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Beyond Gas: Moving away from the "transition" fuel?

Beyond Gas: Moving away from the "transition" fuel?

Natural gas has been a key part of our energy mix for years and even became the transition fuel as we moved away from coal-fired electricity generation. Natural gas burns cleaner than coal, producing half the carbon dioxide, and it emits less toxic chemicals when burned.

However, following the linking of Australian markets to international markets natural gas is now going up in price, and it is not a long-term solution to reducing greenhouse emissions given that it is methane gas (a greenhouse gas itself) which produces carbon dioxide when burned. And natural gas is a fossil fuel, not renewable energy, and supplies will be eventually exhausted.

It is currently a mandatory requirement for development in Canberra (Territory Plan, Estate Development Code, p14) that gas be provided to each block. Will this always be the case?

Can we move beyond gas? What are the implications?  

Speakers:


Will Yeap, Branch Manager Gas Networks, ActewAGL Distribution

Will Yeap is responsible in overlooking the natural gas distribution businesses in ACT and Nowra and the Compressed Natural Gas refueling station at Fyshwick, ACT.

Will spent the past eighteen years in a number of engineering, operational and commercial roles in the natural gas and electricity businesses in Australia and Singapore. Will was the Operational Engineer in AEMO, the Control Room and Operational Engineering Manager and subsequently the Commercial Manager of Jemena Ltd. Will also completed a two years leadership program in Singapore Power and AusNet Services where he took on the roles of the Innovation Specialist in Victoria and Gas Networks Manager in Singapore.

Will Yeap holds the Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) and Master in Business Management. Will is a member of the Energy Networks Association Gas Committee and National Gas Emergency Response Advisory Committee.


Jessica Stewart, Sustainability Manager, Riverview Projects

Jessica Stewart is the Sustainability Manager at Riverview Projects. She holds tertiary qualifications in Systems Engineering, Materials and Mechanics, Renewable Energy Systems and Sustainability Science from the Australian National University.

Jessica is currently working on the Ginninderry development – a 30-40 year project which is being designed as Australia’s only cross-border masterplanned community – extending across the ACT border into NSW. She is a Green Star Accredited Professional and has lead the Ginninderry project to achieve a 6 star Green Star Communities rating – the first in the Capital Region.

Prior to commencing with Riverview in late 2016, Jessica worked for five years with the ACT Government’s Land Development Agency in their Sustainability and Innovation section and as an Energy Auditor throughout the ACT and regional New South Wales.

Jessica has a passion for building strong, resilient communities and exploring the reasons why people love (and hate) the places that they live, work and play. Through education and energy efficiency, Jess aims to raise the bar for new developments and Ginninderry in particular, by ensuring that residents maximise their assets, reduce their running costs and design smarter homes. 


 Dr Hugh Saddler, Director, Energy Strategies, Strategy. Policy. Research.

Dr Saddler has spent almost all of his professional life working on issues related to the energy and environmental policy, starting at the time of the oil shocks of the 1970s.

He was previously with the infrastructure consultancy business pitt&sherry, as Principal Consultant – Energy Strategies. Prior to joining pitt&sherry, he spent the first decade of his career in academic research posts at the University of Sydney and the Australian National University, following which he was a principal of successive small consultancy businesses for over 20 years. He is currently an Honorary Associate Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University and an associate of the Energy Change Institute at the University.

His work over the past two decades has focused on issues relating to energy and climate change policy, and the interactions between them. This has included methodologies for emissions estimation and reporting, the compilation of greenhouse gas emissions inventories, the design, implementation and evaluation of energy efficiency policies and programs, and analysis and projection of energy demand.  Until 2013 he was also the Managing Director of a business which provided energy efficiency advisory and energy audit services to residential and small and medium business sector clients over a period of ten years. This work included specialist services for low income households in financial hardship.

Consultancy projects include estimating the effect of increasing energy use efficiency on future demand for electricity and gas, for AEMO, projecting future demand for electricity, for the Department of the Environment, and preparation of the annual ACT emissions inventory and assessment of progress towards the Territory’s 100% renewable electricity target. He was co-author of the report which recommended to the ACT government that the most cost effective way to achieve its ambitious statutory target of reducing the Territory’s emissions by 40%, relative to 1990, by 2020 would be to contract for 100% of this electricity to be supplied from renewable generators. The ACT government has been widely and correctly commended for its great success in implementing this recommendation.

During the 1990s he was a member of the Board of the (then) ACT Electricity and Water Authority, and over the years he has served on many other government advisory bodies.  He is currently a member of the Board of the Climate Institute and of the Grattan Institute’s Energy Reference Group.  He is the author of a book on Australian energy policy and of numerous book chapters, scientific papers, monographs and articles on energy, technology and environmental policy.  He is also a regular commentator on energy and climate change policy issues in print and electronic media and often writes for The Conversation.


 Dr Kaveh R. Khalilpour, senior research fellow with the Energy Change Institute, at the ANU. 

   Dr Kaveh R. Khalilpour is currently a senior research fellow with the Energy Change Institute, at the        Australian National University. He is also an adjunct senior lecturer with the Faculty of IT, Monash    University. 

   Kaveh is a Chemical Engineer by training, and over the past fifteen years has made a natural evolution          from the oil and gas industry to renewables and sustainability. His key expertise lies in the application of       optimisation algorithms for complex decision making problems. Kaveh is author of the “community energy      networks with storage”, a book on the design and operation of microgrids for on-grid and isolated communities. He is an advocate of promoting diverse energy storage options rather than being trapped in limited choices. 


Environment Exchange: Hear from guest speakers and engage in discussion about a range of topics in sustainability and environment.

12 noon - till 2pm (formal proceedings 12.20-1.40pm), includes lunch

No charge, but donations are welcome.

Renewables Innovation Hub 19-23 Moore St Turner

When
July 25th, 2017 from 12:00 PM to  2:00 PM
Location
Renewables Innovation Hub 19-23 Moore Street
Turner ACT
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Contact
Phone: 02 6229 3208

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