Smart thinking on Show This year’s Smart Energy Show was all things to all people: from investors to designers to installers, academics, consultants, advisers and all beyond. The dynamic nature of the conference program was reflected in the exhibition halls where leading companies in all facets of smart energy met with current and future customers and clients.
Keynote presenters John Hewson and Alan Kohler
Simon Corbell says our biggest challenge is facing a deteriorating climate which is having an impact on our urban cities, regional communities and agricultural sector. This demands that we act with greater haste to tackle underlying causes.
ANY RATIONAL PERSON with kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews might pose a question similar to that delivered by Alan Kohler: “What I want to know is how difficult will life be for my one year old grandson who was born last year. Should I be worried?” The words were posed in the context of Australia’s dismal history of climate related policies which financial analyst Alan Kohler, who wears many hats and was co-founder of Climate Spectator, traces back many years. He’s more worried than ever – more sceptical, too – about the political landscape, and told delegates at the Smart Energy Show: “The debate about emissions reduction is getting old, we need a policy that provides a credible path to meeting international commitments. “We see climate change all around us – what will stop it? We need a permanent commission made up of scientific, financial and social experts to advise government and the community what will happen, what can be done, and what it will cost.
“It is time for more difficult matters to be addressed. Rational leaders should have advanced this, it is time to plan and save up for the cost of climate action.” Oliver Yates who is former head of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation echoed the messages of Alan Kohler saying “Policy and regularity leadership has been a failure of unmitigated proportion. “Over the past five years the government pathway has been totally irresponsible, now major policy intervention will be required in all sectors of economy.” He reinforced the case for a clean energy pathway, saying “Renewables have won, they are cheaper and they will provide the future jobs and exports for the nation.” How to get there? Simon Corbell has a vision for the pathway. He presented three key recommendations that will enable the next government to accelerate the pace of renewables.
“A massive and unstoppable transformation is currently underway in the energy sector. The nature and pace of that transformation was on show at the Smart Energy Conference and Exhibition.” John Grimes
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