Day one: Workshop Anticipatory planning for the Australian energy transition: a roadmap

Accelerating just and inclusive energy transitions requires the many actors that play a role in governing energy systems to act under conditions of uncertainty, created by climate change, competition in deregulated energy markets, policy changes, accelerating technological development, and changes in customer roles and expectations. Old models of energy supply are breaking down, but what exactly will replace them remains unclear. How fast will decarbonisation take place? What transition pathways will come to the fore? What mix of technologies will emerge? To what extent will consumers participate in this energy transition?

This panel session will report on the outcomes of an Opportunity Assessment for the Reliable Affordable Clean Energy for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre (RACE for 2030) that evaluated the anticipatory capacity of the Australian energy system and identified a research roadmap to address identified gaps.

HOST: Chris Riedy

Professor of Sustainability Transformations, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney

Chris Riedy is a transdisciplinary action researcher with a focus on sustainability transformations. He uses sociological and political theory, narrative theory and futures thinking to design, facilitate and evaluate practical experiments in transformative change towards sustainable futures. He has a particular research interest in the future of energy and its connection to climate change response. Chris led the recent Opportunity Assessment of Australia’s energy foresighting and planning capability for the RACE for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre.

Emi Gui

Energy Systems Lead, Climateworks Centre

Emi is an energy transition and decentralised energy system expert at Climateworks Centre, within Monash Sustainable Development Institute, focusing on system-level transformative solutions and knowledge collaboration to strengthen the links between energy and climate. Emi has 17 years’ experience in energy consulting and research across Australia, Asia-Pacific and Europe, and previously worked as an energy market specialist at the Australian Energy Market Operator, EnerNOC, utilities and energy trading houses. She is a member of Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET) – an independent advisory body to the UN Secretary-General since June 2022.

Roger Dargaville

Deputy Director of the Monash Energy Institute

Dr Roger Dargaville is a senior lecturer and researcher in renewable energy in the Monash University Civil Engineering department. He is an expert in energy systems and climate change. Roger specialises in large-scale energy system transition optimisation, and novel energy storage technologies such as seawater pumped hydro and liquid air energy storage. He has conducted research in global carbon cycle science, simulating the emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel and exchanges between the atmosphere, land and oceans as well as stratospheric ozone depletion.