeford Group PTY LTD

2:00pm – 2:20pm

Energy management in practice: From measurement to optimisation across buildings, farms and industry
Scott Douglas, Lead Auditor, Advisor and Consultant, Audit Express

2:40pm – 3:00pm

Designing an effective energy metering & monitoring system for industrial sites
Phil Woodward, Engineering Manager - Energy & Carbon, Northmore Gordon

Hosted by:

1:30pm – 2:30pm

Switchboards to support electrification
Thomas Seymour, Executive Manager Standards & Development, Solar Accreditation Australia

2:45pm – 3:30pm

Built to fail or built to last: Racking installation defects and what they cost when the cyclone comes
Yuneska Harris, Head of Utility Projects, Clenergy Australia

Hosted by:

1:00pm – 1:45pm

Beyond the car: How EVs are shaping Victoria’s energy system

Hosted by:

2:00pm - 2:45pm

Grow your business through the Victorian energy upgrades program

Hosted by:

ROI for virtual power plants

Panel Discussion: Who really wins from VPPs — networks, retailers, installers or customers?
Chair:
Dan Adams, CEO, Amber Electric

Panellists:
Pablo Campillos, Principal Analyst, DER Technical Integration, Future Energy Systems, AEMO

Scott Watkins, Chief Sustainability Officer, KISCO

Leigh Storr, CEO, RESINC Solar and Electrical

Will VPP sink or swim: What the future holds for Australia and international markets
Johannes Holst, VP International Business Development, Amber

Market demand & distributed energy

Chair:

Hosted by:

Energy planning & decarbonisation

Chair:
Anna Freeman, Head of Electrification, Energy Efficiency Council

Regional energy planning for net zero industrial precinct: Gladstone, Central Queensland case study
Calvin Lee, Senior Project Manager - Industry, Climateworks

Why energy literacy and forward planning must lead the decarbonisation conversation
Aaron Gray, Projects Energy Lead, SECCCA

Electrifying industrial heat in Australia: What works for alumina, mining, and food processing
Josh Lawson, Senior Commercial Manager, Rondo Energy

Hosted by:

Energy scaleup showcase: Industry-ready pitches LIVE
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 features startups freshly graduated from the Energy Scaleup program, who are ready to pilot and scale with industry partners pitching LIVE in front of the All Energy Australia audience.

Pitching Startups:

• FulcrumAir
• Crest Robotics
• ZeroParallax
• TrendSpek
• Syncrowin
• Factor
• Third Equation
• Assetcool
• Continuum Industries
• Gridbrid

Hosted by EnergyLab

Developments within the NEM

Chair:
Aylin Cunsolo, Partner, Ashurst Perkins Coie

AI, Autobidders, and BESS in the NEM – separating myth from reality
Matt Grover, Director, Energy Markets APAC, Fluence

Trading utility-scale batteries in the national energy market (NEM)
Clare McCarrick, Energy Markets Professional

Rewiring the NEM: Liquidity, reform and the future of energy markets
Aylin Cunsolo, Partner, Ashurst Perkins Coie

Two markets, one transition
Alexandre Viana, CEO & Founder, Envol

Open-source BESS optimisation: Matching best-in-class NEM performance with algorithmic transparency
Jorn Baayen, Managing director, Portfolio Energy

Co-located hybrid projects: The key to unlocking large-scale renewables integration in the NEM
Megan Jackson, Head of Sales Engineering, Tesla

The future of a NEM stability market: Lessons from the UK and Australia
Thomas Hall, Power Systems Engineer, AECOM

Outlook for net zero

Chair:

Gavin Mooney, Energy Transition Advisor

Designing a person-centered, replicable model to deliver inclusive and equitable energy upgrades
Mel Miller-Yule, Climate Emergency Response Lead, City of Yarra

Designing access for the energy transition: Victoria's new access regime
Nishana Perera, Deputy Project Director, Project Delivery, Vicgrid

Learnings from SA’s world-leading transition to 100% net renewable generation
Simon Emms, Chief Executive Officer, ElectraNet

Energy revolution: Navigating the path to a resilient net-zero future
Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian, Director, Siemens Swinburne Energy Transition Hub

Harnessing community energy: A local demand-response model for reducing carbon emissions
Graeme Martin, President, Village Power

Audit to verified savings: On-Farm energy efficiency
Andrew Chamberlin, Project Manager – Energy, Queensland Farmers' Federation

Lessons from BESS investment

Chair:
Natalie Thompson, Senior Analyst, Wood Mackenzie

Australia's energy storage market: Navigating growth of distributed energy resources and energy system resilience
Natalie Thompson, Senior Analyst, Wood Mackenzie

From incentives to impact: Unlocking the value of C&I BESS in Australia
Brooks Richard Geng, Managing Director (APAC&Middle East), Fox ESS

Reliability blind spot in solar and storage projects
Aaron Zadeh, Regional Director, APAC and MENA, Shoals

Unlocking the full value of BESS
Shane Bannister, Head of Business Development & Sales, Energy APAC, Tesla

Understanding trade-offs and application case for different energy storage technologies
Manuel Wieser, EGM, AnteoTech Ltd.

Building the business case for long duration storage
Marija Petkovic, Managing Director, Energy Synapse

Unpacking consumer & distributed energy resources

Chair:
Josh Heazlewood, Investment Director, Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC)

Unlocking full value from consumer energy resources (CER) assets
Josh Heazlewood, Investment Director, Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC)

Approaches to managing distributed energy resources on the grid
Nanduni Nimalsiri, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO

Enabling CER ubiquity: Beyond export limits
Peter Kilby, Senior Grid Transformation Engineer, Energex and Ergon Energy Network

Glimpse into a high-CER future
James Sturch, Principal Engineer, DER Technical Integration, Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)

Framework for assessing DER management maturity
Chris Green, Solution Architect, Itron

INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE FUTURE

3:30pm – 4:00pm

What it takes to build a commercially viable EV charging infrastructure in Australia
Jack Kotlyar, Head of Green Transport, EnergyAustralia

4:00pm – 4:30pm

How many chargers do we need to electrify trucking?
Graham McCabe, Founder, STEP Advisory

4:30pm

CLOSE OF DAY ONE

Hosted by:

TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE GRID

3:40pm – 4:10pm

BESS offtake & power purchase agreements: The different contract structures and their legal issues and risks
Tanya Denning, Partner, K&L Gates

4:10pm – 4:40pm

The grid forming moment: Lessons from connecting an advanced BESS to the NEM
Rob Hills, VP APAC Engineering and Commissioning, Fluence

STORAGE-LED TRANSITION: TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE GRID

4:40pm – 5:10pm

Unlocking Australia’s grid future: Revenue stacking, policy signals, and the storage-led transition
Matt Baumgurtel, Partner, Hamilton Locke

5:10pm

Closing remarks from Chair

Sponsored by:

3:00pm – 3:20pm

Unlocking significant incentives for industrial process decarbonisation
Arlen East, Energy & Carbon Technical Manager, Ecovantage

Hosted by:

3:45pm – 4:15pm

Industry panel discussion

Hosted by:

3:00pm – 3:45pm

From planning to delivery: How Victoria is building the grid for the energy transition

Hosted by:

Renewable energy to the homes

Australia’s home energy transition is accelerating, with states and territories playing a decisive role in shaping outcomes for households
This panel brings together government representatives to outline their achievements and priorities for the next two years — spanning solar, electrification, storage, consumer protections, and affordability.

Chair:
Matthew Dewhirst, Manager, Projects, South Australian Government

Panellists:

Paul Corkill, Executive Director, Consumer Energy Investment, Energy Security Corporation, New South Wales Government

Amber Benjafield, Director, Customer & Digital Experience, Victorian Government

Scott Oster, Director, South Australia Government

Ros Malouf, Executive Branch Manager, Program Delivery, ACT Government

Grace Tam, Head of Consumer Finance, Clean Energy Finance Corporation

Hosted by:

Integrating communities with the clean energy transition

Chair: Clean Energy Council

Hosted by:



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Technology solutions for clean energy

Chair:
Carolyn Huston, CSIRO National Energy Analysis Centre Data Science and AI Lead, CSIRO

Beyond optimisation: How AI can anticipate the needs of large-scale energy users
Andy Sibley, CEO, Simply Energy

Competitive advantages of vanadium flow batteries for long duration energy storage, AI data centres, and hot climate applications
Graham Arvidson, CEO, Australian Vanadium

Using a living lab to generate targeted insights
Carolyn Huston, CSIRO National Energy Analysis Centre Data Science and AI Lead, CSIRO

How does resource variability affect round-the-clock BESS project sizing?
Gregory Poulos, Director Renewables Technical Advisory & Principal Atmospheric Scientist, Bureau Veritas (CEO ArcVera Renewables)

A new model for commercialising innovation in Australia
Emmanuel Mastio, Executive Director, Trailblazer for Recycling & Clean Energy (TRaCE), UNSW

Pathways to energy transition

Chair:
Heidi Lee, CEO, Beyond Zero Emissions

Landplan: Bringing landholders to the centre of renewable energy development
Michael Katz, CEO, RELA

Role of governments in driving energy transformation at scale
Stan Krpan PSM, CEO, Solar Victoria & Deputy Secretary, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action

Australian renewables trump impact of the Iranian conflict
Daniel Shreve, Vice President, Market Intelligence, Intertek CEA

Challenges and opportunities of the energy transition
Heidi Lee, CEO, Beyond Zero Emissions

Wholesale electricity market (WEM's) energy transition: status, challenges & opportunities
Sally Bogle, Vice President - APAC Renewables & Power, Rystad Energy

Where is value going next? Offtake for the energy system that’s coming
Paul Curnow, Managing Director & Chief Commercial Officer, Akaysha Energy

Unlocking future industry: How electrification can enable new industries
The energy transition is well underway, and with it's rollout it is unlocking new exciting future industries. From algae to agritech, come hear from cutting edge innovators utilising the energy transition to launch the decarbonised industries of the future.

Chair: Emma Jenkin, Partner, Kilara Capital

Speaker:
Josh Leverett, Co-Founder & CEO, OzAmmonia

Hosted by:

Galvanising communities into the conversation

Chair: Gabriel Wong, Co-Founder, Positive Good

Communities as partners in Victoria’s energy transition
Lyn Bowring, Executive Director, Consumer, Community and First Peoples' Energy Transition, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)

Beyond the Welcome to Country: Powering First Nations towards energy equality
Gero Farruggio, Founder & Director, PowerAid

Delivering on community engagement & social value
Anna Mitchell, Director, Social Outcomes and Engagement, Urbis

Why social license is making or breaking clean energy projects
Bronwyn Raso, Partner and Head of Engagement, SenateSHJ

Solar energy: Accessing resilient projects in coastal indigenous communities
Bruce Robins, Renewable Energy and Policy advisor, ROBINSOLAR

Consumers in the spotlight

Chair:
Rebecca Huntley, Director of Research, 89 Degrees East

What consumer complaints tell us about the future of clean energy
Catherine Wolthuizen, Ombudsman and Chief Executive, Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria)

The path to electrification must put the customer at the centre
Kate Barnes, Executive Director - Customer, Programs and Digital, Solar Victoria

Electrification at scale: Turning strategy into delivery
Trent Jones, Group CEO, All Electric Homes

Maximising solar asset performance through maintenance, monitoring & stewardship

Chair: Andrew Barrington, Managing Director, Solar Shine Australia

From data to decisions: Monitoring, fault detection & performance insights
Daniel Lazarus, Director, Industrias Services

Robotic cleaning and advanced aftercare: Maintaining performance at scale
Joel Firth, Managing Director, Brighter Solar Cleaning

The invisible losses in solar PV: Dirt, heat and preventable failures
John Johnston, Managing Director, Spartan Solar Farm Cleaning

Bird proofing and environmental risks: The hidden threat to solar assets
Diana Latorre Espinosa, Sales & Marketing Manager, Plascare

Clean energy goes high-tech

Chair: Karl Redenbach, CEO, AgenticScale.AI Pty Ltd

Agentic AI in action: How utilities are deploying autonomous agents to cut costs, reduce risk, and future-proof operations
Karl Redenbach, CEO, AgenticScale.AI Pty Ltd

From asset to analytics: Overcoming data fragmentation to scale uptime
Franziska Bach, Product Lead/ DVS Owner Digital | Division Large Scale & Project Solutions, SMA Solar Technology (Germany)

Spatial intelligence in the transition: Practical GIS integration for major projects
Tiona Meek, GIS Lead, Acciona Construction Australia

Scaling innovations in low emission manufacturing: Lessons from the lab
Jessica Allen, Senior Lecturer, University of Newcastle

Developing smart tools to monitor systems and improve workplace safety for grid maintenance and development
David Hinwood, Research Fellow, IA-Cobotics Lab, RMIT

From data to autonomy: AI agents and robotics for the self-operating solar farm
Bram Hoex, Director, R&D and Strategy, P2AgentX

EV CHARGING & INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT

11:30am – 12:15pm

Panel Discussion: Exploring underserved applications of EV charging

Moderator: Jessop Tiedeken, Operations Officer, Electric Vehicle Council

This panel explores opportunities for EV charging on kerbs, at work, and, in fleets and other applications that are emerging

Panellists:
Martin Henare, Electrical Engineer - EV Market Lead, FYFE

Russ Yell, VP, APAC Market, BetterFleet

Phani Harsha Yeggina, Project Lead, Yarra Energy Foundation

Kealy Day, Chief Technology Officer, Smart Commercial Energy

Phil Soars, Head of EV Partnerships, Chargefox (Australian Motoring Services)

12:15pm – 1:00pm
Panel: What electric trucking looks like in the real world

Moderator: Cameron Remington, Senior Policy Officer, Electric Vehicle Council

Panellists:

Akanksha Sharma, Segment Director – Power & Grid (Pacific) Schneider Electric

Ruby Diaz, Environmental Sustainability Manager, Linfox

Romesh Rodrigo, Head of Regulatory Affairs and Emerging Mobility, Daimler Truck Australia Pacific

Hosted by:

GRID AND NETWORK MANAGEMENT ACTION PLAN

11:30am – 12:10pm

PANEL DISCUSSION: From strategy to execution: Advancing the grid and network management action plan

Moderator:
Stéphane Leyo, Co-Founder & CEO, Amplicity

Panellists:
Mitch O’Neill, Business Development Manager, Amplicity

George Koolman, Energy Lead Australia, Haskoning Australia

Shyam Krishnan, Principal Power Systems Engineer, Wärtsilä Energy Storage

12:10pm – 12:40pm
LUNCH BREAK

Sponsored by:

11:30am – 11:50am

The pathway to industrial thermal decarbonisation
Douglas Russell, Engineering Director Energy Management, Green Energy & Carbon Management

11:50am – 12:10pm

Making heat pumps hot - driving awareness and action across commercial and industrial sectors
Laura Taylor, Chief Impact Officer, Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity

12:10pm – 12:30pm

Thermal energy storage: Adding grid flexibility and powering industry through the energy transition
Jenny McTague, Senior Power Supply Manager, Antora Energy

12:30pm – 12:50pm

Reduction of refrigerated warehouse energy consumption by four times
Stefan Jensen, Managing Director, Scantec Refrigeration Technologies Pty. Ltd.

1:10pm – 1:30pm

Scaling home electrification: Launching the energy upgrades for Australian homes platform
Christoph Brodnik, Research Knowledge Manager, Sustainability Transitions Lab, Monash University

Hosted by:

11:00am – 11:45am

Common installation defects
Sandy Atkins, Solar and Domestic Systems Manager - Renewable Energy, Energy Safe Victoria

Hosted by:

To be announced

Integrating data centres with the grid

Chair: Kane Thornton, Head of Strategic Impact, CDC

Claire Cass, Executive Director, Access and Connections VicGrid

From solar to storage to data centers: The convergence of power infrastructure
Jeff Tolnar, President, Shoals Technologies Group (USA)

Data centres as grid assets, not just loads
Sabooh Whitelaw, AVP, Energy and Utility (APJ), Airtrunk

Data centre connection process in Australia: Challenges and opportunities
Amir Mehrtash, General Manager Grid Connection, FYFE

Data centers: Grid integration challenges and opportunities
Ruben Jara, Lead Sales Application Engineer, Ingeteam

Streamlining environmental planning arrangements

Chair:

Hosted by:



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International perspectives driving innovation

Built for Australia's grid: How international climate-tech Is accelerating Australia's energy transition

Chair:
Heath Evans, Associate Director, Climate 4.0 Hub

Panellists:
Gabriel Schiano, Co-Founder & COO, AMPLICITY

Jean-Patrick Corso, President, CLHYNN (France)

Nicolas Sautter, CEO & Founder, beez-fm (France)

Yun Luo, CEO, ROSI (France)

Pierre-Jérôme Desmarquest, Co-Founder, STORABELLE

Pierre-Louis Lee, CEO & Co-founder, Sollys France

Energy demand management

Chair:
Stephanie McDougall, Head of Policy and Regulation, Tilt Renewables Australia Pty Ltd

The future of distributed energy
Carl Binning, Executive General Manager, Clean Energy Regulator

DER: reimagining energy for regional cities and towns
Michael Poulton, CEO, Committee For Ballarat

No transition without permission
Ed Coper, CEO, Populares

How distributed assets transform the role of the electricity retailer
Dominic Reardon, Founder, Cable

Australia's evolving energy consumer
Matthew Trachevski, Economist, Australian Energy Market Commission

The startup advantage: How to invest, mentor, and partner with startups
Ready to transition from a spectator to an active player in the startup ecosystem? From angel investing and mentorship to commercial partnerships: come demystify startup tech, understand the mechanics of early-stage collaboration, and discover how engaging with founders can accelerate your own impact & growth.

Chair:
Megan Fisher, CEO & Director, EnergyLab

Speakers:
Dean Travers, Member of the Board, ARENA

Tom Kline, Co-Founder & Partner, Climate Tech Partners

Suchi Szczepanski, Senior Manager Technology Strategy, Origin Energy

Hosted by:

Talent management strategies

Chair:
Michael Cullen, Executive Officer, Future Energy Skills

Building energy careers: Career pathways, upskilling & talent management through digital tools
Rian Kelso, Manager - Training, Transitions and Digital Platforms, Energy Skills QLD

Electrification needs electricians: Unlocking Australia’s largest untapped workforce: Women tradies

Panellists:
Mark Burgess, CEO, Energy Skills Australia

Michael Cullen, Executive Officer, Future Energy Skills

Gaynor Maree, National Affirmative Action (Women's) Officer, Electrical Trades Union

Paula Fernandez Arias, Workplace Gender & Diversity Specialist, Tradeswomen Australia

Helena Moloney, Senior Manager, Community Engagement, Engie

Next step to solar power innovation

Chair:
Richard Petterson, CEO, Tindo

Solar electricity in the AI era
Pedro Magalhaes, International CTO, Arctech

Solar for apartments: Outcomes and learnings from the first year
Guy Pritchard, Director, Program, Solar Victoria

Robotics: Bringing utility-scale solar to a new age
Tom Yeshurun, CEO & Co-Founder, Civ Robotics

The future of solar panels in Australian innovation
Richard Petterson, CEO, Tindo

Solar sunshot progress and plans
Dan Sturrock, General Manager, Solar, Arena

Renewable natural gas: diversifying energy security

Chair:
Mike Davis, Chair, Renewable Gas Alliance

Hosted by:

Investing in safety & security

Chair:
Deo Prasad, Research Director, UNSW

From review to resilience: Closing cybersecurity gaps in critical infrastructure
Darren Gladman, Head of Energy Policy & Regulatory Affairs, SMA Australia

Achieving energy security, power quality & flexibility without compromise
Jonathon Dyson, Executive General Manager, Services, AZZO

OEM perspective on BESS cooling noise and compliance modelling
Sharon Santhosh, Senior Application Engineer, Wartsila Energy Storage Pty Ltd

Green buildings: Retrofitting + AI, smart controls & sensors" and BESS
Deo Prasad, Research Director, UNSW

Beyond the battery: The hidden logistics, dangerous goods and compliance challenges
Christopher Spiteri, Quality and Risk Manager – Australia, OIA Global (Australia) Pty Ltd

1:30pm – 2:00pm

Lights, chargers, ACTION: EV charging from car park lamp columns
Blaise Northey, Managing Director, ChargePost

INFRASTRUCTURE ECOSYSTEM, SECURITY & STANDARDS

2:00pm – 2:30pm

An update on charging standards: V2G, security, DSO integration and beyond
Riccardo Pagliarella, Co-Founder, Greenergenic

2:30pm – 3:00pm

Delivering EV charging and electrification infrastructure: Capability, approach, and execution
Jose Quizhpe, Head of Power & Engineering, Searo

Hosted by:

12:40pm – 1:10pm

Battery revenue: Why the grid defines your returns
Nadali Mahmoudi, Director - Electricity Market and Network Modelling, EPEC

1:10pm – 1:40pm

Integration of renewable energy and grid connection challenges
Kaium Mollah, Director, Greentech Engineer Solutions (GES ENERGY)

1:40pm – 2:10pm

Hybrid Australian utility generation systems: Maximising generation and revenue
Adam Surmiak, Head of Grid APAC, EDP

GRID CONNECTIVITY AND NETWORK INTEGRATION

2:10pm – 2:40pm

Wildfire risk quantification: Optimising cap-ex spending on grid hardening and real-time analytics
Holly Eagleston, CEO, Firescape Inc

2:40pm – 3:10pm

The new energy landscape powered by microgrids
Iris Bua, Power & Grid Segment Director, Schneider Electric

Sponsored by:

1:30pm – 1:50pm

Understanding electric vehicle adoption, charging behaviours, and grid impacts: insights from Australian households
Dr. Elham Hajhashemi, Manager-Analysis and Advocacy, Energy Consumers Australia

1:50pm – 2:10pm

Beyond the hardware: The customer voice in Australia's V2G trial
Jessica Poole, Product Manager – eMobility, AGL

2:10pm – 2:30pm

How demand-responsive water heaters can unlock Australia's electricity grid
Alastair McDowell, Director, EnergyAE

2:30pm – 2:50pm

Are AI home energy management systems (HEMS) an alternative to virtual power plants (VPPs)?
Phillip Vrettakis, Executive Director, Rennie Advisory

Hosted by:

1:00pm – 1:45pm

Powerwall 3 technical training
Yan Zhou, Technical Manager, Residential Energy, APAC, Tesla

1:45pm – 2:30pm

CEC Products & NETCC
Wendy McAndrews, General Manager - Service & Transformation (Industry), Clean Energy Council

Abiel Kidane, Compliance Operations Manager, Clean Energy Council

2:30pm – 3:30pm

Sigenergy sigenstor labelling
Tom Peters, Engineering Manager, AC Solar Warehouse

Hosted by:

To be announced

Strategic investment and security

Chair: Thomas Nann, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Allegro Energy

Banking on the grid in the AI era: How strategic investment delivers value and energy security
Gloria Chan, Executive Director - Rewiring the Nation, Clean Energy Finance Corporation

Designing for duration: Reliable, renewable power systems for regional Australia
Martin Becker, VP, Origination & Development (Australia), Hydrostor

Designing for ROI: Commercial & industrial (C&I) solar, battery and EV systems using high-resolution market modelling
Laurie Kane, CEO, SolarPlus

The AI data centre storage gap: How rapid cycling overwhelms lithium-ion but not flow battery chemistries
Thomas Nann, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Allegro Energy

Off-shore wind in the spotlight

Chair:

Victoria's offshore wind journey and current status of policy settings, regulatory coordination, work with communities and traditional owners and enabling ports and transmission infrastructure

Anh Mai, Executive Director, Offshore Wind Energy Victoria, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)

Unlocking Australia’s offshore wind: Grid connection feasibility across declared development zones

Qiang (Dan) Gao, Principal Engineer, Bureau Veritas

The value of offshore wind: An update on recent economic analysis

Mark Wakeham, Australian Lead, Ocean Energy Pathway

Challenges for offshore wind construction ports in Australia

Eoin Richardson, Senior Associate Economist, Jacobs Engineering

Hosted by:

Energy buyers & market trends
At this session, the Business Renewables Centre Australia (BRC-A) will release its State of the Corporate PPA Market Report 2026, and present on key trends, including market dynamics and key issues and perspectives of PPA buyers and developers, while offering expert insights into the opportunities, challenges, and outlook shaping the market in 2027 and beyond.

Chair:
Jackie McKeon, Program Director, Business Renewables Centre Australia

State of the PPA Market Report 2026: Large energy buyers & insights for 2027
Dr Chris Briggs, Technical Director, Business Renewables Centre Australia

Panellists:
Anita Stadler, Partner, Head of Renewable Energy Investments, ERM Energetics

Aylin Cunsolo, Partner, Ashurst Perkins Coie

Positioning low-carbon technologies for achieving net zero goals

Chair: Melinda Krebsz, VIC Chapter Lead, Hydrogen Society of Australia

Panellists:

Shahana McKenzie, Chief Executive Officer, Bioenergy Australia

Azadeh Keshavarzmohammadian, Director - Energy and Resources, Baringa

Frere Byrne, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Plasma Leap Technologies

The sky's the limit: Australia's potential to make kerosene out of thin air and water

Florence Lindhaus, Managing Director, Neuman & Esser Australia

Breakthrough tech 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.

Pitching Startup:

• Surya
• Voltavate
• Optigrid

Hosted by:

Investing in innovative energy management

Chair:
Dr Yuliya Moore, Director, Regulation and Policy Strategy, Nexa Advisory

Delivering the first CIS social license commitments - Palmer wind farm
Koel Wrigley, Senior Stakeholder and Community Advisor, Tilt Renewables

C&I demand response firmness and network services
James Rourke-Dunkley, Program Manager – Innovation, Shell Energy

From passive consumption to active control: Energy management in practice
Gareth Mann, Managing Director, MTA Energy

Commercial & industrial distributed energy – the next frontier
Dan Sunderland, Director, Rennie Advisory

Quantifying the ROI for REZ

Chair:
Lotte Hoekstra, Sector Director – Generation & Storage, ANZ, AECOM

From consultation to connection: Building regional voices into the energy transition
Lif O'Keefe, Communications & Engagement Lead, Southwest, Vicgrid

Transmission as the enabler of REZ: Planning, delivery, and system integration
Jules Vincent Jusayan, Managing Director, Power Structure Solutions

One year on, how are planning reforms delivering on promises?
Florence Riviere, Partner, Pinsent Masons

Followed by Panel discussion:

Humanising the energy transition: perspectives from young leaders on the ground
Moderator:

Panellists:
Michelle Howie, Innovation Development Manager, SA Power Networks

Chris Skellern, Senior Manager - Capital Advisory, Rennie Advisory

Jim Rijks, Engineering Manager, Ibredrola Australia

Demand management solutions

Chair:
Ric Brazzale, Group Chairman, Green Energy Group

Incentivising flexibility: The role of virtual power plants in a renewable grid
Dan Tebbutt, Senior Manager, Enel X Australia

Grid-integrated data centres: Building resilience and unlocking energy value
Naila Alaoui, Director of Grid Strategy & Solutions, VIOTAS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Navigating dynamic operating envelopes
Caitlin Sears, Senior Policy Advisor, Australian Renewable Energy Agency

Load shifting and demand response in water operations
William Taylor, Senior Project Engineer, GWMWater

Where to next for electrification

Chair:
Sarah Pick, Partner (Energy, Resources and Infrastructure), Mills Oakley

What we learnt from scaling 1k to 50k home batteries?
Myles Eftos, Staff Engineer and Evangelist, Amber Electric

How electrification, flexible demand and smarter energy management are delivering for Victorian business
Suzie Retschko, General Manager, Customer, SEC

Electrification: from pilots to scale
Michaela Reilly, Energy Transition Project Manager, SA Power Networks

Co-presenter:
Matteo Meirelles, Vendor Account Manager, Amber Electric

When electricity leads the transition: insights from New Zealand’s evolving system
Bridget Abernethy, CEO, ERGANZ

3:00pm – 3:30pm

Electric vehicles meet rooftop solar: A multi-stakeholder perspective
Nikhil Jayaraj, Research Adjunct, Curtin University

3:30pm – 4:00pm

Integrating vehicle-to-grid (V2G) assets to benefit customers, the grid, and industry
Successful integration of Vehicle-to-Grid assets will benefit customers, the grid, and industry and has the potential to dramatically accelerate our renewable transition. Achieving this will require alignment across the value chain, with EV OEMs, EVSE suppliers, installers, DNSPs, and retailers aligning to ensure these benefits are realised. This panel offers industry-wide perspectives involving developments in the V2G space.

Chair: Nodoka Nakamichi, Vehicle-Grid Network Lead, Climate KIC Australia

Panellists:

Tim Barson, Strategic Partnerships Manager, Amber

Pradeep Anasuri, Solutions Director, Sigenergy

Sajid Hasan, Chief Product Officer, BYD & Denza Australia

Mark Purcell, Amber V2G Customer, purcell.id.au Pty Ltd

Hosted by:

3:10pm – 3:30pm

Inverter-based large load interconnection: Challenges and opportunities
Rakibuzzaman Shah, Associate Professor, Federation University Australia

3:30pm – 3:50pm

Stop guessing, start proving: De-risking grid connection to avoid delays and reduce cost
Andros Cadavid, Project Engineering Manager, SMA Australia

3:50pm – 4:10pm

From battery-ready to hybrid by design: Why the connection queue is shifting
Steve Wilson, Design Director, Aurecon

4:10pm – 4:40pm

Connection agreements: Emerging trends and negotiation tips
Sean Duffy, Partner, Baker McKenzie

Co-presenter:
Stephanie Centorame, Senior Associate, Baker McKenzie

4:40pm

Chair’s closing remarks

Sponsored by:

To be announced

3:45pm – 4:15pm

Fault finding PV arrays with thermal imagery
Blair Pester, ASIA Pacific Sales Director, Winaico Australia

Hosted by:

To be announced