Big renewables & communities
10:00 am, Thursday 7th March
Room 5.4/5.5, Exhibition Bld
Session 2A
Benefit sharing, creating opportunities for meaningful participation in renewable projects and aligning renewable production with community needs.
Session Chair: Kath Elliott
Head of Stakeholder and Community Engagement, Squadron Energy
Kath leads Squadron Energy’s genuine and lasting approach to engaging with the local communities, from development right through to operations, demonstrating a deep-founded respect for people, communities and the environment. She has worked in energy for several years working with communities and stakeholders facing infrastructure development, facilitating collaborative decision making to improve outcomes. She is also a highly experienced independent chair of community consultative committees.
Kim Mallee
Executive Director & Haystacks Project Manager, Community Power Agency
Kim is Project Manager for the Community Power Agency, a leading organisation supporting communities to participate in the renewable energy transition. With over 15 years of experience in project delivery and community engagement in the sustainability and climate change sector, she is passionate about tangible actions on the ground. Trained as an Environmental Engineer, Kim has worked across the private and public sector in renewable energy, carbon accounting and solar analysis.
Andrew Bray
National Director, RE-Alliance
Andrew has been the National Director of RE-Alliance since 2013. In that time, Andrew has built the organisation to become the leading voice advocating for regional communities in issues around the energy transition, especially transmission, community benefit sharing and addressing impacts on local communities. In 2021, Andrew was awarded the Clean Energy Council’s Outstanding Contribution to Industry Award for his long-standing work in these areas. Based in one of New South Wales’ prime wind districts, the Southern Tablelands, Andrew is passionate about the contribution renewable energy can make to rural and regional economies while helping Australia transition to a cleaner future.
Sabiene Heindl
Chief Executive Officer, The Energy Charter
Sabiene has held a range of senior leadership roles across the energy, telco, music, media and legal sectors focused on transformational change. With a background as a corporate lawyer, she holds an Executive MBA from Brown University (USA) and IE Business School (Spain), law and international business degrees. She has always been passionate about inspiring change and doing things better! Thinking BIG and being BOLD (Energy Charter values) are part of her DNA. She is the CEO at The Energy Charter.
Unfortunately, Sabiene was unwell and unable to attend the Congress.
Session 2B
What does the technology of the future grid look like? And what can we learn from the pioneering projects that have led the way in Australia?
Session Chair: Leon Chanter
Clean Energy Consultant & Business Development, ARENA
Leon is an experienced renewable energy professional, working in ARENA’s development and transactions team advising on investments across a broad range of renewable energy and enabling technologies and projects, that support the electricity transition. This work includes ARENA’s Regional Microgrids Program and the Community Batteries Funding Round.
Chris Wenban
Working Group Member, Narara Ecovillage Power Pty Ltd
Chris has been a member of Narara Ecovillage (NEV) since 2019 and is a volunteer within NEV Power. This incorporated company owns and manages the Narara Ecovillage Smart Microgrid and community battery, powered by 300+ kW of rooftop solar energy. Chris has a professional background in IT and a Master of Environmental Management and Sustainability.
Sally Hunter
Managing Director, Geni.Energy Ltd
Born and bred in rural Australia, Sally is passionate about the future of these communities. She has spent the majority of her career in community development and lives on a farm near Narrabri with her husband and three sons.
Sally wants to be part of a zero carbon emission future. Having spent more than a 15 years pushing back against inappropriate coal and gas projects in the region, in 2020 Sally founded not-for-profit company, Geni.Energy. Geni.Energy works on a range of projects and advocacy and is installing a community battery in Narrabri.
Tricia Hiley
Mallacoota Sustainable Energy Group
Tricia Hiley is Coordinator of Mallacoota’s Sustainable Energy Group, in far-east Gippsland, Victoria. Her focus is “future-proofing”. She was a partner in Gippsland’s first region-wide Community Power Hub during COVID and through that time managed a successful installation of Mallacoota’s first community-owned solar system. She is currently organising a community Solar/Battery Bulk Buy to increase households’ and community resilience. She is also a founding partner of The Mallacoota Wilderness Collective Inc, formed post-bushfires to facilitate a self-determined, sustainable future for Mallacoota. She hosts a weekly good news program “From Little Things…” on 3MGB Wilderness Radio.
Nick Mason-Smith
Analyst, Indigo Power Ltd
Nick Mason-Smith is an analyst with Indigo Power, a community energy retailer based in Beechworth, Victoria. Nick is leading a federally-funded feasibility study on aggregated community-scale batteries in North East Victoria. Prior to joining Indigo Power, Nick was a Research Fellow in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at RMIT University after completing his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Monash University.
Madison Sturgess
Clean Energy Project Lead, Original Power
Madie Sturgess is Original Power’s Clean Energy Project Lead. A cleantech specialist with experience across tech start-ups, microgrid projects and researching and developing energy innovation opportunities and policy reform communities in regional Queensland and remote Northern Territory.
Madie is passionate about fit for purpose solutions for sustainable development, the democratisation of energy, and the larger transition to circular economies – none of which is possible without consulting the communities they serve.
Chantelle Johns
Community Coordinator, Original Power
Chantelle Johns is Community Coordinator for Original Power’s Marlinja Solar Microgrid Project. Chantelle and her family live in Marlinja and have been leading organisers in the community’s vision to own and operate their own solar microgrid.
Marie Lakey
Communications and Engagement Officer, Yarra Energy Foundation
Marie’s work focuses on the intersection of energy and social justice, seeking to support communities through the energy transition. She works at Yarra Energy Foundation, delivering community and stakeholder engagement for storage and energy projects. She’s a proud member of Australia’s first community-owned wind farm, Hepburn Energy, and a Coalition for Community Energy board member.
Session 2C
Community energy groups have always led on this front. Bulk buys, facilitated quotes, independent information, trusted suppliers & support. Chris Taylor from Reclaim Energy chairs this session on what works best and what we need to learn from successful models.
Session Chair: Dr. Chris Taylor
Director, Reclaim Energy
Dr. Chris Taylor embarked on his journey in renewables in 2003, delving into energy-efficient hot water solutions. In 2010, he ushered in a new chapter leading the exploration of heat pump technology, developing a ground-breaking CO2 heat pump solution. This visionary approach led to the launch of the Reclaim Energy heat pump. With an unwavering commitment to quality and excellence, the company is a premier supplier in the market. He actively contributes to government policy, both state and federal levels, advocating for renewable energy initiatives. Recognised as a sustainable leader by the AFR, he continues to shape industry standards and product efficiency through his consultancy work.
Colin Long
Earthworker Cooperative and Victorian Trades Hall Council
Colin Long is the Just Transitions Organiser at Victorian Trades Hall Council and is a founder and Board member of Earthworker Cooperative, Earthworker Smart Energy Cooperative, Earthworker Energy Manufacturing Cooperative, CoPower, and Hope Cooperative. He is also a Board member of The Next Economy and the global advisory board of Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, an international alliance of trade unions advocating for a just energy transition.
Karina Donkers
Program Coordinator, Geelong Sustainability Group
Karina is an eco social worker specialising in working with communities in response to a changing climate and addressing the inequitable impacts of climate change. Karina is the Program Coordinator at Geelong Sustainability who has delivered many exciting projects, including the Electric Homes Program which she will be presenting on.
Kristen McDonald
Mobilisation & Engagement Manager, Rewiring Australia
For nearly 20 years Kristen has worked on climate change, environmental and social justice campaigns in the non-profit, education and local government sectors. A communications, education and engagement specialist, Kristen is passionate about empowering communities to bring about change. She coordinates community group, Electrify 2515, which is trying to establish a pilot community electrification project and works with Rewiring Australia to engage Australian households, communities and industry to bring about the electric future.
Lloyd Heathfield
Project Lead – Solar & Electrification, Yarra Energy Foundation
Lloyd is a biological science graduate originally from the UK. As an eager environmentalist, he worked as a PV solar installer and site manager here in Australia, responsible for the install and maintenance of over 3.5MW of solar arrays across Victoria. As Project Lead at the Yarra Energy Foundation, he has experience in the design and oversight of solar and electrification and is dedicated to assisting communities reduce emissions and respond to the climate crisis.
Gavin Gilchrist
Project Manager, Inner West Community Energy
Gavin is the project manager at Inner West Community Energy in Sydney, an organisation he set up six years ago. Before that he ran his energy efficiency consultancy Big Switch Projects for 15 years. Gavin was one of the founding program managers at the NSW Sustainable Energy Development Authority, where he ran Energy Smart Business and was the manager responsible for the design and launch of the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating Scheme, forerunner of NABERS.
Session 2D
Harder to deliver, and so much more important. Hear from the innovators working out how to bend our energy systems back toward serving everyone and delivering essentials. This session will have three themes with speakers from organisations on each theme.
- Resilience
Totally Renewable Yackandandah
Venus Bay
Climate Safe Homes - Equity
Bendigo Sustainability Group
CORENA
Pingala - Justice
Mycelia Renewables
Original Power
Indigenous Energy Australia
Session Chair: Moragh Mackay
Managing Director, Mycelia Renewables
Moragh is a systems thinking researcher/practitioner with over 30 years of experience in the fields of ecological restoration, regenerative agriculture, climate change resilience, renewable energy, emissions reduction and strategic co-design to create value for community-centred organisations and rural communities. Her roles have included Founding Director and Chair of Energy Innovation Co-operative, New Energy Projects Manager and Gippsland Smart Specialisation Team Lead with Latrobe Valley Authority, Senior Policy Advisor at Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations, Projects Manager and Executive Officer at Bass Coast Landcare Network and currently is the Managing Director at Mycelia Renewables.
Scott McDinny
Garawa man, Ngardara Cooperative, Borroloola
Scott McDinny is a Garrwa/ Yanwuya man from Borroloola in the NT’s Gulf of Carpentaria. He is a founding Director of Ngardara Cooperative, a community controlled organisation established to drive design and development of the Ngardara Microgrid Project, the Territory’s first Indigenous owned utility-scale solar microgrid.
Alyson Skinner
Venus Bay Community Centre General Manager
Alyson is the General Manager of the Venus Bay Community Centre, one of 400+ Neighbourhood Houses in Victoria. For 15 years, Alyson has worked in community development – she understands that “Communities know what they want and need” – we need to find systems that will support and honour that. She has become a community energy champion – establishing a stand-alone microgrid system at the Venus Bay Community Centre to respond to regular grid outages and brokering a large feasibility study of community resilience and reliable energy for Venus Bay, documented in this video. Building on this work, she and her project team are now undertaking an Australian-first project – using an electric mini-bus to address regional isolation by providing community transport.
Nigel Hancock
Pingala Community Energy Inc.
Nigel is a boy from the Top End. Nigel has been involved in Environmental activism at Uni and volunteered with organisations such as Australian Student Environment Network, Beyond Zero Emissions, Central Coast Community Energy and has been a committee member of Pingala since its founding in 2013. Current projects include Haystacks Solar Garden and installations for community and social housing. He recently completed his MBA at UNSW and is putting these skills to good use serving as Pingala’s Treasurer and project manager of community energy projects. Nigel would like to help communities have equitable access and involvement in Australia’s energy transition.
Tommy Hicks
Region Manager, WA/SA/NT, Indigenous Energy Australia
Tommy is a person who’s driven by achieving positive outcomes for First Nations communities. By speaking about how culture has taught him to build relationships within himself, community and with Country, he hopes others can learn about how to meet communities where they’re at.
Colin Lambie
Member of Bendigo Sustainability Group
Co-founder of Bendigo Sustainability Group in 2007. Passionate about the need to transition to renewable electricity & electric vehicles to reduce cost and emissions.
Dr Juliette Milbank
Vice President, Totally Renewable Yackandandah
Juliette is a writer, researcher and mechanical engineer in north-east Victoria. With a background in vehicle aeroacoustics, she now works in communicating science-based or complex information, as well as project management and community energy volunteering. She has worked in community engagement and written about renewable energy, sustainability, planning and healthy living, and collaborated on a podcast series about community energy groups. She is the Vice President of Totally Renewable Yackandandah (TRY) in north-east Victoria, working towards a 100% renewable electricity supply for the town with a recent focus on resilience measures. She’s passionate about taking action to help communities through the energy transition and the effects of climate change.
Supported by the Victorian Government