Inside the highlight topics to be discussed at Energy Next

Energy Next, powered by All Energy Australia, will take place at ICC Sydney on 18–19 July. It will host over 20 expert talks, presentations and panels on topics such as EVs, microgrids, energy storage, solar PV, wind energy, virtual power plants, energy data and hydrogen & ammonia.

Outlined below are a few of the highlight topic areas set to be discussed at Energy Next.

EVs

The NSW Government has set a goal of at least 50% of new car sales to be EVs by 2030–31, promising tax cuts and incentives to reach that goal. More attention and investment into EVs is further expected from the government over the next four years.

There is still a lot of work to be done to reach this goal. As part of this discussion, Energy Next will feature EV consumer based talks and a panel discussion on EV infrastructure.

Amelia McVeigh from ACA Research will share insights from the ACA Research Consumer Automotive Program for the first time.

Managing Director of ACE Electric Vehicles Group Gregory McGarvie will discuss ways for homeowners to manage their energy usage in their own homes during his presentation titled, ‘Energy Democracy for EV Owners with Home Solar’.

Additionally, a panel discussion titled ‘EV Charging Infrastructure: Where We Are and What’s to Come’, will host Jason Venning, FIMER ANZ Country Manager and Rosemary Tan, Managing Director from I-Charge Solutions.

Microgrids

Microgrids are an opportunity for green power, particularly in regional areas, allowing for security and reliability when maintaining a rewable energy supply. Several talks on microgrids in Australia are part of the Energy Next agenda, including ‘Advanced Inverter Capabilities and Their Role in Grid Stability’, presented by Andros Cadavid, Business Developer Manager, SMA Australia.

Jey Shivakumar, Principal Engineer, Energy Transformation Services, Cossill & Webley, will discuss the reliability of microgrids to obtain green energy in ‘Decarbonisation through the use of Microgrids.’

Dr Jose Zapata, Principal, Modelling and Analytics, ITP Renewables, will give a presentation of a summary of key learnings from the recent Fringe-of-Grid Futures South Australian Eyre Peninsula project, which examined the potential for the electricity distribution network on the Eyre Peninsula to transition to renewable energy microgrids.

Energy Storage

Australia has a large capacity to generate green energy, but logistics need to be discussed. The ‘Long Duration Energy Storage Technologies and Development’ panel discussion, chaired by Nishad Mendis, Energy Transition Manager for Bureau Veritas Australia, will discuss the acceleration of renewables and long-duration energy storage.

Rod Scott, Selectronic Australia CEO, will talk about the changes that have led to more aggressive renewable targets in ‘Smarter Storage Needed to Achieve Future Targets’ and how these changes have increased public awareness on the topic.

Manuel Wieser, Head of Clean Energy Technologies Business for AnteoTech, will provide an overview of the commercial drive towards deployment of new battery chemistries, practical challenges and possible commercialisation time frames in ‘The Future Direction of Lithium-Ion Battery Chemistry’.

The installation and operation of large-scale battery systems involving safety, environmental and operational risks will be discussed in ‘Energy Storage — An Explosive Opportunity?’ by Glen Platt, Executive Director of Innovation and Strategy for Emergent Group.

Tim Hill, Director, Essential Water and Energy Services, will discuss ‘Compressed Air Energy Storage’ (CAES). A recent technological breakthrough has allowed Compressed Air Energy Storage to scale down to 50 kWh and up to 50 MWh. This breakthrough enables CAES to enter into the consumer, microgrid and commercial market which is currently almost exclusively reliant on lithium-ion batteries for energy storage.

Solar PV

Australia has the biggest uptake of Solar PV worldwide and it is also the fastest growing energy generation type in the country.

Warwick Johnston, Director, SunWiz, will present insights into the solar & storage market, along with a prediction for the future during the first talk of Energy Next 2023 — ‘The Latest Update in PV & ESS’.

Thomas Fontaine, CEO, GreatCell Energy, will give a talk on ‘Perovskites — The Future of Solar Energy’. Despite potential issues with efficiency and longevity, Fontaine and GreatCell believe the technology can be commercialised now by focusing on low-light, indoor applications with shorter life spans.

Wind energy

Australia’s offshore wind project market is emerging, but it falls behind neighbours such as Taiwan, Vietnam and Japan.

Richard Finlay-Jones, Director, Newcastle Offshore Wind Energy, will discuss ‘The Newcastle Offshore Wind Energy Project’, which was initially only a small-scale project, but now has the potential to supply GW-scale energy to the NEM via the high-capacity Hunter Valley–Central Coast transmission and distribution network.

Hydrogen & Ammonia

The Australian Government is currently taking steps for Australia to increase hydrogen for both export and domestic clean energy production.

Peter Sallans, Technical Director of Zetta New Energy, will examine established and emerging hydrogen production processes in ‘Large Scale Hydrogen Production for Domestic Consumption and Export’, presenting opportunities Australia has in the hydrogen area.

‘Delivering Low-Cost Clean Hydrogen and Ammonia Through Integrated Development of CCS, Renewable Energy Generation,’ presented by Bradley Lingo, Chairman of Pilot Energy, will discuss the first offshore carbon capture and storage operation in Australian Commonwealth Waters. This project will produce up to 1 million metric tonnes per annum of both clean ammonia for export and carbon capture for storage.

Michael Myer, Executive Chairman of Sunshine Hydro, will discuss ‘Super Hybrids’ Role in Australia as a Green Superpower’. This follows a world-first Super Hybrid hydrogen project planned for Central Queensland which, once completed, will create 65 million tonnes of green hydrogen energy and 220 MW of reliable firm green energy per day.

Energy Data

In recent years, generative AI has progressed beyond comprehension. Darren Read, General Manager of Digital Services for Schneider Electric, believes that AI’s predictive capability has no limits and despite its pitfalls, can help the energy sector predict grid failures before they happen.

‘Predictive Asset Management and Digital Transformation for the Renewable Industry’, presented by Read, will discuss the different costs associated with losing an asset on wind, solar and hydroelectric plants, while also taking into account management measures for resource scarcity and supply chain uncertainties, and how AI can help mitigate this.