8 Oct 2015

Record attendance and calls for Australia to catch up with the rest of the world from government and international speakers alike signalled a promising focus on the renewables sector for the future at All-Energy Australia’s conference and exhibition, held in Melbourne 7 – 8 October 2015.

Calls for greater political certainty and long-term investment in the sector was spearheaded by an inspiring keynote delivered by Chairman for the Committee on Climate Change Lord Deben, which was met with a standing ovation from delegates.

The room erupted with applause as Lord Deben called for Australian policy makers to “wake up early enough” while encouraging industry to stay optimistic and remember that “we have the future in our hands in a way that no one has ever had before.” This address followed comments from Member for Caulfield, Shadow Minister for Energy & Resources, Innovation and Renewables the Hon. David Southwick MP’s supportive of government investment that fostered an environment where “customers put their hands up for the renewables driven market.”

Sessions continued to focus on the current state of play and market developments, a discussion chaired by Worley Parsons Global Lead Dr Paul Ebert on energy storage, analysis of key customer segments for microgrids and embedded networks and a unique session from Autodesk on the future of entrepreneurs, cleantech and start-ups in Australia.

The conference concluded with the Grand Closing Plenary Debate on the promise of regulatory reform, new technologies and forecasting demand. Clean Energy Council’s Professional Development workshops continued alongside to provide designers and installers with the latest updates on standards and compliance issues, along with predictions from industry experts on the next big thing.

The focus on practical solutions to help deliver a shifting tide for the sector was a strong feature of the All-Energy Australia exhibition floor, with particular buzz around the game-changing energy storage solutions on display.

New product announcements continued on day two from All-Energy Australia 2015 exhibitors, including the launch of Ecoult’s 25 kW medium-scale UltraFlex battery solution. “We’ve already proven UltraBattery in selected large scale megawatt installations in Australia and the US, and are now proud to make UltraBattery solutions generally available on a smaller scale. Today, we launch UltraFlex, our 25 kW medium-scale industrial, agricultural, off-grid and business solution,” said Mr John Wood, CEO at Ecoult.

The positive sentiment from attending delegates was echoed by exhibitors, such as Green Energy Trading Nick Butler noting “the atmosphere is much improved on previous years, with a lot of positive energy around the industry at the moment.” Reed Exhibitions Australia Executive Director John Gorton said the feedback and attendance for All-Energy Australia 2015 had surpassed expectations.

“We are thrilled to confirm an increase of over 10% in attendance on 2014, with preliminary results confirming that well over 5,000 industry professionals visited this year’s All-Energy Australia Exhibition and Conference,” said Mr Gorton. “These strong results demonstrate the interest and passion for the sector in Australia, and the benefit of Reed Exhibitions Australia’s partnership with the Clean Energy Council.”

“We are looking forward to All-Energy Australia 2016 and have already begun forging invaluable networks, session topics and exhibition themes to ensure this event remains the single meeting point for the clean energy sector.” All-Energy Australia was held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 7 – 8 October 2015.