2026 Agenda

• Highlighting changes to the optimal development path and transmission project priorities

• Assessing new reliability, firming and storage requirements across the NEM

• Interpreting updated assumptions on demand, technology costs and coal retirement timing

•  How is security reshaping the Australian energy transition?

• What does it take to build resilient, future-ready grids to support a transitioning energy system?

• Who is going to fund the projects required to get us through the transition and What will be the catalyst for the investment certainty they want?

• What will be the long-term impact of policy reversals in the US?

• Will the rapid buildout of energy-intensive data centres and AI be a disruptor?

• How much real network capacity can these new technologies unlock in the next five years?
• How can the benefits of freeing up capacity—like greater hosting capacity and improved reliability—be distributed fairly across all customers, not just those with DER?
• What changes to incentives or market design are needed to make customer-provided flexibility a dependable part of network planning and operations?
• How will transmission and distribution businesses coordinate data, visibility and operational control so that capacity gains in one part of the system aren’t lost to constraints elsewhere?

• Evolving network operations to unlock hosting capacity at lower cost and with greater community support
• Leveraging digital tools, data and AI to improve forecasting, visibility and asset utilisation
• Deploying flexible connections, dynamic operating envelopes and demand response to integrate DER at scale
• Coordinating EVs, data centres and emerging loads to manage peaks while deferring costly network augmentation

Daniel Kammen is Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Energy and Climate Justice at Johns Hopkins University. A pioneering renewable energy expert, he has shaped global policy as World Bank Chief Technical Specialist, U.S. Science Envoy, and IPCC lead author—who shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

• Using SWITCH model to optimise renewables, storage and transmission for net zero grids
• De-risking BESS and renewables via permanent capacity mechanisms post-2030
• Planning HV lines linking remote renewables, Kenya-Ethiopia and WECC examples

• Are current market signals producing the capacity and flexibility the system actually needs?
• Is the pace of transmission build keeping up with generation and demand shifts?
• Are reliability and system security risks being underestimated in transition planning?
• What practical constraints are policymakers overlooking when designing the future system?

• Aligning pricing reform with customer behaviour to improve affordability and accelerate flexible demand
• Streamlining DER integration rules to unlock participation while maintaining reliability
• Strengthening transparency and coordination to rebuild trust and give consumers confidence in the transition

• How are retailers innovating to transform the way consumers participate (CER, VPPS, V2G)? (and why aren’t consumers embracing these initiatives?)
• What are the consequences if the public loses faith and social licence for change erodes?
• Is current consumer regulation sufficient or do we need a more radical overhaul to match the pace of the transition?

• What reforms would most quickly lower investment risk and unlock capital for renewables and storage?
• Are current market and contracting structures bankable enough to support long duration and firming investment?
• How should governments intervene to de risk projects without distorting long term market signals?
• What role should major energy users like data centres play in de risking projects through demand certainty and flexibility?

• What makes transition projects investable — and why do viable opportunities still miss funding?
• How can policy, grid and offtake risks be reduced to unlock financial close?
• What partnerships and government settings best crowd in global capital while enabling local delivery?

• What are some good examples of cross-sector co-operation that are having a meaningful impact on the pace of the transition?
• Has regulation and market design inadvertently locked sectors into silos—and who actually has the mandate to break them?
• Do current risk allocation and investment models make genuine collaboration commercially irrational, even when system benefits are clear?
• Are pilots, trials and partnerships masking a lack of accountability for delivery at scale—and how do we force collaboration to move faster?

• Assessing the early impacts of NEM reforms to reveal where reliability and investment signals are actually working
• Scrutinising market responses to highlight which technologies and regions benefit — and which are left behind
• Evaluating governance and coordination challenges to inform the next wave of system evolution

• Addressing loyalty penalties and plan churn to avoid enforcement action and improve market competitiveness (millions still paying above default offers)
• Improving transparency and billing communication to meet regulatory codes and minimise misleading conduct risk (penalties already issued for poor disclosure)
• Preparing for upcoming consumer protections and switching reforms to reduce barriers and demonstrate proactive compliance ahead of regulators’ scrutiny (new rules on fair pricing and switching)

• Aligning regulatory frameworks with emerging technologies and system needs — from grid reform to enabling storage, DER and digital tools
• Reducing barriers to project delivery — by reforming approval processes, coordinating across jurisdictions, and providing long-term investment signals
• Essential System Services (ESS) reform – evolving the governance and procurement approaches to system strength, inertia, voltage management, and more

• Challenging deterministic market and ISP modelling to expose system risks hidden by average-case assumptions
• Reframing reliability, storage and firming policy around weather-driven volatility to protect consumers and investors
• Redesigning planning and regulatory frameworks to manage uncertainty rather than optimise for a future that rarely occurs

• Cross-Government collaboration to drive project delivery
• Identifying opportunities to remove systemic barriers and streamline processes
• Building public trust in the transition

• Challenging legacy volumetric pricing to align network signals with when and where costs are actually driven
• Confronting the efficiency–equity trade-offs in tariff reform to move beyond lowest-common-denominator outcomes
• Examining implications of the forthcoming AEMC pricing review final report for policy and regulatory direction
• Testing whether current institutional settings enable meaningful tariff reform or quietly constrain it

• Identifying current structures which are not fit for the 21st century; practical recommendations for a system that will work across jurisdictions
• Analysing how governance reforms could enable a faster, more coordinated and socially durable energy transition
• Addressing the need for better coordination, accountability, and demand-side integration in the energy system

• When major coal units trip without warning, what emergency supply and demand responses are realistically available?
• Should temporary generation and fast-tracked grid connections be treated as crisis tools or as a “new normal” in managing the transition?
• Who should ultimately pay for transition-driven system failures (retailers, governments, or consumers) and how transparent should that cost-sharing be?
• What are the real system, market and political trade-offs of extending the life of ageing coal plants like Eraring, and does doing so delay or de-risk the transition?

Specifically for professionals new to the energy sector, this workshop will take you through the multiple agencies and major players in the Australian market. Designed for junior to middle managers who may not have experience or qualifications in energy. If you are still figuring out the difference between DR and DER, this workshop is for you.

Upon completion of the workshop, attendees will:

• Understand the history and context of the Australian energy industry
• Be able to confidently identify key players in the industry and how they interact
• In-depth knowledge of current issues (and their acronyms)
• Insights into future challenges and opportunities in the Australian energy sector
  
  

Outline:

08:30 Registration and coffee

09:00 History and context of Australian energy

• Why things are the way they are, and how we got to where we are now
  
  

10:30 Morning tea

11:00 Who’s who in Australian energy, and how they interact

• Who’s who, the laws and rules that govern how they interact, what are their objectives, and a host of acronyms and what they mean
  
  

12:30 Lunch

13:30 Current issues / what is happening now

• To include the transition towards net zero, cost reflective pricing, duck curves and grand canyons, meeting minimum and maximum demands, uptake of consumer energy resources including in-premise batteries, Integrated System Plan, and government interventions
  
  

15:00 Afternoon tea

15:30 Future challenges and opportunities

• To include moving to 100% renewables, electrification of homes and transport, shifts to winter peaking, the rise of data centres, future wholesale and retail trading arrangements, community energy, the role of grid-connected storage, and what is the future of gas?
  
  

17:00 Concludes

Designed for network planners, policymakers, retailers and infrastructure developers grappling with rapid EV uptake, this masterclass moves beyond charging hardware to examine how electric vehicles reshape demand, pricing, networks and customer relationships. Blending system-level analysis with practical implementation insight, the session explores how smart charging, vehicle-to-grid (V2G), tariffs and planning coordination can turn EVs from a network risk into a flexibility and decarbonisation asset. Attendees will gain a clearer view of how to integrate EVs at scale while managing congestion, costs and equity outcomes.

Upon completion of the masterclass, attendees will:

• Understand how large-scale EV adoption reshapes load profiles, network planning and emissions pathways across the energy system
• Be able to apply smart charging and V2G strategies to manage peak demand, defer network augmentation and improve system resilience
• Gain practical insight into planning and siting charging infrastructure to minimise connection costs and align with land-use and transport planning
• Develop commercially viable EV tariffs, customer propositions and operating models that support off-peak charging, private investment and equitable access
  
  

Outline:

08:30 Registration and coffee

09:00 EV demand and system implications

• Understanding EV adoption trajectories to inform network, generation and retail investment
• Quantifying charging demand profiles to manage peak load and congestion risk
• Linking EV uptake to emissions pathways to align with national and state decarbonisation targets
  
  

Grid integration and smart charging

• Characterising impacts on distribution networks to prioritise least‑regrets reinforcement
  
  

10:30 Morning tea

11:00 Implementing smart charging and demand response to defer network augmentation

• Leveraging vehicle to grid capabilities to enhance system flexibility and resilience
  
  

Charging infrastructure planning and siting

• Mapping home, workplace and public charging needs to optimise the mix of charging typologies
• Assessing corridor and precinct loads to identify priority fast charging zones
  
  

12:30 Lunch

13:30 Coordinating with land use and transport planning to minimise connection costs and delays

Commercial models, tariffs and customers

• Designing EV tariffs and incentives to encourage off‑peak and renewable‑aligned charging
• Structuring ownership and operating models to share risk and unlocking private capital
• Integrating EV propositions into retail offers to increase customer engagement and retention
  
  

15:00 Afternoon tea

15:30 Policy, standards and implementation practice

• Interpreting Australian and state EV policies to align corporate strategy and investment cases
• Applying technical standards and connection rules to ensure safe and interoperable infrastructure
• Embedding equity and access considerations to deliver socially robust EV rollouts
  
  

17:00 Concludes

Perfect for any engineer, planner or network specialist who needs to understand how distribution and transmission roles are evolving in a DER-dominated energy system. This masterclass blends operational detail with strategic insight, showing how DSO models and transmission–distribution coordination can unlock efficiency, optimise investment, and maintain security as decentralisation accelerates. Attendees will examine real-world approaches to network planning, operational alignment, and stakeholder engagement, gaining tools to navigate both technical and regulatory challenges.

Upon completion of the masterclass, attendees will:

• Understand how DSO models redefine distribution responsibilities to enable active system operation
• Be able to coordinate real-time transmission and distribution operations to maintain system security and efficiency
• Gain practical insight into using DER and flexibility as tools for network planning and congestion management
• Develop strategies for aligning incentives, regulatory frameworks, and community engagement to accelerate approvals and investment
  
  

Outline:

08:30 Registration and coffee

09:00 Reframing network roles for a DER-dominated system

• Redefining distribution responsibilities to enable active system operation
• Clarifying TSO–DSO boundaries to reduce operational friction and duplicated services
• Aligning incentives across network layers to support least-cost system outcomes
  
  

10:30 Morning tea

11:00 Coordinating transmission and distribution operations in real time

• Improving system visibility across voltage levels to manage DER impacts
• Coordinating flexibility procurement to avoid conflicting dispatch signals
• Integrating local and system services to maintain security as decentralisation accelerates
  
  

12:30 Lunch

13:30 Embedding joint network planning to unlock efficient investment

• Integrating transmission and distribution planning to target congestion at the source
• Using DER and flexibility as planning tools to defer capital augmentation
• Aligning regulatory frameworks to support whole-of-system optimisation
  
  

15:00 Afternoon tea

15:30 Navigating planning and community engagement to accelerate approvals for distributed energy projects

• Engaging communities early to reduce opposition to network and energy projects
• Coordinating network and project timelines to minimise approval delays
• Building social licence through transparent system need and benefit narratives
  
  

17:00 Concludes

Specifically for engineers and technical specialists responsible for the installation, commissioning and ongoing maintenance of Battery Energy Storage Systems, this masterclass is designed to address the practical challenges of operating BESS assets in the Australian market. It is suited to BESS engineers working at utility-scale or large commercial installations who need to move beyond vendor manuals and understand how batteries actually perform in the field — under regulatory pressure, extreme conditions and evolving grid requirements. If you are grappling with degradation, safety obligations, inverter complexity or changing performance expectations, this masterclass is for you.

Upon completion of the masterclass, attendees will:

• Understand the key drivers of battery performance and degradation and how design and operational decisions impact asset life and project economics
• Understand key considerations required to operate and maintain BESS safely and reliably under Australian conditions
• Gain practical insight into managing fire risk, safety standards and compliance obligations
• Understand key considerations to achieve new technical expectations, including ancillary services and grid-forming requirements
  
  

Outline:

08:30 Registration and coffee

09:00 Fundamentals overview

• Technology and chemistry selection

• Key components

• Basis of sizing

• Use case selection

• Key performance parameters and guarantees
  
  

09:30 Development and delivery principles

• Project lifecycle overview including typical pre FID activities and considerations

• Delivery and procurement strategies

• Technical integration and interface challenges

• Design and operational implications

• Case studies
  
  

10:00 Managing battery degradation and lifetime performance

• Understanding degradation mechanisms to protect capacity, availability and revenue

• Understanding skillsets, competencies and resources required to effectively manage BESS throughout the life cycle

• Designing operating envelopes and cycling strategies to extend asset life

• Using data, diagnostics and warranties to align maintenance decisions with project economics

• Augmentation strategies and considerations
  
  

10:30 Morning tea 

11:00 Operating utility-scale BESS under real-world conditions

• Managing thermal, environmental and load stress to maintain performance in extreme heat, dust and humidity

• Commissioning and maintaining systems to avoid latent faults and early-life failures

• Integrating operational lessons from Australian utility-scale deployments to reduce downtime
  
  

12:30 Lunch

13:30 Designing for safety

• Identifying and managing fire, thermal runaway and propagation risks to protect people and assets

• Implementing detection, suppression and emergency response strategies that work in practice

• Translating incident learnings into installation, maintenance and operational procedures
  
  

15:00 Afternoon tea 

15:30 Meeting new technical and regulatory expectations

• Inverter, control and protection implications for ancillary services and grid-forming requirements

• Navigating safety standards, performance obligations and registration pathways with confidence

• Preparing for national harmonisation of fire safety rules and grid-forming inverter standards to future-proof assets
  
  

16:30 Case studies

17:00 Concludes

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
This masterclass qualifies as Type II CPD under Engineers Australia’s CPD framework.
Delegates may claim the full number of hours attended as CPD so please retain the program and any other relevant information for your personal CPD log.