November 28, 2023

Keynote speakers and sponsors announced for upcoming IEEE Energy Conference at UOW

Conference will bring together leading minds in energy transformation and technology

Speakers and conference sponsors have been announced for the 2023 IEEE International Conference on Energy Technologies for Future Grids (IEEE ETFG2023) to be held at the University of Wollongong (UOW), 3-6 December 2023.  

Conference Chair and Director of the ARC Training Centre for Future Grids, which will be launched at the conference, Senior Professor Kashem Muttaqi said the upcoming event would address the global transformation of the power and energy technology sectors.  

“The transition to a sustainable future is seemingly evident through rapidly reducing renewable energy costs, greatly improved energy efficiencies, increasing use of ‘smart’ technologies, and wide applications of energy storage. With this ongoing transition, there is an increasing pressure to integrate new energy technologies and systems into the existing infrastructure,” Senior Professor Muttaqi said. 

“ETFG2023 will provide a forum for power engineering professionals and researchers from around the world to exchange up-to-date knowledge, experiences, and views on emerging trends of sustainability and modernisation in the power and energy sectors.  

“I would like to thank our sponsors for their inspired support of the conference and look forward to hearing the latest ideas from our keynote speakers.”  

Speakers at the four-day conference include:  

• Professor Pierluigi Mancarella, The University of Melbourne, Australia 
• Professor Frede Blaabjerg, Aalborg University, Denmark 
• Mr Luke Jenner, Chief Operating Officer, Essential Energy 
• Mr Andrew Kingsmill, Executive Director of Technical Advisory Services, EnergyCo 
• Mr Anisur Rahman, Digital Systems Centre Manager, ABB 
• Ms Fatima Bazzi, Head of Customer Connections, Assets and Digital Group, Ausgrid 
• Seán McGoldrick, Chief Executive Officer, TasNetworks, Australia 
• Professor Andrew Knight, President of IEEE Industry Applications Society, University of Calgary, Canada 
• Professor Gerard Ledwich, Adjunct Professor, Queensland University of Technology, Australia 
• Professor Anurag Srivastava, Raymond J. Lane Professor and Chairperson, West Virginia University, USA 
• Professor Sukumar Kamalasadan, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA 
• Dr Bronwyn Evans AO, Independent Planning Commission NSW, Australia 

As one of Australia’s largest electricity distributors, Essential Energy has come onboard as a gold sponsor this year to highlight the importance of innovation and technology in maximising the connection of renewables on the grid. Chief People Officer, Amalie Smith believes the key to Essential Energy supporting the energy transition is through building the workforce of the future. 

“The increase in smart technologies and innovation in the energy sector requires us to invest in the right training and education for our people. To make this happen, we need to work with universities to develop the programs that capture advancements in electrical engineering,” Ms Smith said. 

Essential Energy builds, maintains and operates the poles and wires that deliver electricity to 95 per cent of New South Wales and parts of southern Queensland. 

Gold sponsor ABB is a leading global technology company that energises the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels.

Paul Thomas, National Sales Manager for Distribution Solutions at ABB said, “At ABB, our commitment lies in empowering smart, stable, and sustainable grids that safeguard the future. With our participation, we look forward to showcasing our dedication to advancing the protection and control of energy systems to such an important audience, who are the architects of tomorrow’s engineering landscape.” 

Silver sponsor Ausgrid provides electricity to over 4 million people in Sydney, the Central Coast and Hunter Regions. Ausgrid has engaged extensively with its customer and stakeholder on their priorities for the future, telling us they want an equitable, and accessible net-zero future. To achieve this, Ausgrid seeks to engage industry and academia at events like this to better understand future technologies, their applications and how to can support a net-zero future. 

General Sponsors of the conference include Powerlink, Ingeteam Australia, Future Fuels CRC, OSA Engineering, EESA and CIGRE.  

Over the four-day conference highlight events include Talent & Networking Event, Women-in-Engineering (WIE) Luncheon, Power Grid Decarbonisation Panel, Hydrogen Energy for Future Grids Panel, Power Grid Resiliency Panel, Exhibition, Tutorials, Industry Short Courses, Workshop on Standards, and IEEE IAS Regional CMD Workshop.