Global Speakers

Ryan is the General Manager of Simply Energy Solutions, an innovation incubator for Simply Energy. He oversees a portfolio of new products and solutions progressing towards a retail energy business model of the future and supporting the transition to a net zero emissions. Ryan has over 15 years experience in the Australian energy sector, working across the value chain as a consultant, before joining Simply Energy in early 2020. He has a passion for the opportunity that new energy innovation can bring to tacking the challenges of climate change and sustainability.

Topic: Insights From Simply Energy’s VPPx Project In South Australia

DER Specialist and IEEFA Guest Contributor, Dr Gabrielle Kuiper is an energy, sustainability and climate change professional with over twenty years’ experience in the corporate world, government and non-government organisations and academia. She was previously the DER Strategy Specialist with the Energy Security Board. Prior to that Dr Kuiper held senior executive or senior advisory energy-related positions in the Office of the Australian Prime Minister, at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and in the NSW Government.

Panel Discussion: Integrating Distributed Energy Resources (DER): Why Should Technical Integration Be The First Priority

Thuba Moyo is an energy and sustainability professional with over a decade of experience in both conventional and renewable energy sectors, more than half of which have been spent working in various capacities within the Renewable Energy space. He has a diverse background in project management, product/solution development, and business-development disciplines, mostly in commercial and industrial solar photovoltaics sector. Thuba is currently the Technology Advisor for Solar Victoria.

Post-Forum Workshop A: Exploring Measures To Address Minimum Demand Challenges Caused By High DER Penetration

Richard has been with Elliott Green Power (EGP) since mid-2021 and is responsible for asset management of Nevertire Solar Farm in NSW, and Childers & Susan River Solar Farms in QLD. Richard joined EGP from AGL Energy and brings a depth of experience in operations & maintenance, commercial and asset management of wind and solar assets – including as asset manager for Silverton & Coopers Gap Wind Farms, and Broken Hill & Nyngan Solar Plants. Previously he has worked in commercial, procurement and asset management roles at IBM Australia, AusNet Services and the Department of Defence. Richard holds an MBA (Executive) from RMIT University Melbourne and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Tasmania.

Topic: Nevertire Solar Farm: Insights From A Large-Scale Solar Project To Provide Affordable, Reliable And Sustainable Electricity For Australians

Dr Jaysson Guerrero joined the Institute for Sustainable Futures as a Senior Research Consultant in 2020. Jaysson has a background in electrical engineering with a focus on power systems analysis and modeling. Jaysson’s research specialises in assessing new demand-side schemes for facilitating distributed energy resources (DER) integration into low-voltage networks. Prior to joining ISF, Jaysson worked as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the University of Oxford and as a Research Associate at the University of Sydney. His expertise includes working on smart local energy systems and DER aggregation schemes to unlock demand-side flexibility.

Panel Discussion: Integrating Distributed Energy Resources (DER): Why Should Technical Integration Be The First Priority

Dr Deepika Mathur is a Research Fellow at the Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University and is based at the Alice Springs campus. Her area of research is examining ways regional towns can be made more sustainable and healthy through the built environment. In particular she has been conducting research on minimising construction waste generation and ways of recycling and reusing this waste in regional towns such as Alice Springs.

Topic: Case Study: Sustainable Future In End Of Life Management For Solar Panels

Yianni Mentis is the Executive Manager of Environment and Climate Change business unit at Northern Beaches Council in Sydney. He is responsible for management of the natural environment including bushland, biodiversity, stormwater, floodplain, coasts, catchments, including their associated hazards. Yianni oversees embedding environmental resilience and climate change cross organisationally, as well as undertaking ongoing measuring, monitoring and reporting across his portfolio to Council and the community.

Prior to Council Yianni worked with the Barangaroo Delivery Authority as Program Manager Sustainability. This experience formed part of his 25 years of experience working at all levels of government and with consultancies resulting in his comprehensive knowledge of environmental management and sustainability. Yianni has worked on small to large projects on issues including water resources and stormwater management, water quality monitoring, urban salinity, waste management, contaminated site management, water and energy efficiency programming, and delivering carbon neutral and renewables programs for the NSW and Federal governments.

Topic: Northern Beaches Charges Ahead: How Northern Beaches Council Switched To 100% Renewable-Sourced Electricity And Is Working Towards Net Zero With Their Community

Alan is a Director at Baringa Partners LLP, a management consultancy focusing on energy and financial services, where he leads the Australian team’s investment advisory business. He advises Australian and international investors on the potential revenues in the utility-scale electricity generation, focusing on renewables and storage. He also provides policy advice to a range of market participants, both private (e.g., project developers and equity/debt investors), and the government sector.

Prior to Baringa, Alan was acting Chief Economist at the Australian Energy Market Commission, the energy advisor to Australian Governments, where he advised on the integration of renewables into the grid, emissions reduction policies, and wholesale and retail electricity market design.

Alan has worked in the CSIRO’s Energy Technology division, was an Assistant Professor in Finance at Macquarie University, and started his career at the Reserve Bank of Australia, where he covered Australian government and corporate bond and credit derivative markets.

Topic: Achieving Net Zero For The National Electricity Market: What Does That Look Like?

Marika Wanklyn is the Acting Director of Industry Engagement and Development Branch within the Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning in the Victorian Government. Marika currently oversees the renewable hydrogen, industry engagement and emerging energy technologies teams, supporting new technologies and innovations to enter the Victorian market. Marika is experienced in the public service across national and state governments, and in the not-for-profit domain, having delivered environmental outcomes in locations such as Canberra, London and Melbourne. With a Masters degree in Cultural Heritage, Marika has since moved into the renewable energy space, with expertise in emerging energy technologies and the digital transformation of the energy sector.

Topic: Victoria’s Energy Innovation Initiatives

As Director of the Monash Grid Innovation Hub and Associate Professor at Monash’s Faculty of Information Technology, Ariel leads Monash’s Digital Energy initiatives. He brings together researchers from across disciplines such as AI and Electrical Engineering to help integrate new and energy technologies into the system. Ariel is also feputy Director of the Monash Energy Materials and Systems Institute (MEMSI), whose mission is to bring together Monash researchers together to help tack grand challenges in the energy and climate space together with Industry and Government.
Ariel has been an architect of the 6 mil. Monash Grid Innovation Hub, and is lead researcher in the 3 mil. Monash’s Smart Energy City supported by Australian Renewable Energy Agency. The Microgrid located at Monash’s Clayton campus is being purposefully built to demonstrate how a 100% renewable electricity system can operate reliably, and the value it can provide to customers and the broader energy network. The currently established infrastructure includes 2MW of solar panels, 20 buildings (mechanical load shedding), electric vehicle charging stations and 1 MWh of energy storage. All components of the infrastructure will act as independent competitive entities in the Monash Transactive Energy Market.

Panel Discussion: Integrating Distributed Energy Resources (DER): Why Should Technical Integration Be The First Priority (Moderator)

Darren has extensive experience in policy, communications and stakeholder engagement in energy and climate change policy. He leads the Clean Energy Council’s policy and advocacy for distributed energy, which includes industry development and regulatory issues in areas such as distribution networks, solar and battery systems, product standards and consumer protection. He has been with CEC since 2012. Prior to joining CEC he was a senior manager and policy adviser for the Victorian Government.

Topic: National Energy Laws Amendment: Implications Of The New Framework That Allows DNSPs To Take Customers Off Grid

Greg Abramowitz is the Head of Orchestration – Platform and Operations at AGL Energy, and leads the operations and expansion of AGL’s VPP platform to include a range of new technologies and participation in new markets. Greg has been at AGL for 10 years, in roles ranging from energy efficient infrastructure upgrades to LNG virtual pipelines, all with a focus on behind the meter resource management and optimisation. Greg began his career as a chemical engineer having completed an undergraduate degree at The University of Cape Town, and a PhD at The University of Sydney.

Topic: Customer Experience In A Residential Battery VPP – AGL’s Experience From Its South Australian Virtual Power Plant

James Eggleston is a Senior Analyst within the Business Development team at Power Ledger, a Federally funded Doctoral Researcher at the Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute, Executive Committee Member at the Conservation Council of Western Australia (CCWA) and Councillor at the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF). At Power Ledger, James works on project implementation of blockchain applications for renewable electricity trading, asset management and distribution market optimization. At CUSP Institute James’ research is focused on blockchain applications within smart cities and the underpinning utility sectors. At the CCWA and ACF James brings to the board expertise in strategic planning for the electricity sector, smart cities and infrastructure for influencing Australian Federal Government Policy.

Topic: Prosumer Led Network Effects Of Distributed Energy Resources

Ed Chan is a Director at the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) and currently leads the AEMC’s program on distributed energy resources integration. Ed has previously worked on a range of issues relating to economic regulation of networks and smart meter roll outs. Prior to joining the AEMC in 2016, Ed held a variety of roles with companies in bulk water supply, electricity network and energy retail. Ed holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics (Honours) and a Master of Commerce from the University of Sydney.

Panel Discussion: Integrating Distributed Energy Resources (DER): Why Should Technical Integration Be The First Priority

Dr Scott Dwyer is a Research Principal at the Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) at the University of Technology Sydney, working on issues relating to the transitioning energy system. His main interests relate to the opportunities and challenges posed by disruption within the energy sector, especially those relating to markets, customers, technologies, markets, policies, and business models. Scott has +15 years industry experience, working for both the private and public sectors. Advising on issues relating to the commercialisation of new products and services, he’s supported a diverse set of organisations from energy utilities and original equipment manufacturers to startups and governments. Past and current projects include community microgrid feasibilities, electric vehicle business model development, Vehicle-to-Grid trials, and solar and battery VPP demonstration projects. He holds a PhD in Energy and Buildings from the University of Ulster (Belfast), a Masters of Science in Energy Systems from the University of Strathclyde, and a Bachelors of Science (Honours) from Glasgow Caledonian University. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Energy.

Topic: MyTown Microgrid Heyfield: Innovative Local Energy System Feasibility Study

Andrew Blakers is Professor of Engineering at the Australian National University. His research interests include photovoltaic energy systems; silicon solar cell technology, solar concentrators, energy storage, integration and sustainable energy policy. He is co-inventor of PERC and Sliver cell technologies. He is a leading figure in discussions of 100% renewable energy futures, including pumped hydro energy storage.

Topic: Pathway To Net Zero Emissions By 2040: Electricity Prices, Emissions And Australia’s Rapid Solar/Wind Deployment

Eduardo joined Add Energy in September 2015 as VP – Petroleum Engineering. He holds a B.E. (Mechanical) in Engineering Mechanical from the Universidad Metropolitana, Caracas, Venezuela. Eduardo has over 20 years of extensive operational experience as well as project development across the lifecycle of the energy sector.

Eduardo’s career has evolved from being an accomplished Senior Wells Engineer to leading a multifaceted private engineering consultancy as the Acting EVP of Operations for Add Energy. He has been able to demonstrate sound commercial acumen and broader business understanding that has enabled successful transition from performing purely technical engineering work to now servicing a range of top tier clients in the Petroleum Sector and covering a broad spectrum of general management activities from contract negotiation, staffing management, business development, profitability and revenue management, client and stakeholder management and project execution.

Recently, Eduardo and his team, have developed an assessment tool, to implement traditional oil and gas integrity standards into the fast-growing Carbon Capture emission reduction sector, by providing a transparent well construction and compliance process, able to assess legacy fields or support new developments looking to disposed Carbon.

Eduardo lives in Perth, Western Australia, with his wife and 2 kids, and in his free time, he supports his local Rugby Union Club as the Director of Rugby for the Junior program.

Panel Discussion: Integrating Distributed Energy Resources (DER): Why Should Technical Integration Be The First Priority

Professor Lachlan Blackhall is Entrepreneurial Fellow and Head, Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program at The Australian National University. Previously, Professor Blackhall led the development of world-first capabilities to monitor, optimise and control residential solar generation and battery storage, as well as the development of virtual power plant technology to aggregate energy storage to deliver services to energy networks, markets and utilities. Professor Blackhall holds a BE, BSc and a PhD in engineering and applied mathematics, is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a Fellow of both the Institution of Engineers Australia (IEAust) and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE).

Topic: Battery Storage And Grid Integration: VPP Capabilities And New Models Of Storage Deployment And Customer Representation

Julia manage Frasers Property Australia sustainability initiatives in NSW and drive the net zero carbon strategy. She is an engineer with over 6 years of experience in sustainability consultancy across France, UK and Australia and contributed to award winning projects. Her expertise focuses on green building design and construction, sustainability rating systems, energy efficiency and climate change. She is passionate about driving changes to create resilient and thriving communities.

Topic: Case Study: Net Zero Energy Demand Homes