The Government is now operating in accordance with the Caretaker Conventions, pending the outcome of the 2022 federal election. Info on Caretaker Conventions: https://www.pmc.gov.au/caretaker
IPCC report offers stark warnings and a path of hope
“As we solve problems, new ones arise but also new opportunities”
ARENA CEO Darren Miller
To a large extent, the latest Synthesis Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes grim reading.
Human-caused climate change has already led to widespread adverse impacts, which have brought related damage to nature and people.
The report confirms with a high level of confidence that global warning will increase with ever more complex and cascading risks.
But while many adverse changes are unavoidable and irreversible, there is hope of limiting the effects of climate change through deep, rapid and sustained emissions reductions.
In particular, the report highlights action that can be taken in areas in which ARENA is active.
Rapid and far-reaching transitions
At the very top of its section sub-headed “Mitigation and Adaptation Options across Systems”, the report urges: “Rapid and far-reaching transitions across all sectors and systems are necessary to achieve deep and sustained emissions reductions.”
One of the necessary transitions, the report says, is the deployment of low or zero-emissions technologies.
The report also places particular emphasis on the need of accessible finance. “Enhancing technology innovation systems,” the report says, “is key to accelerate the widespread adoption of technologies and practices.”
ARENA’s unique breadth of technologies
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the report confirms the criticality of ARENA’s work.
“We are supporting the global transition to net zero emissions by accelerating the pace of pre-commercial innovation. Importantly, we do that with the support of the government, research and industry,” he said.
“The number of projects that we do, the breadth of technologies is quite unique.
“But we need to continue to adapt, because as we solve problems, new ones arise but also new opportunities.
“Australia is fortunate to have abundant potential renewable energy resources, world-beating expertise and engaged industries. We can be an innovative global leader in the battle to mitigate the risks of climate change.”
What is the IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report?
The IPCC’s sixth Assessment Report (AR6) is a comprehensive examination of climate change, its risks and action to reduce harm.
The IPCC has published five previous assessment reports, starting with AR1 in 1990.
The AR6 Synthesis Report, written by 39 core-writers from 23 countries, brings together the findings from three earlier AR6 reports. Those reports examined the physical science of climate change, its widespread impacts and risks, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Although there is no new evidence in the Synthesis Report, it does distil the evidence in earlier reports into a single document.
The next IPCC assessment report is not due until around 2030. That year is deemed critical for emissions reductions targets which could limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C. If those targets are not met, then the likelihood is warming will reach 2 degrees C or even higher.
That makes the findings of this report, and the actions taken, critically important.
Since 2012, ARENA has supported 653 projects with $2.04 billion in grant funding, unlocking a total investment of almost $9.06 billion in Australia’s renewable energy industry.
In an era of rapid climate change three factors have dominated the race to deliver solar electricity: solar cell efficiency; combined manufacturing, deployment and operational costs; and a very short timeframe.
ARENA has set ambitious targets for each of these. Launched in September 2021 and dubbed Solar 30 30 30, ARENA’s goal is to lift solar cell efficiency to 30 per cent and reduce the cost of solar modules in the field to 30 cents a watt. The final 30 represents the target date of 2030, a mere seven years from now.
Could a class of materials first discovered in Russia’s Ural Mountains in the mid 19th century be the key to reaching those targets?
Now, a team of researchers at the ANU led by Dr The Duong, say they have produced in the lab a solar cell with an efficiency of 30.3 per cent, using perovskite.
Perovskites, named after Russian minerologist Lev Perovski, are known to have potentially high solar cell efficiency but are notoriously unstable. Dr Duong’s team has demonstrated a method of stabilising the structure of a perovskite
The ANU team’s work has been financially supported by ARENA through the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP). ARENA in June 2022 announced up to $45 million funding to ACAP to extend operations of their cutting-edge solar photovoltaic (PV) research to 2030. And in January 2023, ARENA announced a total of $41.5 million funding to 13 projects focussed on delivering Ultra Low Cost Solar.
Dr The Duong in the ANU laboratory
In this interview, Dr The Duong explains his team’s approach and possible future developments.
Q: Can you describe the work you have done and what you have achieved.
We have discovered a simple method to significantly improve the quality of the perovskite material and therefore we can improve both the efficiency and the stability of the perovskite in the cell.
When combining these perovskite solar cells with silicon cells in a 4-terminal tandem configuration, we achieved 30.3 per cent [efficiency]. That means 30.3 per cent of the energy of the sunlight had been converted into electricity.
Our work not only demonstrated perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells with ultra-high efficiency, but we also show that the devices have excellent stability.
Q: Can you explain what “tandem” means in terms of solar cell construction?
We build a tandem arrangement by combining two cells, a perovskite cell with a high band gap sitting on the top and a silicon one with the lower band gap sitting at the bottom. The high band-gap cell is more effective at the short wavelengths [of light] while the low bandgap device is more effective at the long wavelengths.
My work is mainly focused on the perovskite. So, perovskite is usually the top cell on a tandem cell and then absorbs the blue light and converts it to energy. Importantly, the perovskite device is made semi-transparent, which lets the red light pass through to the silicon bottom cell and generates additional energy. In that way, the tandem solar cell can produce significantly more energy than each individual cell.
Tandem is not a new concept. But having perovskite in tandem is low-cost as compared to the gallium arsenide or other high-cost materials. So, hopefully, with this at high density, we can lower the cost of the solar energy.
Q: What are the advantages of using perovskite?
The advantage of perovskite is that it can be made with a very low temperature process.
So basically, for silicon you need very high temperatures, 700 to 1000 degrees C. And the whole process is very energy intensive.
But perovskite [is produced] in a very low temperature process, normally 100 to 150 degrees C.
In addition, you can deposit high quality perovskite materials using many different techniques: you can print perovskite on, or you can just spray it on. So, it is very simple and that’s why you can make perovskite cells in a very short time and at a low cost. So, it is very simple and that’s why you can make perovskite cells in a very short time and at a low cost.
Q: What is the significance of this work?
The theoretical maximum efficiency of a single junction cell is about 29 per cent. And, we are getting very close to that.
So that’s why you need to think about other approaches to improve efficiency.
The very highest efficiency tandem cells have achieved before is more than 30 per cent. But these cells have mostly used gallium arsenide, which is very high cost.
We work on a perovskite tandem layer, so this is kind of the low-cost version of the tandem cell.
But the perovskite layer can be made in different configurations.
You can just monolithically deposit perovskite on top of the lower cell or you can combine the two cells mechanically. And in our work, we have combined the two devices mechanically.
Monolithic tandems need to have current matching. To work properly, the top cell and the bottom cell need to deliver the same current at the same time.
So, let’s say you’ve got the whole spectrum of sunlight that can vary from the morning to the afternoon. In the morning, when you got a lot of blue light, the monolithic top perovskite cell produces a lot of current but the second silicon cell only produces a very small current. And so, the whole device is limited.
So overall, the monolithic tandems can suffer from inefficiencies through the day.
With our perovskite tandem device, each layer can act independently. The top and the bottom cell produce a separate electric current and do not have to match the electric current of the other layer. So, they are not affected in the same way by the changing solar spectrum through the day
So overall, we think that we can expect this tandem to deliver a higher energy yield than the monolithic tandem.
Q: Does that mean that solar cell maintenance would be easier?
The mechanical construction tandem cells have several advantages.
One is that if you’ve just got the silicon module, what you can do is just upgrade into a tandem by placing the perovskite module on top. And if a perovskite layer fails, you can remove it and put another one on.
Also, when you [monolithically] combine the two devices, if one of them stops working, then the whole device will not work.
But when we combine the two devices mechanically, they operate independently. So even if one stops working the other one still works.
Q: Do you think this this will be scalable in terms of building up into big solar panels?
There are three major things that we need to overcome. First is just to demonstrate that this model can be stable to operate in the field for 20 to 25 years or beyond.
At this point, [the technology] is very new. We’ve done a lot of testing in the lab but it’s not long enough.
Secondly, there are still major challenges in terms of scaling up the technology. The lab-scale device is quite small, and in the field you need to be much bigger. So, So, we’re looking at different methods to scale up the perovskite modules.
Thirdly, we need to cut the cost of perovskite modules since some layers in the devices are expensive to make.
There has been great progress being made in terms of commercialising the technology. We are confident that the challenges will be overcome in a couple of years.
Q: Do you think there’s room to increase the efficiency even more?
Yes, of course. In fact, I think close to 34 or 35 per cent can be achieved. It’s feasible.
ARENA has supported solar PV research and development for more than decade. The agency has provided almost $300 million to around 200 solar research and development projects since 2009 through funding programs inherited from the Australian Solar Institute, or run by ARENA since 2012.
For International Women’s Day 2023, we asked women working in renewables to reflect on their roles and their ideas on how the industry can ‘Embrace Equity”.
Click on the links below to view individual stories or scroll down.
“I would like to see a much greater focus on cultural and linguistic diversity”
Where do you work and what do you do? I am the Chair of the Australian Energy Regulator. The question of what I “do” is always hard to answer. The AER Board is not a traditional non-executive governance Board. Our roles are more similar to that of a Commission. The jobs are full-time and we are responsible for all the statutory decision making of the AER along with setting the strategic direction for the work of the organisation (among other things). The AER does so much to promote the long-term interests of energy consumers and I am fortunate enough to be a part of that.
How did you get into the job? I’ve been working in all parts of the energy system for 20 years now. I have worked in both the private and public sectors in my career but in 2019 I was attracted to the tangible nature of regulation and the positive impact this can have for energy consumers. I was interviewed and subsequently recommended by an Independent Panel for the role of Chair. Appointment to the role of Chair of the AER requires the unanimous support of Energy Ministers and subsequent sign off by the Commonwealth Cabinet and Governor-General. So, it took a while.
Why is renewable energy important to your work? Energy is, and will continue to be, one of the fastest transitioning sectors in the Australian economy and will underpin our transition to net zero emissions. Renewable energy is at the heart of this.
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way When I was in the early parts of my career there just weren’t many women around me. I worked in the Federal Treasury which was, at the time, quite male dominated and I then went to work at the energy industry association where all but one of the member CEOs were men. At Energy Australia I was the only woman on an eight-person executive team. Most of my early career I was managed and mentored by men. I think it took me quite some time to appreciate what impact that had on my personal style. I’ve also had to come to terms with the fact that, regardless of our increasing focus on gender equality, people still seem to have different expectations of how men and women will engage.
How do you think the energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity”? What progress would you like to see? I personally would like to see a much greater focus on cultural and linguistic diversity within the more senior realms of the energy industry. The intersection of gender and cultural and linguistic diversity is particularly important to me.
What do you wish you were told when you first started out in your career? You can’t see around every corner so keep learning and keep open minded. The path is never straight and it is sometimes very difficult but don’t despair. Windows open when you least expect it. Be ready. Actually, someone did tell me the last bit and it made all the difference.
“The clean energy transition is centred on equity”
Where do you work and what do you do? Alinga Energy Consulting is a small firm that delivers feasibility studies and design of renewable energy systems and microgrids. We focus on off-grid applications, particularly remote Indigenous community in Australia and PNG. My Aboriginal heritage drives me to focus on equitable outcomes for Indigenous communities.
How did you get into the job? I’ve wanted to work in renewable energy since I was 16. After university I worked with Arup in Melbourne. In 2015 I moved to Arup’s San Francisco office and specialised in complex solar arrays and microgrids, working predominantly with Google. I left Arup in 2018 to volunteer with Engineers Without Borders in Ethiopia, training refugees to design and install solar mini-grids for health centres. After that, I knew I had to come home to Australia and dedicate myself to improving energy delivery in Indigenous communities.
Why renewable energy? My 16-year-old-self first thought of recycling as an industry I could explore. But my next thoughts were about the huge amounts of electricity it must take to run a recycling plant. So, I thought I’d better start with that.
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way I’ve often struggled with presenting the most energy efficient, clean energy technologies to clients only to have most of the initiatives value-managed out of the design at a later stage. I’ve struggled with the idea of saving companies vast amounts of money on energy bills then seeing them waste their new, free energy in indulgent ways. And I’ve struggled with the lack of common sense in some of our energy regulations which has held back innovation and value streams for users.
How do you think the renewable energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity” What progress would you like to see? The renewable energy sector holds amazing opportunities for women. Over the past year I have been delighted to see a huge number of women entering the industry. I’ve seen several all-women expert panels and an impressive number of female CEOs. It’s no surprise to me. The clean energy transition is centred on equity, giving attention to our marginalised peoples (“a just transition”).
What do you wish you were told when you first started out in your career? I wish I’d had healthier role-models when I first started. I have picked up so many bad habits around work-life balance. I was told that one of my graduate colleagues was really getting 50% more experience because she was working so much unpaid overtime. Now we’re much more aware of burnout. A career is a marathon, not a sprint. Saving the world is a marathon, not a sprint.
“As a woman, I feel like this is a really great time to be a solar engineer”
Where do you work and what do you do? I’m a professor at UNSW at the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics. My work there looks at the kinds of materials that can be used to make solar cells.
How did you get into the job? I completed my PhD at SPREE UNSW in 2010. I love research because I am a curious seeker of the truth. I wanted to be an innovator and also a detective – so I became a researcher in solar PV to combine the two. I love working in an area I really enjoy and that also has benefit to other people.
Why renewable energy? Climate change is the biggest challenge that has ever faced our species. As a scientist, it feels like my skills are best put to use in addressing how we can fix this as soon as we can.
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way I think that moving to a new country is always challenging for anyone who chooses to do that, even though it’s also incredibly exciting — there’s a big adjustment to make in learning a language and getting familiar with a new culture, so that was one challenge! As a woman, I feel like this is a really great time to be a solar engineer, there are so many of us working in the field now, it feels like we’re moving towards a time where there could be even more women than men working together.
What do you wish you’d been told when you first started out in your career? Having mentor(s). The mentor can be invaluable in your career. They can offer guidance, support, and advice based on their own experiences. Also, don’t forget to have fun! Your career should be fulfilling and enjoyable, so make sure to find joy in what you do.
“This young sector is all about change, innovation and growth”
Where do you work and what do you do? I work at MGA thermal as the CFO. As a green tech start up, the role is very broad, setting up strong foundations internally for growth, and working with investors and external stakeholders on funding.
How did you get into the job? I had a solid background in Chartered Accounting firms, before moving into commercial finance roles in industry. That transitioned to operations and general management. I’ve now come back to finance but in an organisation where finance has a real seat at the table.
Why renewable energy? This role came along at just the right time in my career. Most of my roles have been in mining and industry. I was looking for something with strategic purpose and it’s hard to get more strategic purpose than working in a green tech startup organisation – an industry which aligns with developing community values and priorities.
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way Traditional industrial organisations are fairly hierarchical, and of course male dominated. Pre MGA, there were circumstances where I believe I was included in initiatives as a token to diversity. The inclusion, however, provided an opportunity to participate. My approach was to seize that opportunity – ignore the tokenism and enjoy the win
How do you think the renewable energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity” What progress would you like to see? This young sector is all about change, innovation and growth – activities and concepts that align perfectly with the IWD Theme. In many ways, the sector has one of the best opportunities to realise the Embrace Equity theme. I’d like to see progress in developing and reporting metrics that are genuine indicators of diversity, equity and inclusion and collection of valid, verifiable data.
What do you wish you were told when you first started out in your career? So many things……Every experience you have – good, bad, boring, exciting – adds value later on. Start a one-page logbook what you have achieved, where you want wrong, and what you have learnt, and update this regularly. Find a mentor and actively seek advice.
Where do you work and what do you do? I work with a sustainable infrastructure fund manager leading the day-to-day asset management activities for the business. Our infrastructure asset portfolio currently consists of utility-scale solar farms, key worker accommodation, and Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).
How did you get into the job? I was headhunted from my last job (Manager of Engineering and Asset Management – KPMG) through LinkedIn. I had never considered a career with a funds manager before, having spent my whole career as an energy systems engineer, so it felt like quite the leap of faith.
Why renewable energy? I started my career with the Australian Energy Market Operator (energy forecasting and transmission services) and WorleyParsons (oil and gas) – both roles gave me an appreciation and foundation for the complexity ahead of us as a nation to meet our emission targets and energy transition aspirations. I work in, with, and amongst the renewable energy industry because it is the right thing to do. Though, we have a LONG road ahead.
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way The energy industry made me acutely aware of my intersectional identities. From learning that women in our cohort were paid less than men (myself included), to experiencing a minimum of two instances of workplace bullying and discrimination (one included a death threat) shook my confidence in the energy industry. The challenges we have as an industry ahead of us leave no time for this sort of outdated and unnecessary behaviour.
How do you think the renewable energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity” What progress would you like to see? I feel the United Nations’ theme for International Women’s Day this year is much more aligned to me and our industry: “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. As an industry we have a lot more to do to unlock untouched potential innovation can bring, and this transcends beyond gender.
What do you wish you were told when you first started out in your career? It will be hard, but power on, the opportunities are endless!
GRACE YOUNG Chief Innovation Officer, Wattwatchers
“This is critical to shift the needle towards a more inclusive industry”
Where do you work and what do you do? I’m Chief Innovation Officer at Wattwatchers. I’m responsible for the design and delivery of our hardware, firmware, infrastructure, APIs and apps.
How did you get into the job? I came to Wattwatchers after launching local energy trading startup Nexergy. Nexergy was founded after a decision to focus my efforts in the energy sector having completed my Masters of Sustainable Practice at RMIT. This was part of a longer-term career trajectory to work with for-purpose organisations
Why renewable energy? This is the industry where my interests in behaviour-change, technology and sustainability intersect. When I was working at WWF-Australia, I read a report that stated climate change has the potential to wipe out any advances we may achieve in social justice and advancement, creating conflict and adversely affecting those nations and peoples who are least able to affect the changes needed to avoid it. Since then, I have focused my efforts on creating a more sustainable world, with an emphasis on energy, as this is a ‘big emitter’ industry.
How do you think the renewable energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity” What progress would you like to see? As a small example of how change can happen: at Wattwatchers, we recognised our culture, HR policies, and the like were not aligned with our desire to create an inclusive, diverse company. Aspects of our business lacked consideration of the needs, interests and requirements of women, transgender folks, and other minorities. We actively responded to this by rewriting our policies and addressing ‘blokey bloke’ cultural references within our team, as a start. It remains a journey that we’re on, not a destination. But this is critical to shift the needle towards a more inclusive industry.
What do you wish you were told when you first started out in your career? If I’d been told, I may not have jumped in! But just knowing that it was going to require a huge degree of patience and perseverance to effect change would have been beneficial. So, the advice would be to “push hard, innovate, but expect headwinds”.
Where do you work and what do you do? I am the Director of ESG for Team Global Express. We are one of Australia’s largest transport and logistics providers so my main focus is on decarbonising our very large fleet of trucks, vans, planes, ships, and ancillary equipment.
Why renewable energy? Transport is responsible for about 17% of Australia’s emissions and so finding renewable and alternative sources of energy is critical. In addition, our customers are demanding that we make a change.
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way It is really challenging to change an industry which has been so dependent upon fossil fuels for 150 years. Finding new ways to be more efficient as well as lowering our emissions in a market that has extremely low margins means that every drop of fuel counts – and every skerrick of energy is costly. Our customers want their freight yesterday and they are not necessarily prepared to pay for a low carbon solution.
How do you think the renewable energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity”? What progress would you like to see? I think that a lot of women feel very strongly about renewable sources of energy and are prepared to go to battle for it. I’d like to see more of our younger female engineers given the opportunity to be heard above the status quo – if we don’t start thinking outside the box and being creative then we’re not likely to decarbonise our planet in the time we need to.
What do you wish you were told when you first started out in your career? Don’t sweat the small things and make sure you always work with people you admire and respect. Don’t waste your time stressing about whether you agree with the end result because it’s not likely to be personal – focus on how you’re going to get there instead.
“Leaders need to make sure female staff are getting paid the same as the males”
Where do you work and what do you do? I work for ATCO and am the Strategy Lead for Clean Fuels.
How did you get into the job? My interest in renewable fuels stemmed from my time at the Australian National University where I was part of a team looking at low carbon biofuels and hydrogen storage molecules. I had the pleasure of working at ARENA for a number of years managing the bioenergy portfolio and working in the hydrogen team.
Why is renewable energy important to your work? I was raised by environmental activists. I went to no nuke rallies and green peace marches with my dad. He dedicated a big part of his lifeto saving the planet before the threat of global warming. Now I have a daughter – and that is my reason for almost everything – including my work in renewable energy.
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way Work – life balance is impossible to get exactly right. When my daughter was young it was difficult to manage work with caring for her – especially when she was home sick from school / daycare. Homeschooling during COVID did my head in massively. It was my mum’s tribe that got me through it. Man it was tough. I am an engineer with a PhD in chemistry. these are male dominated fields. That has had its challenges in terms of fitting in sometimes. I remember I was working as an engineer in New Jersey and my boss said he didn’t invite me out to dinner because the team went to a strip club:) We all have stories like this. But it’s not all bad. I have been fortunate to work with amazing men and women – in leadership and team roles.
How do you think the renewable energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity”? What progress would you like to see? I think there are easy starting points. Leaders need to make sure female staff are getting paid the same as the males. We know that is not the case – but this is an easy fix. Just go check:) Support women who have young children – don’t make them feel lousy if they have to miss work to take care of a sick child.
What do you wish you were told when you first started out in your career? Don’t be so hard on yourself. you are going to make mistakes – you are going to have bad days. You are going to feel like you aren’t quite making it at work and you aren’t quite making it as a mum. Sometimes the family-life balance is hard and you just have to forgive yourself for not getting it exactly right.
BRIDGETTE CARTER Project Director – Advanced Steel Manufacturing Precinct (ASMaP), BlueScope Steel
“The sector is still relatively young … and provides a multitude of opportunities to embrace best practice programs”
Where do you work and what do you do? I work at BlueScope Steel’s Port Kembla Steelworks (Wollongong, NSW). I’ve recently shifted into a new role as Project Director – Advanced Steel Manufacturing Precinct. It’s an exciting project aimed at modernising our Plate Mill and partnering with a wind tower fabricator to supply locally fabricated towers to local Wind Farms.
Why renewable energy? It was a natural progression and melding of two passions – I fell in love with “energy” – the complexity and the challenges and I care deeply about making a difference to the planet. How to equitably transition the energy system to a low carbon future is a wicked problem that renewable energy plays a vital role in solving.
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way As a young female Engineer, the very early years of my career (prior to BlueScope) were extremely challenging. Sexism and sexual harassment were unfortunately way too common, and you needed to grow a very thick skin to survive. Industry has made significant progress in providing inclusive workplaces over the last 20+ years that was very much needed and long overdue.
Another personal challenge has been learning how to switch off and gain more balance in my life. I’m passionate about what I do, and energy is forever in the news and hard to escape so learning ways to switch off.
How do you think the renewable energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity”? What progress would you like to see? I think the renewable energy sector is well placed to embrace equity. The sector is still relatively young and there is significant investment and activity in this sector that provides a multitude of opportunities to embrace best practice programs and initiatives to not only increase female representation across the industry but to embrace and support diversity across female industry participants.
What do you wish you’d been told when you first started out in your career? Seek out a Mentor and a Sponsor early in your career. I think it would have been extremely helpful in my early career to have a better professional support network in place for advice, support and to access broader networks.
“I would like to see wider enthusiasm for a four day working week for all”
Where do you work and what do you do? I am a Product Manager at Beyond Zero Emissions.
How did you get into the job? It’s unusual for me, but I got the job purely through a formal application process. (I usually get my jobs through networking.)
Why renewable energy? I’ve always had a passion for all aspects of sustainability. Renewable energy combines sustainability with my strong technical skillset. By being at BZE, I particularly like that I am not only working in renewable energy, but also working towards an equitable transition.
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way. Years ago, before BZE, I have faced many of the classic challenges faced by minority groups:
• Receiving so much brilliant career advice that would only work if I was male • Lack of feminine role models • Being the odd one out (e.g. If anyone swore, they would turn to me and apologise.)
But at the time, I thought nothing of these challenges. Thanks to the rise in awareness of diversity and inclusion, I can now put them into words. Being able to name them has been very powerful for me.
How do you think the renewable energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity” What progress would you like to see? The progress I would like to see is wider enthusiasm for a four day working week for all. I believe so many women find it really enriching to have big responsibilities outside work that motivate them to stay really focused during their working hours. I think there should be more encouragement for men to enrich their lives in a similar way.
What do you wish you’d been told when you first started out in your career? Find the things that you like to do but most other people do NOT like to do. That’s your differentiator.
“A fresh mind that isn’t trapped by existing norms, is so valuable!”
Where do you work and what do you do? I work at the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics at UNSW, where our research looks into how we can make solar cells more efficient and durable by investigating and deactivating ‘defects’ in cells. Some defects are ironically activated by sunlight!
How did you get into the job? My dad, Stuart Wenham, did a lot of pioneering work on solar cells here at UNSW, so you could say that I went into the family business! Although, it didn’t start out that way. I initially wanted to distance myself from him and worked as an electrical buildings consulting engineer. During this time I would hear my contagiously enthusiastic father talk about all the exciting developments happening in solar, while simultaneously seeing climate change accelerating. I was drawn to return to UNSW to do a PhD in solar energy where I felt I could make a more positive difference in the world.
Why renewable energy? Advancing and accelerating uptake of renewable energy is one of the world’s most urgent and critical issues if we are to have any chance of displacing fossil fuels to slow and reverse the warming of our planet. I also love solving engineering challenges and the magic of electricity so it’s a nice harmony of interests for me.
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way I was one of only eight women among ~400 male engineers as an undergraduate! This didn’t bother me so much, (especially since I met my husband there with not much competition, haha!) But, it could be a major deterrent for many young women. Somewhat relatedly, recently taking two lots of maternity leave for my two sons has been very challenging to manage for continuity of research, supervision, collaboration etc.
What do you wish you’d been told when you first started out in your career? Exactly what I tell my students now: that you are valuable just by being you and showing up. It’s easy to doubt your worth when starting out or when your credibility feels repeatedly questioned as you build your career. But not all value comes from knowing everything or extensive experience. You are your own person that may have different opinions or ideas that can help solve a challenge in a way that may not be otherwise thought of. Diversity, including a fresh mind that isn’t trapped by existing norms, is so valuable!
“We need both women and men with a range of skills and from diverse backgrounds”
Where do you work and what do you do? Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE), Interim Head of Research – which means I head up a magnificent research team that help to come up with our positive, ambitious solutions to decarbonise Australia’s economy
How did you get into the job? I applied for the Research Manager role in the team – and having been in that role for a while, had the opportunity to step up to Head of Research
Why renewable energy? At BZE we’re advocating for 100% of our energy generation to be from renewables by 2030 – its super ambitious, but if we can power Australia with green electricity we have the potential to cut huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions in our homes, from our transport and across our industries – it also offers great opportunities for jobs and export revenue, so the question is maybe, why not renewable energy?!
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way I’m relatively new to the sector – so the biggest challenge has been getting up to speed with loads of new content in a short space of time (and learning ALOT of acronyms!). There’s a lot to do to successfully transition to renewable energy and cut emissions, and it needs to happen fast, sometimes that can feel overwhelming – so keeping a positive and optimistic frame of mind can be really hard some days.
How do you think the renewable energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity” What progress would you like to see? I believe that women represent roughly 30% of the workers in the renewable energy sector so there’s obviously work to be done. It’s important that we understand that not everyone has to be an engineer (which is currently a more male dominated job title) – there are so many skills needed and we need both women and men with a range of skills and from diverse backgrounds to ensure we have a complete skill set so we can meet the speed and scale needed in renewable roll out.
What do you wish you’d been told when you first started out in your career? I had a colleague who used to say, you just have to ‘begin somewhere’ – which I’ve always liked, there’s room to grow and change, but sometimes you just have to have the courage to start.
ARDEN JARRETT Marketing Manager – Brand, MGA Thermal
“We have the opportunity to make this industry from the ground up”
Where do you work and what do you do? I’m Arden Jarrett, the Marketing Manager – Brand at MGA Thermal. Being an early-stage company, my role is broad and I do anything that encompasses marketing plus more. Including brand positioning, drafting media releases and coordinating with our PR team, building networks with key federal MPs, social media, graphic design, website building, photography, the organisation of stakeholder reference groups and conferences etc.
How did you get into the job? In 2018, went on an international uni course in Singapore with the University of Newcastle and introduced myself to an entrepreneur and super networker we met there. They recognised my interests and where I was based and put me in touch with Alex Post, MGA Thermal’s CTO and co-founder.
Why renewable energy? I’ve always been after a career that has an impact, and climate change has been one of my biggest concerns for the last decade. Growing up in Newcastle, there’s a deep history of coal and heavy industry, but there is also a rapidly emerging renewable energy space. After finishing uni, it seemed like the biggest opportunity with the most impact and potential, as well as just being a very exciting sector to be!
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way The biggest challenge was the first couple of years with MGA Thermal when I was the only woman on the team – we now have 10! Everyone on the team was and is lovely, however when you provide the only alternate perspective in the room, it becomes tiring to always speak up and insist on being heard. It can be easy in that situation to stop speaking your ideas and opinions. This is true of any factor of diversity, whether you are the only woman or ethnic minority or disabled person in the room (just to name a few). We are now above average for diversity in our industry and continue to value all types of diversity.
How do you think the renewable energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity” What progress would you like to see? Renewable energy is an exciting, growing industry. We have the opportunity to make this industry from the ground up. Let’s make it inclusive and representative.
What do you wish you were told when you first started out in your career? I was given lots of advice, but I think the hard part is believing in yourself. It would be nice if when I started, I had more confidence in my knowledge and decisions. Just make the decision and if it’s not the best outcome, learn from it, be curious as to why, and don’t be too harsh on yourself.
Where do you work and what do you do? I’m the CEO and founder of One Small Step. We are a profit-for-purpose climate startup. Our main product is a free consumer mobile application that’s helped 70,000 Australians make lifestyle changes that massively reduce carbon emissions, using behavioural science.
How did you get into the job? I got into the job by working as a climate campaigner. I was very passionate about working on climate change mitigation since I was in early university, and I dedicated my career to it. But when I was working as a campaigner, I realised there was a hugely under-addressed area of climate change mitigation, that was “demand-side climate change mitigation” and specifically behaviour change in high income countries, getting people to change their behaviour to reduce emissions en masse.
Why renewable energy? Renewable energy is a hugely critical component of global decarbonisation. We urgently need to transition away from fossil fuels. At this point, this is so bleedingly obvious I think it’s better to just focus on the how rather than the why.
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way Well, one of the biggest ones was not having a coding background. So, finding the right people to work with who could bring the app and the software to life was the first major hurdle. I was lucky enough to find some really excellent, very experienced tech advisors along the way and that really shifted things.
How do you think the renewable energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity” What progress would you like to see? Equity to me is about equality of opportunity. And you know one of the key aspects of the energy transition that is a concern is that the switch to renewables could potentially further entrench lower socioeconomic people in energy poverty. For example, if you own your home you can make modifications to the home; you can retrofit it, you can install solar panels, batteries, you can electrify all of your appliances, and this saves you a lot of money. But renters don’t have the same level of control over their sources of energy. It’d be great to see voices within the renewable energy sector working more on this accessibility issue in the context of affordable housing, minimum residential building standards and tenants’ rights.
What do you wish you were told when you first started out in your career? I guess that you learn best by doing, not by taking advice from others. There does tend to be a fairly paternalistic approach to giving support to female founders, and that looks like lots of advice, programs, incubators, courses, fellowships etc. on how to be better entrepreneurs, and to have more confidence. And so I think what I wish I was told early in my career – was just to back myself first rather than seeking lots of generic advice.
“Embracing equity is fundamental to achieving equality”
Where do you work and what do you do? My role at Goldwind Australia is the Wholesale Markets Manager, where I’m responsible for developing and managing the revenue and market strategies for our portfolio of renewable energy assets. This includes negotiating PPA’s and overseeing operations in the National Electricity Market.
How did you get into the job? My early career included roles in IT and project management where I worked for clients largely in the energy and utilities sector. That’s where I grew my knowledge and contacts in the energy industry, which led me to taking on roles in energy and environmental market trading, contracting, gas markets, and energy retail. In 2021, I decided to make a move into the high-growth area of the industry, taking up my role with renewable energy provider Goldwind.
Why renewable energy? Renewable energy and storage are critical components to transitioning away from fossil fuels and reaching global emission reduction targets. Whilst there are many challenges to overcome to realise this goal, it’s exciting to be actively contributing to the solution and working with a broad range of people, ideas and technologies along the way.
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way I’ve been very fortunate in my career to work with many experienced industry colleagues, who have been generous in sharing their insights with me. Earlier in my career, there were far fewer female leaders in senior positions, so there were less female role models to relate to or mentors to turn to for guidance and support. It’s slowly improving, but it’s not uncommon to be the only female in the room or at the table.
How do you think the renewable energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity”? What progress would you like to see? I believe embracing equity is essential for the renewable energy industry given the massive task facing the industry and the challenges in retaining the skilled resources needed to achieve its ambitious goals. Embracing equity is fundamental to achieving equality and realising a diverse and inclusive workplace. I’d like to see organisations continue to challenge their traditional views on merit, to one in which the benefits of having a more diverse team has a greater focus in the merit criteria.
What do you wish you were told when you first started out in your career? Growth requires going outside of your comfort zone. Put up your hand for new roles and projects whenever opportunities arise. Build your network of contacts early, ask lots of questions, and find a mentor you trust and respect. Finally, learn as much as you can from experienced colleagues, but don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo by looking for new and different ways of doing things.
“The industry is becoming more and more aware of the importance of responsible development”
Where do you work and what do you do? I’m Program Director at the Business Renewables Centre Australia (BRC-A) – an initiative of Climate-KIC, ISF and WWF-Australia. The initiative was started with seed-funding from ARENA and the NSW, Vic and Qld State Governments to provide training, connection and support to corporate organisations seeking to procure renewable electricity via Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
How did you get into the job? I joined WWF-Australia as Renewable Energy Manager in 2018 and launched the BRC-A together with the team. Prior to this, I was a senior development manager in the property sector (10 years) and completed a specialised MBA in order to transition to renewables.
Why renewable energy? For me, it’s because renewables are solution focused. It’s easy to become heavily weighed down by negativity around climate change, whereas renewables make a significant and positive difference to the problem. And supporting renewable energy procurement by corporate and government organisations is win-win: this means meeting the needs of companies seeking to achieve net zero and 100% renewables goals, while at the same time supporting the development of new renewable energy projects to the gird.
Tell us about the challenges you have faced along the way We’ve had to adjust our business model in order to continue to support industry. But we are finding industry highly responsive, and the market for renewable electricity procurement continues to grow each year.
How do you think the renewable energy sector is positioned to realise the IWD’s theme for the year: “Embrace equity” What progress would you like to see? The industry is becoming more and more aware of the importance of responsible development. In particular, corporate renewable energy buyers and developers are realising the opportunity for social and environmental project co-benefits that can be delivered to host communities. Sharing project benefits with communities, especially in regional areas, is emerging as a major focus and we have seen some great examples of best practice in this area emerge across industry. More companies want to contract with developers and retailers (and all of the supply chain for that matter) who share their stated corporate values. This includes gender equity, as well as the fight against modern slavery, community stewardship and more.
What do you wish you were told when you first started out in your career? I’ve come full circle, starting out in environmental impact assessment, moving to planning approvals and development, then into renewables. Finding a role that reflects your values is key to happiness and success. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to people who you admire, irrespective of ages, role or gender – there is a lot to be learned.
Global award a ‘testament’ to Australian solar research
“This award is testament to a lifetime of research with a view to what is possible.”
An Australian team of researchers has won recognition for its pioneering work on solar cells.
Alongside Australia’s so-called “solar superman” Professor Martin Green, Professor Andrew Blakers, Dr Aihua Wang and Dr Jianhua Zhao received the 2023 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) for their research, work and development of Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) solar photovoltaic technology.
PERC technology has underpinned the recent growth of high performance, low-cost solar electricity, to harness the power of the sun. It now features in the majority of solar panels manufactured around the world.
Professor Green and his team of researchers have held solar-efficiency world records for 30 of the last 38 years.
The QEPrize is awarded each year to engineers responsible for ground-breaking innovations that have been of global benefit to humanity.
Professor Green said he hopes that winning the QEPrize will open people’s eyes to the possibilities of renewable energy.
“I am honoured to share this esteemed award with Andrew Blakers, Aihua Wang and Jianhua Zhao,” Professor Green said.
“As the world feels the devastating impacts of our changing environment and collapsing ecosystems, I feel passionately that more must be done to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and keep up with the trajectory of human civilisation,” he said.
ARENA support for solar research
Professor Green is a former director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP). He started a career in solar research in the 1970s, around the time of the oil crisis.
ARENA has since 2012 worked closely with ACAP. In 2022, ARENA boosted its funding support by $45 million. By 2030, ACAP will have received an expected total of $128.99 million in ARENA funding.
Incoming ACAP director Professor Renate Egan described the award recipients as “true pioneers in our field”.
“This award is testament to a lifetime of research with a view to what is possible, often delivering beyond expectations,” Professor Egan said.
“They continue to contribute, with Martin and Andrew playing a key role in leading research activity within ACAP, sharing their experience with the next generation of innovators,” she said.
“ARENA’s ongoing support of our work at ACAP has meant that successive generations of solar researchers have been able to work on advancing solar technologies that will make solar power even more powerful and cheaper for everyone.
“It’s exciting to imagine where our work will take us next,” Professor Egan said.
Over the past decade, QEPrize has honoured 20 engineers whose innovations have helped billions of people around the world.
The 2023 laureates will be formally honoured at the QEPrize presentation ceremony later this year. They will receive £500,000 and a unique trophy.
‘A moment of opportunity’ to slash industrial emissions
A new Australian Industry ETI report says Australia could cut annual greenhouse gas emissions in five key industrial sectors by 92 per cent by 2050, based on 2020 levels.
Widely supported by industry partners, the report outlines an ambitious pathway to reducing emissions in line with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.
The report says a “coordinated action scenario” would need substantial government incentives to complement industry leadership. All told, the investment required could total around $625 billion, or more than $20 billion annually for 30 years.
But the rewards could be huge: a competitive advantage for Australian green industries; new export sectors; sustained market share in existing markets; up to 1.35 million jobs; all with far less land-based sequestration than would be required under alternative scenarios.
“This is a moment of opportunity,” said Australian Industry ETI Chair, Chancellor of Monash University, former CSIRO Chairman and former Australian of the Year Simon McKeon AO.
“Action is needed now to lay the foundations, capitalise on the opportunities and avoid more costly emissions reduction measures in the future,” he said.
What is the Australian ETI
Slide from Australian Industry ETI “Pathways to Industrial Decarbonisation” presentation – click on the image to open the entire presentation
The Australian ETI, established in 2020 with the help of $300,000 ARENA funding, draws together 18 industry partners.
Collectively, those industry partners account for approximately 32 percent of the value of the ASX 100.
In monetary terms, the five key industrial supply chains the ETI addresses account for 17.3 per cent of Australia’s GDP. Those supply chains are: iron and steel; aluminium; other metals; chenicals; and liquid natural gas (LNG)
Exports are worth more than A$236 billion each year, more than 10 times the projected annual cost of decarbonisation.
In people terms, the same supply chains directly employ an estimated 414,000 people.
But those supply chains also contribute an estimated 25 per cent of Australia’s annual emissions.
Following establishment of the ETI, ARENA provided a further $2 million funding to support research, analysis and industry engagement to identify ways to decarbonise these major supply chains.
The first, Setting Up Industry for Net Zero, released in June 2021 focused on establishing the current state of play in industrial decarbonisation and future possibilities for Australian industries.
Slide from Australian Industry ETI “Pathways to Industrial Decarbonisation” presentation – click on the image to open the entire presentation
This third phase identifies five objectives for Australian industries to achieve 92 per cent emissions reductions.
Set a strong, clear, enduring framework with a net zero emissions goal to align industry, finance and government.
Transition to the large-scale, cost-competitive, renewable energy system of the future.
Accelerate development and demonstration of the emerging technologies needed.
Drive deployment of low-carbon solutions, reduce barriers and support investment towards the transition.
Develop integrated net zero emissions industrial regions, supply chains and energy network solutions.
This scenario would require at least doubling Australia’s renewable energy supply by 2050. If Australia is to become a global renewable energy and products exporter, renewable energy supplies must grow five-fold.
Climateworks CEO Anna Skarbek says the ETI reports show the transition will require considerable investment in modernising Australia’s industrial regions and energy systems.
“This three-year program has shown that transitioning heavy industries in a carbon intensive economy like Australia is a challenge that will require a transformational shift,” she said.
“This represents an investment … that over a 30-year period, equates to roughly A$20.8 billion per year.
“To put this into context, it is significantly less than the value of the exports of the five supply chains in focus for the Australian Industry ETI,” she said.
Are there alternatives courses of action?
The report also investigated alternative scenarios.
An “Incremental” scenario envisages a lack of domestic policy, other incentives and industry action. The ETI report characterises it as “a technology-led, cost-driven transition, with limited action on climate”.
Such an approach would not realise net-zero emissions by 2050, would not mitigate global warming, and would see a negative global response to Australian industries.
An “Industry-led” scenario in which industry demonstrates leadership and ambition on climate but in a relatively unsupportive domestic context.
This approach would have a high (83 per cent) chance realising a trajectory consistent with a 2-degree warming scenario. However it would leave Australia lagging on technological innovation and developing new markets. It would also mean Australia would not meet its Paris Agreement goals.
Coordinated action
The “Coordinated action” scenario would see Australia’s industries rapidly decarbonise. Emissions would be in line with a 63 per cent chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.
The speed and scale of the transition would also help Australia establish a competitive advantage in green industries. That could lead to new export markets and sustained share in existing markets.
The report is supported by companion technical and jobs reports, which supplement the main report with in-depth modelling and analysis.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the reports provide valuable insights into the pathway to reducing emissions from industry.
“We know we face a significant challenge in reducing emissions from heavy industrial processes. Through this collaboration and vital work, the Australian Industry ETI is showing what is needed to address this imperative and work towards the common goal of zero net emissions.
“Close industry collaboration is essential in these hard-to-abate sectors. The Australian Industry ETI provides a blueprint for cooperation. It’s a testament to what can happen when business, finance, government and the not-for-profit sector come together.”
Hydrogen deal unites Australian innovation with German expertise
Australia and Germany are boosting research into renewable hydrogen production with around $110 million combined conditional funding for four joint projects.
The agreement brings together Australian and German industry and research partners to deliver new projects, primarily based in Australia.
The main use of hydrogen is as a raw material for industry. At present, hydrogen is mostly derived from methane in an emissions intensive process. Renewable hydrogen could reduce emissions in what are known as hard-to-abate industries, and also some transport sectors.
The funding is part of the German-Australian Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Incubator, known as HyGATE. The initiative opened in March 2022 with Australia and Germany committing funding up to AU$50 million and €50 million respectively.
HyGATE builds on both nations’ respective strengths. Australia is seen as a potential world leader in the production and export of clean hydrogen. Germany holds expertise in hydrogen technology and is planning to import significant amounts of hydrogen in the future.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen MP says collaboration with Germany will help grow Australia’s vision of becoming a renewable energy superpower.
“These projects demonstrate Australia’s role as a world leader in renewable energy production, reducing the cost of hydrogen production and paving the way for exports,” he said.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the HyGATE Initiative brings together Australian innovation and state-of-the-art German renewable hydrogen technology.
“We’re excited to be able to announce the first four hydrogen projects we think best represent the possibilities of global collaboration to achieve a new export industry in renewable hydrogen and push us further towards the goal of net zero emissions,” he said.
Funding recipients have demonstrated their ability to deliver on one or more specified outcomes of the funding round, including:
Demonstrating highly innovative technology across the value chain of renewable hydrogen.
Reducing the cost of hydrogen production, transport, storage and use, and supporting the commercial viability of renewable hydrogen.
Developing an Australian-German supply-chain for renewable hydrogen.
Encouraging cross-country collaboration and knowledge sharing between Australian and German organisations.
Providing price discovery and transparency in relation to the current and projected economics for renewable hydrogen technologies.
The modular 200 kW electrolyser stack aims to achieve a high target efficiency of 95 per cent. The efficiency of a standard electrolyser is around 75 per cent.
The technology could see the overall, levelised cost of hydrogen cut below $2 per kilogram.
Hysata was spun out from the University of Wollongong where researchers, also supported by ARENA funding, developed the cell technology.
EGH2 project
EGH2 will deploy a 17.5 MW Siemens Energy electrolyser with 21 MW solar PV to produce renewable hydrogen for minerals processing and transport applications.
Australian renewable energy development firm Edify is negotiating an offtaker partnership which will demonstrate a strong level of innovation. The project also has the potential to impact the broader Australian-German supply chain.
The project will be delivered under a partnership between Edify Energy and Siemens Energy.
Australian solar thermal technology experts Vast Solar will develop the project in Port Augusta, South Australia.
The plant consists of a 10 MW electrolyser producing green hydrogen for solar methanol production.
It seeks to address emerging markets for sustainable shipping and aviation fuels, and also to power international industry and ensure domestic energy security.
Backing hydrogen
Graphic representation of the completed $87 million Yuri renewable hydrogen project.
HyGATE is just the latest commitment in ARENA’s commitment to hydrogen. Over the past 10 years, ARENA has provided funding of $170.35 million to 44 hydrogen projects. More are in the pipeline.
In May 2022, Hysata reported its electrolyser breakthrough, which offers the prospect of producing hydrogen at $2 per kilogram. That would make hydrogen directly competitive with natural gas.
ARENA in September 2022 conditionally approved $47.5 million funding to build Australia’s first large scale renewable hydrogen plant. The $87 million Yuri project, led by global energy company ENGIE, will construct a 10 MW electrolyser and 18 MW of solar PV on the Burrup Peninsula in the Pilbara. Renewable hydrogen produced will supply the adjacent Yara Pilbara Fertiliser facility.
The funding is part of the $103.3 Renewable Hydrogen Development Round. The funding will support the Yuri project and two more 10 MW hydrogen electrolyser plants.
ARENA has also approved funding to Fortescue Future Industries for a FEED study for a 500 MW electrolyser at Gibson Island in Brisbane. The project would aim to fully decarbonise the existing Gibson Island ammonia plant owned by Incitec Pivot Limited (IPL).
And in December 2022, the ARENA-backed Central Queensland Hydrogen Project Feasibility Study concluded that a large -scale green hydrogen project in the Gladstone Region in Central Queensland could help launch a new low-carbon export industry for Australia.
“The only thing that will get us to zero emissions is technology. Technology will deliver the solutions. And that is what ARENA is focused on. And I deeply respect that.” Former Australian Chief Scientist Alan Finkel
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the Australian Government, under the prime ministership of Julia Gillard, established ARENA on 1 July 2012 with a ten-year outlook and an original funding envelope of $3.2 billion, including $1.5 billion of existing funding from other initiatives.
ARENA’s purpose is to support the global transition to net zero emissions by accelerating the pace of pre-commercial innovation, to the benefit of Australian consumers, businesses and workers.
By the end of 2022, ARENA had provided $1.96 billion funding to 632 projects, worth a total of more than $8 billion.
Along the way there have been breakthroughs in solar energy, hydrogen production, new grid scale batteries and collaborations with industry.
A recent gathering in Canberra celebrated not only ARENA’s 10th anniversary but also that of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), established on 3 August 2012 . It was an event that brought together many former executives, current staff and politicians of various political hues.
Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen described the past decade’s work of both ARENA and the CEFC as “a great national achievement”.
“When you think about the successes,” Mr Bowen said, “the emissions reduction we have had [over the past 10 years] are in no small part due to the work of ARENA and the CEFC.”
Mr Bowen also outlined challenges ahead in pursuit of the Government’s targets of 43 per cent national emissions reductions on the 2005 level, and for renewable energy to hit 82 per cent of Australia’s electricity grid supply by 2030.
“It’s a big job,” he said. “When you think about 2030, it seems a long way away. It is closer to us than the anniversary we are celebrating tonight.”
How was ARENA born?
Founding ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht and former ARENA COO Nicola Morris
But while the atmosphere was one of celebration, it was also an opportunity to reflect on ARENA’s past and its tricky birth.
Ivor Frischknecht was ARENA’s first CEO, staying in the role until 2018. He compares the task of building ARENA in 2012 as trying to complete a difficult and dynamic jigsaw puzzle.
“The thing to understand is that ARENA is the collection of all the then existing government programs,” he said.
“So not only did we get a substantial funding allocation, but we also got a large number of projects and programs, many of which were not performing well or not being managed consistently.
“We not only had to set up a new agency from scratch, we also had to immediately start managing these projects, many of which had to be terminated or renegotiated.”
“So, it was a kind of a combination of a start-up and turn-around all at the same time.’
The early years
Previously working in venture capital, Mr Frischnecht recalls a “very intense” first couple of years and a steep learning curve in governance behaviour.
“Here you can’t just not return a call if you’re too busy,” he said.
“You have to return the call and you have to document decisions properly. It’s a very good discipline to have but it takes a while to pick that up,” he said.
Nicola Morris came to ARENA via a different route. “I was originally the head of the establishment committee back in 2011,” she said.
“That was responsible for drafting the legislation, putting in place the board, the executive and the operating model and the service level agreement.”
“And then I just kind of fell in love with the subject matter and decided to stay,” she said.
That period was defined by the minority Labour government under the prime ministership of Julia Gillard.
“We were one of 47 measures in the Clean Energy Future Package. So, we were born at the same time as the CEFC,” Ms Morris said.
“But of course, one of the other measures in the 47 measures was the carbon price, or carbon tax.”
“So those 47 measures were really intended to work together. But of course the carbon price didn’t survive, although, interestingly, both ARENA and the CEFC did survive.”
Nicola Morris left ARENA in 2014, after leading what was known then as “Big Solar”. She returned in 2016 as Chief Operating Officer until 2021.
Consistent objectives
Former Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel: “Deep respect” for ARENA
While ARENA has faced challenges to its existence, Mr Frischnecht says it has remained consistent in its objectives.
“We were always very focused on getting the maximum return possible for a given investment,” he said.
“But the return was not thought of in necessarily a financial sense. Usually, it was thought of in terms of how quickly can we get to an answer? Does this technology work or not? How quickly can we get this new technology into the market? How quickly can we make it commercial in the sense that it is bankable?
“So, it’s about getting maximum bang for your buck, but in a way that is focused on the social benefit as opposed to the financial returns.”
That focus has been a real strength, says Alan Finkel, Australia’s Chief Scientist from 2016 to 2020, and now Special Adviser to the Australian Government on Low Emissions Technologies.
“A lot of other organisations have got a focus on the support for technology. The financing, government policy, things like that,” he said”
“But ARENA’s focus is just clear on helping to find the right trajectory to reducing price and improving the efficiency so that the technology gives us the best value for money. And I deeply respect that,” he said.
A standout ARENA milestone
The Nyngan 102MW output large-scale solar farm was in 2015 the largest in the southern hemisphere
Ivor Frischnecht says he is proud of an enormous amount of progress achieved during his six years at ARENA. But one event, first announced in July 2015, sticks out.
“The single thing that probably had the biggest impact was running the first solar auction in Australia,” he said.
“Large scale solar was not taking off in Australia because it was too expensive relative to wind. That was not the case overseas.
“We figured out that what they needed here was more volume to get over that initial hump, so that it could compete with wind.
“So what we did was we had a very deliberate program of a number of one-off projects. Quite expensive ones, like the AGL one, Morree solar farms, some of the early [projects]. And then we held an auction.
“So, people bid in for the minimum amount of subsidy from ARENA. And we thought we’d maybe have to do a couple of rounds, maybe three, but we only had to do one.
“And out of $100 million that we allocated to it, it went way further than we ever thought.”
According to Mr Frischnecht, that auction marked a milestone for solar generation, proving “just enough’ to kickstart the industry.
How is ARENA evolving?
ARENA’s 10th anniversary celebration brought together (L-R) ARENA CEO Darren Miller, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, ARENA Chairman of the Board Justin Punch.
There have, of course been many other highlights along the way, and lessons learnt. ARENA’s remit includes sharing knowledge gained through projects it supports. Both the successes and the failures.
Thousands of publications are available through the ARENA website, Insights Newsletter, ARENAWIRE blogs and newsletters. ARENA also organises and hosts events, including Insights Forums and Distributed Energy Integration Program (DEIP) Dive evnts.
Current ARENA CEO Darren Miller, who replaced Mr Frischnecht in 2018, says the agency is constantly evolving as renewable energy know-how advances.
“The energy transition is just that, it’s a transition, it changes,” Mr Miller said.
“Our strategy today would not have fitted 10 years ago. And the strategy from then would be irrelevant today because the challenges you come up against keep changing,” he said.
“Listening to the market is a key thing. We’re not the fount of all knowledge,” he said.
“With all the will in the world, we might see a technology that needs to come of age, but if the researchers aren’t focused on it or the market isn’t interested then it’s very difficult for us to succeed.
“So, it’s about good listening. It’s about collaboration with the industry, with researchers. And it’s about figuring out those next key steps in the energy transition where ARENA’s unique blend of skills and mandate can help accelerate that technology,” he said.
Which sounds like a strategy remaining true to the agency’s origins back in 2012.
Have your say on proposed Safeguard Mechanism reforms
The Federal Government has released proposed changes to the Safeguard Mechanism. The Government expects the reforms will cut Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by a total of 205 million tonnes by the end of the decade.
That would be the equivalent of cutting total emissions from all Australia’s cars by two-thirds by 2030.
The Government has set an overall 43 per cent emissions reduction target below the 2005 level by 2030, and net-zero by 2050.
The Safeguard Mechanism, introduced by the previous Government, currently applies to Australian industrial facilities that emit more than 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases annually.
It applies to more than 200 facilities, which must keep their emissions below a set baseline level of net emissions.
The changes are necessary, the Government says, because the current Safeguard Mechanism has been ineffective at driving emissions reduction. The Government says industry, business and experts have been calling for reform.
What is changing?
While the proposed reforms retain the baseline framework, changes include:
Reducing baselines by 4.9 per cent, each year.
Facilities will be able to earn “credits” if their emissions are below their baseline.
Facilities failing to meet their baseline obligations will need to buy either credits from low emitters, or Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) from the Government. If facilities fail to meet emission reduction targets and don’t purchase offsets, they will be fined $275 per tonne.
The price of one ACCU, representing one tonne of CO2-equivalent emissions will be capped at $75. That figure will rise in line with annual inflation plus 2 per cent year-on-year. ACCU’s spot price has peaked at more than $55 over 2022.
Set baselines for new facilities under the mechanism at international best practice, adapted for an Australian context.
How is ARENA funding industrial decarbonisation?
Industrial decarbonisation has been a focus for ARENA in recent years.
The Agency has provided more than $110 million to projects at 20 existing facilities captured by the Safeguard Mechanism. Facilities include fertiliser plants, alumina refineries, smelters, steelworks and mines.
In October 2022, ARENA provided funding for a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study to develop a 500 MW hydrogen electrolyser to decarbonise the existing Gibson Island ammonia plant owned by Incitec outside of Brisbane.
ARENA has also supported projects with Alcoa and Rio to switch to electric and hydrogen calcination in alumina refining.
In June 2022, a report by the Australian Energy Transition Initiative, funded by ARENA, outlined opportunities to cut industrial emissions by 88 per cent and create hundreds of thousands of jobs in key industrial hubs like Gladstone.
ARENA is currently supporting projects aiming to decarbonise industrial processes.
For instance, reducing emissions from metals production is a strategic priority, with a focus on steel and aluminium value chains. As well as supporting individual projects, ARENA helps fund major reports such as A Roadmap for Decarbonising Australian Alumina Refining, published in November 2022.
Beyond facilities captured by the Safeguard Mechanism, ARENA also currently offers up to $43 million funding under the Industrial Energy Transformation Studies Program. The program supports feasibility and engineering studies to reduce emissions and lower energy costs for facilities in mining, manufacturing, gas supply, water, waste management, agriculture, and data centres.
ARENA’s latest round of funding focuses on delivering Ultra Low Cost Solar (ULCS). That is, solar generated at about one quarter of the current price.
The target is called ‘Solar 30 30 30’. It aims to improve solar cell efficiency to 30 per cent and reduce the cost to 30 cents per watt, fully installed in the field. The target date is 2030.
Currently, efficiency records stand just below 27 per cent, while the installed cost is around $1.20 per watt.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the funding will go to some of Australia’s leading universities and researchers.
“Australia’s researchers have helped to make solar PV the cheapest form of energy in history,” Mr Miller said.
“But to create a future in which Australian solar energy supplies the world with clean power, fuels and products, we need to be ambitious and drive the cost even lower,” he said.
Backing Australian researchers
ARENA has awarded funding to researchers from three Australian universities: The University of New South Wales (UNSW), The Australian National University (ANU) and The University of Sydney (USYD).
Applications initially opened in February 2022 for $40 million funding. ARENA later added a further $1.5 million due to the strength of that first round of applications.
Successful applicants showed potential to reduce levelised solar PV costs and improve cell and module efficiency across two streams.
Stream 1 – Cells and Modules: Building on Australia’s leading track record of R&D and innovation in solar cells and modules ($27.5 million in ARENA funding);
Stream 2 – Balance of System, operations and maintenance: Seeking to broaden the approach to accelerate innovation that can drive down the upfront and ongoing costs of utility scale solar PV in the field ($14 million in ARENA funding).
Although much of the focus is on improving or developing new technology, there is also support for commercialisation beyond each project’s core research and development phase. With the ambitious 2030 target in mind, the funding includes assistance to develop products that can be offered into the market at scale.
“ARENA is supporting these universities to get behind the target of ‘Solar 30 30 30’, helping to optimise Australia’s transition to renewable electricity and achieve our emissions reduction targets,” Mr Miller said.
Accelerate worldwide development
Since 2012, ARENA through its R&D programs has committed $118.5 million in grant funding to 145 solar PV projects with 17 institutions.
ACAP has fostered the spin-out of Australian solar start-ups such as Open Instruments, Solar Vision, Solar Cycle and SunDrive.
Professor Anita Ho-Baillie, the John Hooke Chair of Nanoscience in the University of Sydney’s School of Physics and Sydney Nano Hub, welcomed support for the university’s collaboration with SunDrive.
“Thanks to the support of ARENA, we are thrilled to be able to work with SunDrive to accelerate the development of perovskite-silicon tandems for commercialisation,” she said.
“ARENA’s ‘Solar 30 30 30’ target is perfectly aligned with our mission to accelerate the worldwide development and adaptation of renewable energy,” he said.
“This funding will allow us to continue to be in the driver’s seat of technology development and commercialisation with an increased focus on utility-scale solar, and so driving down emissions and growing the Australian economy at the same time.”
Australia at the leading edge of renewable transition
In November ARENA CEO Darren Miller and I travelled to COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt as part of the Australian government delegation.
After spending a week engaged with some of the world’s leading thinkers on the energy transition, there’s little doubt that Australia can be confident going forward.
Amid the discussions about the specifics of technologies, costs and policy, our thinking on these complex topics is at the leading edge of what is going on globally.
Given the prisoners’ dilemma dynamic at play with global climate action, where costs are borne locally but benefits shared globally, it is understandable that all countries taking action are seeking validation other countries are also doing their share.
In this context, full-throated support and concrete actions even from smaller counties like Australia can help generate system-wide benefits and momentum.
As far as ARENA is concerned, after talking with the best out there, I’m convinced that our thinking is sound, our strategies correct, and that we have a truly world-class team executing this work.
Here are some of my other learnings and insights from the trip.
Growing clarity over the potential for renewable energy to create jobs
Analysis from McKinsey suggests that low-cost renewable energy generates 5-8 times the jobs on an ongoing basis as are generated during construction.
So generating a low-cost system is paramount and will generate jobs and economic benefits for years to come, not just at the initial stages.
Australia’s opportunity as a global-scale renewable energy generator
There is growing realisation that in the medium term at least long-distance transport of hydrogen will be physically and economically challenging.
Interestingly this creates an even greater opportunity for Australia, as it is becoming clearer that as the world decarbonises in many cases the industry will move to the renewable energy, rather than the renewable energy being moved to the industry.
If we can succeed in building a low-cost clean energy system, this reality will underwrite enormous industrial development opportunities for Australia in the decades ahead.
In many industrial contexts, firm the heat not the power.
ARENA is already supporting a number of highly innovative Australian heat-storage companies and technologies, including MGA Thermal and Raygen.
Our work in this area is being validated in other regions as well, with an emerging view that, in the right circumstances, storing heat can be up to 20-times cheaper than storing electricity.
Industrial users of heat, particularly for now in the low- to mid-range temperatures, should in many cases look to firm their heat, not their power.
With industrial heat comprising approximately 25% of global energy demand, this is potentially a very significant insight.
Hydrogen in “hubs not homes”
ARENA board chairperson Justin Punch introduces the Australia’s Energy and Hydrogen Opportunity panel at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt (Click on the image to watch a video recording of this discussion)
Darren and I were lucky enough to spend an entire day with BNEF founder Michael Liebreich, in an almost non-stop, marathon discussion on all things energy transition.
Michael is the author of the hydrogen ladder, his attempt to rank the various uses of clean hydrogen on a spectrum from “unavoidable” to “uncompetitive”.
There are many insights from his prioritisation but one of particular significance for the design of our energy system moving forward is that hydrogen will be very difficult, costly and risky to deploy in homes and that electrification is likely to be an overwhelmingly superior choice in this context.
Hydrogen’s future is more likely to be in industrial and heavy transport uses, delivered through large industrial hubs. Hubs not homes.
Interesting new tech is emerging
A few snippets of interesting new tech that came up in various discussions, including an aluminium encapsulated ceramic conductor (i.e. a different type of cable) for use in transmission which can transport two-times the electricity on the same line, potentially doubling the capacity of existing transmission systems.
And solid hydrogen storage in metal hydrides (sodium borohydride to be more specific), with the same energy density as diesel and workable at room temperature and pressure.
The labs of the world are really starting to develop some interesting things that will solve many of the problems today which look so difficult.
Social licence is a global issue
At a presentation on green steel at the Swedish pavilion we first heard the term “BANANA” – Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone.
They were voicing concern about the phenomenon of local opposition obstructing infrastructure projects critical to the success of the energy transition.
We heard similar sentiments from other jurisdictions. In the Netherlands they are positioning proposals with landowners as “let us borrow your land for perhaps 40 years until an even better answer emerges”.
If countries as committed to community consensus as these are struggling with this issue, then it is one we need to treat with urgency.
Methane emissions require observations not estimates
We attended an interesting session on methane emissions measurement. Traditional measurements use historical engineering estimates to create an emissions estimate, however we now know this is horribly inaccurate.
The world has a 4 million tonnes problem of “lost gas” per annum i.e. the gap between reported emissions and global methane observations.
Drones, satellites, towers, other direct observations are a MUCH better measurement and the push is on to ensure reporting is based on actual observations (OGMP 2.0).
It was interesting that these insights came from a panel hosted by the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) and IPIECA , both oil and gas industry associations focussed on this issue.
Interesting developments in First Nations power systems
First Nations representatives at COP27
We learned a lot from meeting Canadian First Nations representatives on the progress they have made developing and owning their own energy infrastructure.
We have a lot of work to do to address the dual issues of energy poverty in remote communities and ensuring the equitable participation of Traditional Owners in large scale development, but there are some models we can look to for guidance.
One takeaway was the importance not just of concessional equity, but also of concessional debt, where such debt funding may not otherwise be available, or may be excessively costly.
A COP baton change?
COP is effectively two parallel universes: the “real COP” of the government-to-government negotiations; and the “expo” of the country and NGO pavilions presenting progress and sharing learnings.
My sense is that there is a transition underway from the former to the latter.
After 30 years of governments trying to get the economies of the world moving on taking action on climate change, real movement is now underway, and the focus of these global forums like COP may start to shift more towards the information exchange.
Time will tell.
New and profound respect
A personal impression came as somewhat less expected. The size of the plenary hall brought home the complexity of the government-to-government negotiations.
With almost 200 parties seeking a deal with unanimous agreement required and no opting out, getting an agreement is a miracle. I don’t know how they do it.
I have acquired a profound respect for what the negotiating teams do and what they achieve.
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
Where do you work and what do you do?
