Australia 4.0 Session #2 - Future Grid

We know that the future grid must deal with two-way energy flows, complex mix of different types of generators (solar, wind, gas, pumped hydro etc.), multilevel, geographically dispersed storage systems complex demand systems as well as challenging real time monitoring, management and control of distributed networks. The framing of the transformation of the grid towards this complexity of an operating environment is challenging, to say the least. Our experts have been asked to attempt to describe the key elements of an approach to defining such challenges.

Speakers

Panel

Professor Pierluigi Mancarella

Program Leader, Energy Systems, Melbourne Energy Institute and Chair of Electrical Power Systems Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Melbourne

Pierluigi Mancarella is Chair Professor of Electrical Power Systems at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Professor of Smart Energy Systems at the University of Manchester, UK. His key research interests include techno-economic modelling and analysis of multi-energy systems, grid integration of renewables and distributed energy resources, energy infrastructure planning under uncertainty, and security, reliability, and resilience of low-carbon networks.

Pierluigi is the Energy Systems Program Leader at the Melbourne Energy Institute, an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Power and Energy Society Distinguished Lecturer, the Convenor of the CIGRE (International Council of Large Electric Systems) C6/C2.34 Working Group on Flexibility Provision from Distributed Energy Resources, holds the 2017 veski innovation fellowship for his work on urban-scale virtual power plants, and is a recipient of the international Newton Prize 2018 for his work on power system resilience in Chile.

He is also the author of several books and over 300 research papers and reports, and is a journal editor of the IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, the IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, and Oxford Open Energy.

In the past few years, Pierluigi has supported the Finkel Review panel, the Australian Energy Market Operator, the Australian Energy Market Commission, and the Australian Energy Regulator on relevant research and consultancy projects on power system security, reliability, and resilience, and has led and been involved in several projects via the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and Cooperative Research Centres.

Professor John Fletcher

Director of UNSW Digital Grid Futures Institute

John E. Fletcher received the B.Eng. (first-class Hons.) and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and electronic engineering from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, U.K., in 1991 and 1995, respectively. From 1998 to 2007, he was a Lecturer with Heriot-Watt University, and from 2007 to 2010, he was a Senior Lecturer with the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, U.K. He is currently a Professor with the University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

John is also the Director for UNSW Digital Grid Futures Institute where he leads industry focused research. He is Theme Lead on the NSW Government's Electrification and Energy Systems Network that supports the Decarbonisation Innovation Hub. A $15m investment in developing electrification technologies. As the Theme lead in three Trailblazer in Recycling and Clean Energy technologies (TRaCE) he is responsible for $10m of projects to translate research into impact including energy storage technology, hydrogen systems, and technologies that overcome barriers affecting renewable energy and energy storage integration into electrical grids.

He has supervised 42 students to PhD and has published 125 journal papers, 100+ conference papers, 6 book chapters and has made 9 patent submissions. He manages research Projects, including distributed and renewable integration, pulsed-power applications of power electronics, and the design and control of electrical machines. John has consulted for many global industrial companies in the UK, USA, China, Europe and Japan.

Mark Paterson

Managing Director & Lead Systems Architect, Energy Catalyst

Mark is the Managing Director and Lead Systems Architect of Energy Catalyst, a specialist consulting practice focused on the key structural shifts required for legacy power systems to be capable of a secure and cost-efficient Net Zero Emissions future.

Working at the intersection of strategic vision and real-world application, Mark has led several national energy system transformation projects in Australia, including as Chair of the CSIRO Future Grid Forum and Program Director of the CSIRO/ENA Electricity Network Transformation Roadmap. At Horizon Power and Energex, he led the innovative development and scale deployment of several utility technology innovation firsts.

Mark is globally recognised as an expert in Power Systems Architecture disciplines which are critical to secure and cost-efficient grid transformation.  He is a Fellow of the Pacific Energy Institute, an invited Associate of the US Department of Energy’s GridWise Architecture Council (GWAC) and a contributing author for the IEEE Power & Energy Society.

Moderator

Wayne Fitzsimmons OAM

Chair, The Pearcey Foundation

Wayne Fitzsimmons OAM is an experienced executive who has worked extensively in the USA, UK, as well as Australia. He is a director of several small, privately owned, start-up and hi-tech companies in Australia including iPro, Cohda Wireless and Mooroolbark Group. He is Chairman of the Pearcey Foundation, which promotes the ICT sector in Australia to Australia. Wayne holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Queensland and is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society and Engineers Australia.