WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY RESEARCH WEEK 2024
The Next Decade of Discovery: Better Futures, Now
Urban Living Futures and Urban Transformations Research Centre present a day dedicated to the built environment; how we build into policy and into reality the cities of the future, delivering on resilience and livability in the face of a changing climate.
Thursday 18th July 2024
Join for the full day or part of the day
Building Resilient Futures: Addressing Climate Change Through Infrastructure Innovation. See HERE for full event session details.
The renewable electricity transition in our cities
REGISTER HERE
The renewable electricity transition in our cities
The Australian Government's commitment to Net Zero by 2050 and an 82% renewable electricity target by 2030 reflects a global shift driven by abundant solar and wind power. This rapid transition raises important questions for industry, society, and researchers regarding the decarbonization of our cities
Introduction - The renewable energy transition in our cities and the Western Sydney University approach
Dr Maria Rashidi, Urban Transformations Research centre, WSU
Keynote Address - Energy Transition Challenges - Cities as Systems
Professor David Hill, Monash University
Followed by a panel discussion on these questions, with ample time for audience participation.
- How can we integrate renewable energy into our cities effectively?
- What opportunities does the prosumer trend offer for empowerment and affordability in energy?
- What investments are needed for the energy transition in our city environments?
- How can policy and governance frameworks facilitate the transition to renewable energy in urban areas?
- How can Western Sydney University assist in preparing the workforce for these changes?
REGISTRATION Essential, numbers are limited
Choose your tickets
1. Package Full Day (includes Lunch) [10am - 3pm]
2. Morning Session (10am - 12pm)
3. Afternoon Session (1pm - 3pm)
REGISTER HERE
Meet the Panel Members
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Professor Greg Morrison, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Director (Moderator) |
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Professor David Hill, Monash University
David J. Hill holds the position of Professor of Electrical Power and Energy Systems at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. He is also Professor Emeritus at The University of Sydney and The University of Hong Kong. He was Foundation Director of the Centre for Future Energy Networks at The University of Sydney. He is currently a consultant to the NSW Government on decarbonization and energy preparedness.
Professor Hill is an elected Fellow four learned academies in Australia, Sweden and Hong Kong. He has received numerous international awards for his research in control and power and energy systems.
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Dr James Hazelton, Endeavour Energy, Future Grid Strategy Manager
Dr. James Hazelton is a renewable energy engineer & industry expert with 14 years’ experience working on Australian and international energy projects. He holds a Bachelors of Renewable Energy Engineering and completed his PhD in Engineering at the UNSW. His academic research focused on the implementation of renewable energy microgrids for improving energy access in remote communities of Australia and Southeast Asia. Having worked in both the large- and small-scale renewables sector, for Infigen (now Iberdrola), ITP Renewables and Siemens – he has been engaged as a consultant for all levels of government in Australia, as well as in major international development projects in Asia and the Pacific islands.
He joined Endeavour in 2021 recognising the huge role the electrical distribution network needed to play in Australia’s energy transition and the value available through customer energy resources. James leads a diverse team tasked with the deployment of new technology projects on Endeavours networks. This includes distribution connected storage, flexibility, electrification of transport and buildings, and increasing hosting capacity of the network.
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Christine McNamara, AVEVA, Sales Director
As the Sales Director for AVEVA Software for the Pacific, delivering value is about understanding business imperatives, planning for change, reducing and removing disruption that can come from change and reaping the benefits from software currency, standardisation and shifting of workload.
Data driven decision-making drives bottom line benefits and sustainability. It is a continual commitment by an organisations’ leaders that improves the work-life of their people and challenges them to continually improve, grow and refine their performance. I enjoy working with leaders, developing and delivering their Business Strategy, enabling orchestration and automation of business and operational processes whilst investing in people and through strong leadership achieving outcomes beyond expectation.
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Dr Hema Wadhwa, Worley, Digital Enablement Leader – Renewables Remote Operations
Dr. Wadhwa is an accomplished leader in the power and energy sector, specializing in product development, remote operations, and digital innovation. With over 17 years of experience, she has consistently driven operational efficiency and sustainability through transformative digital initiatives.
Currently serving as Digital Enablement Manager and Product Owner, Dr. Wadhwa spearheads the design and development of innovative products and solutions. Her expertise spans across engineering, model testing, numerical and analytical methods, product development, operational technology, cybersecurity, and stakeholder management. She is recognized for introducing cutting-edge analytics and fostering cross-departmental collaboration to ensure state of art solutions. She has been honored with prestigious awards including the WITWA Tech 2020 and Chief Executive Women in STEM 2020. In 2023, she was inducted into the WA Women's Hall of Fame in the STEM category, recognizing their contributions to the field.
Dr Wadhwa is passionate about mentoring in the STEM field and is dedicated to driving success in the energy industry.
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Dr Tom Longden, Senior Researcher at Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Senior Research Fellow
Dr. Longden uses economics and econometrics to study environmental, energy and health topics. He is also the Secretary of the NSW Branch of the Economic Society of Australia and a member of the ACT Climate Change Council.
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