My initiatives and engagements in the electricity sector fall broadly into the following categories.

The DERlab

I have led the design and construction of a $4m power systems testing lab at the ANU. The lab is designed and operated for a wide range of users across industry and R&D.

Please get in touch if you wish to know more and make use of this world class facility! See https://der-lab.net.au/ for details.

This project is a joint initiative of the ANU, ITP Renewables, UNSW Canberra, and evoenergy. It is funded by the ACT Government.

All DERlab posts are here.

Policy

I make regular contributions to the (sadly troubled) Australian energy policy discourse.

All Policy posts here.

Microgrids

I’m a leader of an interdisciplinary team working to bolster the resilience of our electricity supply through the use of microgrid technologies to create a “grid of microgrids”.

All Microgrids posts are here.

Community batteries

I’m part of an interdisciplinary team at the ANU working on the potential for medium scale battery storage, aka Community batteries.

All Community battery posts are here.

Solar for rentals

I founded a social enterprise called SunTenants that makes solar work for rental properties. This was acquired by Solar Analytics in 2019.

All Solar for rentals posts are here.

Solar for apartments

I lead the first deployment of solar + storage into an Australian apartment building in 2015-16, at a housing co-operative in Sydney called Stucco.

All Solar for apartments posts are here.

Latest posts

• Flat fees for flexible EVs
  This study builds upon the recently published Unplugged is inflexible report to explore one avenue by which EV drivers could be incentivised to:  While there are many avenues by which this could be done, we here explore the potential for EV drivers to be offered very simple, flat retail offers based solely on how often… Continue reading →
• 2024 ACT Emerging Scientist of the Year
  I’m very honoured to be named as the ACT Emerging Scientist of the Year today. I thought I’d share the 60 second video I made for the application.
• Unplugged is inflexible – How drivers’ plug in behaviour determines the flexibility of electric vehicle (dis)charging
  In a neat little project for the ACT Government I analyse the (IMO oft overlooked) critical step of when EV drivers plug in their vehicles. If they’re not plugged in for substantially longer than required for charging then EVs are not the fabulously flexible load that they could be.
• Watt equity? Australians deserve a Basic Energy Right
  This essay was first published in Australian Quarterly 95.3, Australia’s Longest running public affairs magazine, published by Australian Institute for Policy and Science https://aips.net.au/aq-magazine/current-edition/ Within the energy industry there is a popular, feel-good refrain that the energy transition will deliver a system that is ‘democratised’, in addition to being ‘decarbonised’, ‘digitised’, and ‘decentralised’. Here democratised… Continue reading →
• Bean nuclei
  There once was a bean farmer called P. For years, he’d supplied his local shops and cafes with tasty black beans. But then along came a new farmer whose green beans were much cheaper, and what’s more didn’t make people fart. Everyone in town was excited to switch to these new cheap fart-free green beans…. Continue reading →