Q&A with Maria Atkinson AM

MY LIFE

MY WORK

Smart Energy talks to key identities about their achievements and impressions. Here we start with the highly sought-after speaker and thought leader, and very affable Maria Atkinson AM.

Maria, reflecting on your many significant roles, among them: Co-Founder of Green Building Council of Australia, UN Environment Programme Sustainable Buildings & Climate Initiative, Co-Chair, World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Sustainable Construction, what springs to mind?

I was so much younger when I was the Environment Manager for Sydney’s Olympic Village and wish someone had told me that it would be the most impressionable time of my career! The Village was the largest solarpowered suburb in the world and the Green Games became a catalyst for lots of innovation such as dual pipe systems for drinking water and recycled water; low emission paints – Greenpeace ‘eco-warriors’ inspected our site office bins to ensure we were recycling! Third party independent review and reporting was key to unlocking innovation and uniting the industry to identify and share sustainable construction and infrastructure solutions.

Twenty years on, I am honoured to be the first independent and female Chairperson of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction which recognises and rewards sustainable construction solutions. Using Target Issues as its roadmap, the Foundation conducts Awards competitions for projects and concepts, hosts academic symposiums, and promotes sustainable construction via its global network, publications, internet presence and social media.

You are well known for your participation in Powerledger’s blockchain technology; what future lies ahead for energy trading?

Decentralisation of energy grids enables new local marketplaces for energy sharing to develop that require tracking, tracing, and recording. Readers of Smart Energy will know that blockchain makes it easier to reliably trace, verify and choose energy sources. It provides enhanced auditing functionality for an immutable record of transactions and event participation and reliable granular reporting on energy use and transactions. I can see a day when blockchain will be used for everyday commercial decisions – like assessing whether the fish you want to buy for dinner is sustainable and fresh! I am a big fan for supply chain transparency and informed decision making.

Are you optimistic about the future of renewable energy and emissions reductions?

I believe there is a smarter, fairer, cheaper and more efficient energy transition for Australia using Distributed Energy Sources, including small and mid-scale renewable generation, storage (grid-connected, behind-the-meter batteries and electric vehicles) and controllable smart loads (demand management).

Local solar generation and storage and even demand management AI can defer or avoid utility scale distribution network investment, resulting in lower energy bills and protecting future generations from paying for infrastructure that is not needed. In one of the most urbanised societies in the world with vast distances between proposed new generation and major load centres, a utility-scale only transition is a costly pathway for Australia. With the NEM rules for the first time recognising the potential role of DER, and Australia having some of the highest DER uptake in the world, an alternative energy transition that maximises the role of DER requires consideration.

What other changes would you welcome?

I would love the property industry to be the leading sector that helps Australia reach the decarbonisation targets of 2030 to contain global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Where the majority of buildings are renewable generators with batteries and with smart load management.

Is there anything else noteworthy about your background?

I deferred university and studied at TAFE to become a laboratory technician and spent my first years in microbiology testing the water quality of Newcastle’s beaches! I went on to do a Bachelor of Applied Science in Environmental Biology at UTS when it was first offered. Six years later when I graduated not one person in my year had a job. What a contrast to today’s high demand for people with sustainability skills!

“In one of the most urbanised societies in the world with vast distances between proposed new generation and major load centres, a utility-scale only transition is a costly pathway for Australia.”