UTS recently hosted the Energy Research Institutes for Australia’s third national conference.
The 2023 State of Energy Research Conference (SoERC23) was held at the UTS Aerial function centre on 31 January and 1 February this year, marking a very welcome return to in-person connection.
More than 130 people representing the research, government, commercial and regulatory sectors were in attendance for the dynamic two-day program of keynote presentations, panels and workshops responding to the conference theme of ‘Working together for a sustainable energy future’.
Sessions took a broad view of energy research, innovation and technological advancements, touching on energy supply, consumer behaviour, and government policy and regulation. Highlights included a session on Homes and the Energy Transition, featuring Jenniy Gregory from the event’s Platinum Sponsors RACE for 2030 and Dr Yohan Kim from the Institute for Sustainable Futures at UTS; and the insightful panel Decarbonisation, Decolonisation and the Energy Transition, convened by Dr Sangeetha Chandrashekeran, Senior Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne and including a keynote speech from First Nations Professor Heidi Norman, Associate Dean (Indigenous) and Convenor, Indigenous Land and Justice Research Group at UTS.
The conference was officially opened on the first day by The Hon. Matt Kean, NSW Treasurer and Minister for Energy, who talked about research’s role in actualising the energy transition.
“We need all of our best and brightest minds engaged as we take on the task of transitioning our economy to a clean and prosperous future,” said Kean. “When we back our belief in human ingenuity and imagination, we can solve the biggest policy challenges of our time. And there is no bigger intergenerational challenge than that of combatting climate change.”
Other SoERC23 keynote speakers included Lynne Gallagher, Chief Executive Officer at Energy Consumers Australia; Danny Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer at New Energy Nexus; The Hon. Senator Jenny McAllister, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy; and Benn Barr, Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Energy Market Commission.
Recordings of selected SoERC sessions are available to watch on the conference website.