Highlights of the Program

2 days business program:

Learn from real-world case studies by industry leaders.

SHOWCASING INNOVATION:

Discover the latest technology and techniques from across the industry.

leaders talk:

Hear from top-level experts about how to stay ahead in a fast-changing industry.

MULTIPLE STREAMS:

A business program that is multi-disciplinary, giving you a broad view of the industry.

SMART TECHNOLOGIES:

Explore the latest smart and AI-driven solutions, and see how they can be used in your business.

roundtable discussion:

Join talks with industry peers. Share ideas, make connections, and find new partners.

Program

Day 1 :
WEDNESDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER, 2026
08:00 - 08:50
REGISTRATION & MORNING REFRESHMENTS
08:50 - 09:00
OPENING ADDRESS
09:00 - 09:30
RESERVED PRESENTATION
09:30 - 09:55
COMMUNITY POWER NETWORKS – LEARNINGS SO FAR
Steve Lewis
Ausgrid

Steve Lewis

Ausgrid

  • Outlining Ausgrid’s low-voltage design to extend DER benefits beyond customers with assets
  • Quantifying the pilot scale across 32,000 customers, 130 MWh of storage, and 66 MW of new solar
  • Sharing early lessons on partners’ tender design, complexity, and orchestration at a world-first scale
  • Revealing how community batteries can cut peaks, lower costs, and improve equity across suburbs
09:55 - 10:00
Q&A SESSION ON SCALING COMMUNITY BATTERIES FOR FAIRER GRID OUTCOMES
10:00 - 10:30
SPEED NETWORKING SESSION
  • Exchange business cards and get connected in short one-to-one meetings
  • Start the conversation to arrange a more formal meeting later on in the conference
  • Share your professional background and discuss your biggest business issues - Don't forget your business cards!
10:30 - 11:00
MORNING COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA
11:00 - 11:30
PANEL DISCUSSION ON SMART GRIDS
11:30 - 11:55
GRID-FORMING BESS: FROM EMERGING CAPABILITY TO SYSTEM REQUIREMENT
Sam Markham
Fluence

Sam Markham

Fluence

  • Defining grid-forming capability and distinguishing it from traditional grid-following systems
  • Illustrating why grid-forming is becoming critical as thermal generation retires
  • Positioning grid-forming BESS to deliver essential system services and grid security
11:55 - 12:00
Q&A SESSION ON WHY GRID-FORMING BESS IS BECOMING ESSENTIAL
12:00 - 12:25
WHO PAYS FOR THE SMART GRID?
Manik Mahajan
Arthur D. Little

Manik Mahajan

Arthur D. Little

  • Mapping grid funding approaches from regulated investment to blended finance and platform structures
  • Navigating board decisions on capital deployment, stranded asset risk, and digital investment returns
  • Structuring governance as the grid becomes more software-led, distributed, and customer-facing
12:25 - 12:30
Q&A SESSION ON GRID FUNDING DECISIONS AND INVESTMENT MODELS
12:30 - 13:30
NETWORKING LUNCH & VISIT THE SMART GRIDS EXHIBITION
13:30 - 14:00
PANEL DISCUSSION ON SMART GRIDS
14:00 - 14:25
DECARBONISATION THROUGH MICROGRIDS AND DER IN EDGE-OF-GRID NETWORKS
Jey Shivakumar
Cossill & Webley Consulting Engineers

Jey Shivakumar

Cossill & Webley Consulting Engineers

  • Examining edge-of-grid network constraints, driving capacity limits, and reliability challenges today
  • Evaluating current decarbonisation options and how they perform against real network constraints
  • Detailing WA utility-scale microgrids at Peel Business Park, Eglinton Village, and Ocean Reef case learnings
  • Demonstrating residential DER services that cover capacity shortfalls and strengthen local supply
14:25 - 14:30
Q&A SESSION ON PRACTICAL DECARBONISATION FOR EDGE-OF-GRID NETWORKS
14:30 - 14:55
VISION AI FOR REAL-TIME GRID INTELLIGENCE AND DER OPTIMISATION
Tom Culver
The Robot Factory

Tom Culver

The Robot Factory

  • Automating inspection of lines, substations, poles, and transformers to detect faults and intrusion
  • Enhancing situational awareness by identifying outages, arcing hazards, and triggering alerts
  • Integrating edge-based vision models to reduce latency, bandwidth use, and enable autonomy
  • Advancing predictive maintenance by combining visual data with DER forecasting inputs
14:55 - 15:00
Q&A SESSION ON APPLYING VISION AI TO SMART GRID OPERATIONS
15:00 - 15:20
AFTERNOON COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA
15:20 - 15:50
PANEL DISCUSSION ON SMART GRIDS
15:50 - 16:15
DECENTRALISE EVERYTHING: THE FUTURE OF CLEAN ENERGY IS BUILT AT THE EDGE
Mark Dwyer
ReVolt Energy

Mark Dwyer

ReVolt Energy

  • Exploring how distributed energy systems will drive the transition beyond centralised grids
  • Unlocking large-scale storage potential through second-life EV batteries entering markets
  • Demonstrating AI-optimised energy networks coordinating local assets into grid resources
16:15 - 16:20
Q&A SESSION ON BUILDING EDGE-DRIVEN CLEAN ENERGY NETWORKS
16:20 - 16:50
RESERVED PRESENTATION
16:50 - 17:15
USE OF DATA FROM SMART METERS FOR A SMARTER SYSTEM
Alex Cruickshank
CIGRE

Alex Cruickshank

CIGRE

  • Clarifying what real-time smart meter data means for users, markets, and operational decisions
  • Demonstrating how meter data supports system security through faster visibility and response
  • Evaluating the AEMC real-time data decision, including costs, benefits, and implementation trade-offs
17:15 - 17:20
Q&A SESSION ON TURNING SMART METER DATA INTO SYSTEM-WIDE VALUE
17:20 - 18:20
NETWORKING DRINKS RECEPTION
Day 2 :
THURSDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER, 2026
08:00 - 08:30
MORNING REFRESHMENTS
08:30 - 08:40
OPENING ADDRESS
08:40 - 09:10
PANEL DISCUSSION ON SMART GRIDS
09:10 - 09:35
POLICY OPTIONS FOR ENABLING ETES AND THE DECARBONISATION OF PROCESS HEAT
Nathan Steggel
Aratherm

Nathan Steggel

Aratherm

  • Benchmarking eTES levelised cost of heat against gas across NEM regions for FY24/25 and FY25/26
  • Stress-testing how tariffs, gas prices, and electricity dynamics shift eTES cost competitiveness
  • Simulating ARENA grants, production credits, and price support effects on eTES project financing
09:35 - 09:40
Q&A SESSION ON ETES ECONOMICS AND GRID POLICY OPTIONS
09:40 - 10:05
DESIGNING SOCIAL VALUE INTO SMART GRID INVESTMENTS: FROM ASSETS TO COMMUNITY
Laura Stewart
PATHMAKER

Laura Stewart

PATHMAKER

  • Reframing smart grid investment to generate social value alongside reliability and efficiency
  • Embedding social outcomes into planning, governance, delivery, and procurement decisions
  • Enabling collaboration with communities, councils, and First Nations partners on outcomes
  • Aligning technical, financial, and social objectives to deliver durable community benefits
10:05 - 10:10
Q&A SESSION ON DELIVERING COMMUNITY VALUE THROUGH SMART GRID INVESTMENTS
10:10 - 10:30
MORNING COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA
10:30 - 10:55
GETTING THE MARKET AND REGULATORY SETTINGS RIGHT FOR FLEXIBLE DEMAND
Aylin Cunsolo
Ashurst

Aylin Cunsolo

Ashurst

  • Defining flexible demand and quantifying value from load shifting, onsite generation, and storage
  • Examining pricing, tariffs, and market reforms needed to unlock demand-side participation
  • Exploring commercial models, including aggregators, VPPs, and flexibility-as-a-service
10:55 - 11:00
Q&A SESSION ON UNLOCKING FLEXIBLE DEMAND THROUGH MARKET REFORM
11:00 - 11:25
ALIGNING YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE “NEW FIRE” OF THE ENERGY SYSTEM
Sohail Hasnie
Energypreneurs Advisory

Sohail Hasnie

Energypreneurs Advisory

  • Framing energy storage as the new fire, reshaping business strategy across the power system
  • Tracing how batteries, EVs, and distributed energy resources are becoming the grid backbone
  • Mapping new opportunities across Australasia as Australia leads in solar, DER, and innovation
  • Linking AI, free electricity, drones, and robots to the next model of electricity supply
11:25 - 11:30
Q&A SESSION ON WINNING IN THE STORAGE-LED ENERGY ERA
11:30 - 11:55
FLEET ELECTRIFICATION AS A GRID ASSET: LESSONS FROM SINGAPORE
Lionel Lee
Westpoint Transit

Lionel Lee

Westpoint Transit

  • Analysing Singapore’s private bus electrification journey and its grid asset implications
  • Exploring charging limits, upfront costs, and lifecycle maintenance realities for operators
  • Extrapolating policy lessons that enable scalable EV fleet adoption across markets
  • Assessing cross-border regulatory alignment critical for logistics and fleet continuity
11:55 - 12:00
Q&A SESSION ON SCALING ELECTRIC BUS FLEETS WITH GRID ALIGNMENT
12:00 - 12:15
FEEDBACK & RAFFLE DRAW
12:15 - 12:30
CLOSING REMARKS
12:30 - 13:30
NETWORKING LUNCH

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