Clean Energy Council

We welcome today’s appointment by the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) of the Clean Energy Council as the product listing body for small-scale renewables, including solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and inverters. Our Chief Executive, Kane Thornton, said the Clean Energy Council is proud to continue its stewardship of the products listing role for small-scale renewables and will be focused on enhancing the program.  “Small scale renewables are a critical and growing segment of Australia’s clean energy future, driven by millions of households and businesses.  “Our focus and indeed our application to the Clean Energy Regulator included a detailed plan for program improvement and we have already taken steps to drive enhancements including improving the user experience through our online product listings and we have already doubled the capacity of our Products team and are actively working to bring on more staff to meet what are unprecedented levels of demand.”   Changes in the immediate pipeline include streamlining processes and providing applicants with transparent tracking of their applications, a stronger focus on customer service and response times and clearer communication on program updates, as well as uplifting program governance through the establishment of a manufacturer working group and performance reporting to industry and the Clean Energy Regulator. In welcoming today’s news, Mr Thornton said that the success of the distributed energy sector in Australia remains a top priority for the Clean Energy Council.  “While we chose not to apply to be the Installer Accreditation body, with that function transferring to Solar Accreditation Australia earlier this year, our program and policy focus on this part of the sector remains a core focus. In addition to being the product listing body, we are the administrator of the NETCC and our policy and advocacy work is strongly focused on securing the policy settings that increase the uptake of rooftop solar and home batteries by consumers and drive activity for installers,” he said.  Find out more about the products listings here https://lnkd.in/gViXv7iY

We hosted some of our biggest and most successful events yet in 2024 and 2025 is going to be another step up, with a few key changes along the way.  Curated and coordinated by the peak body for the renewable energy sector, our events feature the most influential leaders and voices of the clean energy transition including the leading CEOs and executive teams, technical experts and government decision-makers.  Join us for a stellar line-up of exceptional thought-leadership, educational and networking experiences at: - Western Australian Clean Energy Summit, 26 March in Perth  - Clean Energy Investor Forum, 3 April in Sydney  - Australian Wind Industry Forum, 6 May in Melbourne  - Australian Offshore Wind Industry Forum, 3 June in Melbourne  - Australian Clean Energy Summit, 29-30 July in Sydney  - Queensland Clean Energy Summit featuring large-scale solar and storage, 15-16 September in Brisbane  - All Energy Australia, 29-30 October in Melbourne.  Save the dates in your calendar and be among the 20,000 leaders, decision-makers and technical experts who attend Clean Energy Council events annually. And watch out for more detail on our ever-popular member mixers, a chance to network and hear from guest speakers, across the year. Visit our website to find out more, including speaking and partnership opportunities: https://lnkd.in/gX_9A-tm #cleanenergy #renewableenergy

Yesterday was International Day of Climate Action – a time to reflect on the progress that has been made globally to combat the climate crisis, and how much still needs to be done. While Australia has a lot of work to do to achieve its target of 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 – and beyond – the electricity sector is making good progress. More than 40 per cent of Australia’s electricity now comes from renewables, having doubled in the past five years. This is one of the fastest buildouts of renewable energy of any country, but we need to continue to pick up the pace, and double renewable generation again by 2030 to hit Australia’s target of 82 per cent renewable energy generation. That means industry, governments, communities and households working together to get the job done. Doing so will lead to more than a safer climate. It’s resulting in tens of billions of dollars in economic activity across regional communities around Australia, new jobs and careers for thousands of people across our regions and cities, and downwards pressure on electricity bills. #cleanenergy #renewableenergy

In many countries around the world, offshore wind is powering homes and communities, creating jobs and lowering emissions. The sector will be crucial to Australia’s future energy mix. Essential to securing that future is investor confidence enabled by stable and supportive policy settings. "Above all else, the success of Australia’s offshore wind industry will depend on certainty through strong policy and enduring political support, so investors can be confident that they are getting strong returns," Kane Thornton, Clean Energy Council Chief Executive, told the Financial Review this week. https://lnkd.in/drtRgNCx Offshore wind generates more energy for more hours of the day and is a perfect complement to onshore solar, wind and storage. We are working hard to drive coordination across the renewables industry to ensure the offshore wind sector takes off in Australia. Click for more information on our work, or to join our Offshore Wind Directorate: https://lnkd.in/g88nbz_C #cleanenergy #renewableenergy #offshorewind

Queensland is reaping the benefits of the clean energy transition, as the rollout of renewables lowers power bills, creates jobs, and supports farmers and communities.     Close to 30 per cent of the state’s energy needs are already delivered by renewables, and a further 29 renewable energy and storage projects are under construction or in the pipeline.     After this weekend’s election, the Sunshine State has an opportunity to build on the fantastic work it has already done as part of the clean energy transition.    For more stories of the thousands of people across the country doing the essential work of the energy transition, and the local benefits of these projects, check out our video series: https://lnkd.in/gwBHHdTz     #cleanenergy #renewableenergy #energisingqueensland

The biggest and best All Energy Australia yet!    What an incredible couple of days. It’s events like these that highlight how bright Australia’s renewable energy future is, with more than 10,000 passionate and knowledgeable attendees and speakers.    Australia’s world-leading rooftop solar sector has been discussed widely, including on how we can further empower consumers to make the most of electrification. In a session on distributed energy resources, Emily Gadaleta, Senior Energy Policy Advisor, Tesla, described Australia’s change from feed-in-tariffs to empowering self-consumption as “clunky”. “In a cost-of-living crisis, incentives are needed for the next phase of electrification,” she said.    In a session focused on bringing long-duration energy storage to market, Erin van Maanen, Executive General Manager, Strategy, Hydro Tasmania, reminded attendees that storage is not just about providing flexible generation when demand is high, “but soaking up excess generation when wind and solar are plentiful and demand is low.”    One of the challenges for the transition that received plenty of focus throughout All Energy was the shortfalls in many areas of the clean energy workforce, and the opportunities for addressing them. At the ‘Growing the workforce pipeline’ session, Lisa G., Yallourn Transition Leader, EnergyAustralia, said: “Australia’s coal-fired power stations combined have around 10,000 workers. These are highly skilled workers with experience in the electricity sector. They are prime candidates for the clean energy workforce. In many cases, only a small amount of upskilling or retraining is required.”    Thank you to RX Global for putting on such a fantastic event and the speakers, exhibitors and attendees who made it such a success.     Keep an eye on our events page to stay up to date on a packed 2025 schedule for industry leading Clean Energy Council events, and opportunities to partner with us: https://lnkd.in/gX_9A-tm    #cleanenergy #renewableenergy #AllEnergyAU  

Welcome to day two of All Energy Australia. After yesterday’s discussions on topics ranging from energy storage and digital innovation to mental wellbeing and diversity, as well as technical deep dives in our myCEC Masterclasses, things kicked off this morning with the opening plenary. Chaired by our Co-Chief Policy Officer Con Hristodoulidis, there were illuminating sessions on the intersection of transport and energy, and social license. In his keynote address, Chris Miller, CEO of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, outlined the benefits of public ownership in the energy transition, and praised Australia’s rooftop solar industry, saying "Consumers have been the heroes of the transition in Australia to date. Our rooftop solar adoption is the envy of the world. There is a huge opportunity to build on that and engage homeowners and households even more." The intersection of transport and energy – two industries that both urgently need to decarbonise – is a once in a lifetime opportunity, said Chau Le, General Manager, Strategy & E-Mobility, Origin Energy. "Electric vehicles are such an asset for decarbonisation. If we can connect millions of batteries-on-wheels to the energy system to soak up all the excess energy and feed that back into the grid, that is a massive value the transport sector can bring to the energy sector." In the social license panel, Marla Brauer, Chief Development Officer, WestWind Energy, called on the renewables sector to be proud of what it does while being genuine in its engagement. "Community engagement is not just telling people what we’re doing. It’s an appreciation and a compassion that we’re impacting these people. Communities are smart and they know if you don’t care about them." We’re looking forward to sessions later today on offshore wind, distributed energy resources, heavy transport and much more. #cleanenergy #renewableenergy #AllEnergyAU

That’s a wrap for day one of All Energy Australia 2024. It’s been an action-packed day of knowledge sharing and networking, with memorable contributions in every session. This afternoon there was a strong focus on mental health, diversity and inclusion. In the ‘Riding the mental health solarcoaster’ session, the Clean Energy Council’s Ashleigh Dalmau said mental health and wellbeing are not things that can be tip toed around anymore: "This is a discussion we absolutely need to have in our sector, it’s important to make sure no one is riding that solarcoaster alone." Founder and CEO, AJ McCarthy Consulting, Andy McCarthy, reinforced the importance of talking. "On paper, I had everything going for me in life. Admitting I couldn’t cope with the pressure just wasn’t part of my brand…but I found every time I spoke about how I was feeling made me feel better. This has now become my other mission, in addition to the clean energy rollout.” Diversity was also on the agenda at a session chaired by the Clean Energy Council’s Senior Policy Officer, Julian McCoy, where Olivia Beauchamp, Senior Consultant at Phillip Riley Group, talked about how to diversify the workforce: "The clean energy workforce is 65 per cent male and First Nations representation is extremely low. Don’t chase the unicorn candidate, consider candidates who don’t necessarily fit the mould but bring additional skills and value." In the ‘Economics of diversity’ session, Stephen McSweeney, EGM for People and Culture at Transgrid, said the publication of gender pay gap data has shone a light on companies and encouraged them to ask better questions, “Why is there a gap? Why are more men in higher-paid roles? Facing up to those questions can help us remove barriers.” Thank you to everyone who exhibited, presented and attended for making it an incredible day. Clean energy is Australia’s greatest industry and it’s heartwarming to be in the company of so many passionate people. We look forward to catching up with plenty of you at the networking event this evening. Otherwise, see you all for round two tomorrow. Register for All Energy Australia https://lnkd.in/gZs_kGnu   #cleanenergy #renewableenergy #AllEnergyAU 

What an inspiring discussion at our Women in Renewables lunch sponsored by Lumea during All Energy Australia. Around 550 industry leaders came together to discuss the power of individual and collective voices in driving advocacy for a clean energy future.    Dr Laura Jeffrey 🌈, Senior Project Manager at Squadron Energy, chaired a fantastic panel discussion featuring outstanding leaders Kate Osaze, CEO & Co-Founder at Reswitch , Tammy Vos, Head of Community & Impact at TradeMutt, and Rebecca (Bec) Halliday, Founder – Principal, GIRA Advisory.     “How do we encourage people to stand up and advocate, to disrupt? That’s where initiatives like Women in Renewables come in. It’s not just about being a woman. It’s about representation, being an ally, and empowering women to stand up for change,” Dr Laura Jeffrey said. On the subject of bringing communities along on the change, Rebecca (Bec) Halliday said, “It’s not about handouts, it’s about creating an equal playing field. Energy poverty is a real thing in First Nations communities, rising sea levels are a real thing. Extinction of species is a real thing. You have people who are intrinsically interested in the things you are interested in, so partner with them.” Congratulations to the recipients of the Chloe Munro Scholarship for Transformational Leadership, announced at today’s lunch:     Recipients of the Leading Edge course scholarship: Bethany Du, Tori C., Kirsten Lee, Cindy Ng, Kavya Santhosh, Lucy Sinclair and Lucinda Walker.     Recipients of the Executive Ready course scholarship: Megan Aspinall, Uduakobong Ekpenyong, and Carla Evans.   These scholarships provide incredible opportunities for professional development and reflect the Clean Energy Council’s commitment to empowering women at all levels of the clean energy industry. Learn more about the inspiring scholarship recipients here: https://lnkd.in/eQMmgENc    Special thanks to our sponsors for supporting the Chloe Munro Scholarship.  Our Program Partners: Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Hydro Tasmania.   Our Program Supporters: GreenCollar, ACEN Australia and Iberdrola Australia.   Stay connected for updates on upcoming Women in Renewables initiatives, events and programs and learn more about our scholarship recipients by visiting: https://lnkd.in/e3FM-VmD #womeninrenewables #AllEnergyAU #cleanenergy #renewableenergy 

What an incredible start to All Energy Australia. Thousands of attendees have been pouring through the doors into the plenaries, sessions and masterclasses. In this morning’s fireside chat with the Clean Energy Council’s Kane Thornton, the Hon. Lily D'Ambrosio MP, Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources highlighted the importance of energy leaders investing in conversations with the community as Victoria moved towards its legislated target of 95% renewable energy by 2035. “It’s being able to spend time in communities and explain what you want to do and, most importantly, what it means to that person or their community. This transition is years in the making and we’ve got to be up for having the conversations.” When asked to project to 2035, the Minister said “We will have a cleaner environment, having achieved an emissions reduction across our broader economy.” Clean Energy Council Chair Peter Cowling led the ‘Accelerating the transition’ session, reminding attendees of the significant achievements to date. “We sometimes hear doom and gloom around the energy transition, but there is a phenomenal amount happening behind the scenes, that needs to be celebrated.” Matt Rebbeck, CEO of RES Australia reiterated the point, saying “More than 50% of households in QLD now have rooftop solar. It’s an amazing achievement.” Now it’s off to our sold-out Women in Renewables Lunch with speakers Laura Jeffrey 🌈, Kate Osaze, Tammy Vos and Rebecca (Bec) Halliday. Register for All Energy Australia for free here https://lnkd.in/gZs_kGnu #AllEnergyAU