LORD MAYOR’S CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
TOWARD A SMART ENERGY FUTURE Working with the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, the Smart Energy Council has developed a plan to demonstrate how the transition to a zero-carbon economy is technologically and economically viable and show how a smart energy future, including the export of renewable energy, presents extraordinary employment and economic opportunities for Australia.
SMART ENERGY FUTURE is the progressive initiative of the Smart Energy Council and the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation to accelerate the transition to zero carbon emissions as a major response to the climate change emergency. Smart Energy Future centres on two major initiatives, a Smart Energy Future online portal, and a Smart Energy Future Summit to be held some time this year.
Smart Energy Future portal www.smartenergy.org.au This specially branded site will outline a powerful, positive message on Australia’s smart energy future. The portal will provide reader-friendly information on Australia’s smart energy future including information on household solar and battery storage, commercial and community solar and storage, large-scale renewable energy projects and action on climate change. It will also feature smart energy and climate change information resources, infographics, memes and images along with interactive maps of commercial, community and largescale renewable energy projects, including information on regional employment and investment. Negative emissions projects, carbon farming, sequestration and soil carbon will be showcased, as well as links to leading organisations, projects and news articles and online events.
Smart Energy Future Summit The Smart Energy Future Summit will be a significant national event and an anchor for the project that will bring together activists, academics, analysts, entrepreneurs, policy makers and civil society leaders to highlight the economic and trade benefits of a transition to a zero-carbon future.
“This is about a speedier transition to a zero-carbon economy that delivers jobs in regional communities, builds a new smart energy manufacturing industry and a strong export industry based around renewable energy hydrogen and services.” 50 WINTER 2020
The event will present high calibre speakers including CEOs of leading Australian companies and non-government organisations, foremost academics in the field and leading renewable energy project developers and visionaries. The Summit will particularly focus on building a connection between civil society and the renewable energy industry. “We will highlight companies that have committed to significantly reducing their emissions and smart energy businesses that are making that transition a reality and will put a spotlight on Australia’s biggest renewable energy infrastructure projects, which have the potential to modernise the Australian economy,” John Grimes of the Smart Energy Council explained. “This will be a high-profile national event, which we will use as a springboard to talk about the climate emergency and the need for a national smart energy transition plan to move to a zero-carbon economy.” The 2020 Summit will also focus on storytelling and public communications, building a strong narrative that Australia can and must be a smart energy powerhouse. “This is about jobs in regional communities, building a new smart energy manufacturing industry and a strong export industry based around renewable energy hydrogen and services,” John Grimes said.
