Building the future Australian energy market with Huon Hoogesteger

Renewable energy subsidies continue to be a hot topic of debate in Australia. Smart Commercial Solar’s Huon Hoogesteger believes serious conversations within the industry need to happen to discuss how best to steer the country in the right direction.

At next month’s All-Energy Australia conference in Melbourne, Hoogesteger — the founder and chief executive of Smart Commercial Solar and a solar energy entrepreneur  — will discuss the future of solar, storage and the energy market.

“At All-Energy Australia, I will be speaking about the need to start building for the future of the energy industry right now. I believe we are at a critical turning point as an industry, and if we don’t prepare for the future now by being flexible and bringing data and analysis together, we’ll face some serious difficulties,” Hoogesteger said.

“My address around the future of the energy industry came out of the realisation that when it comes to renewables, the ground has shifted faster than almost anyone expected. If I had been asked a year ago if I thought Australia could go 100% renewable, I would have said no. But today, my answer is yes, and this is because of the prevalence of data. Data to support the economic case for renewables didn’t previously exist. Now it does — and that means we need to pay attention and prepare accordingly.”

Hoogesteger believes the All-Energy Australia exhibition and conference provides an unrivalled platform for industry leaders and experts to share important and valuable information that could make a significant impact to the renewable energy industry, and be beneficial to all.

“If I had to pick one event to participate in, it would be All-Energy Australia,” he said.

“We are in the middle of an energy revolution, and I believe All-Energy Australia is the right platform for the industry to come together to discuss the serious issues so that we can find appropriate solutions.”

The way forward, according to Hoogesteger, is a more holistic approach that plans for the rise of renewables.

“What the industry needs is everyone in the energy value chain driving efficiency and delivering energy at lower costs, more dependably and more abundantly.

“In the past several years, we’ve taken 15 MW of coal-powered energy offline; however, we’ve only added 7 MW of renewables. These kinds of gaps shouldn’t really be happening,” he said.

While it is evident that every country has its own issues when it comes to renewables, according to Hoogesteger, it is important that we do not compare ourselves to other markets.

“It can be really problematic if we go down the path of comparing Australia’s energy industry to those of other countries.

“For example, if Germany wants to eliminate coal or nuclear power, they can import power from France. However, Australia is a nation with no neighbouring countries, so taking the same approach would not be possible because we don’t have access to these types of options.

“It is imperative that we don’t compare ourselves to others and that we focus on an appropriate solution for energy that best suits our country,” he said.

Smart Commercial Solar is one of Australia’s leading commercial solar providers and energy analysts. The math-centric team have developed sophisticated system monitoring and analytical processes that allow businesses to get solar installations for no upfront costs while simultaneously lowering their electricity bills.

Huon Hoogesteger will be presenting on 11 October 2017 at All-Energy Australia at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.

EVENT DETAILS

All-Energy Australia Conference and Exhibition
11–12 October 2017
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

All-Energy Australia is a free-to-attend trade show and conference. To access the 2017 program and register for free, visit www.all-energy.com.au. For more information about the program or exhibitors, contact Cristina Natoli, Porter Novelli Melbourne, at (03) 9289 9555 or cnatoli@porternovelli.com.au.