As Australian business navigates the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Energetics helps you stay in touch with developments in energy and climate risk management.
Our experts discuss issues that relate directly to the impact of COVID-19 on our energy markets and the renewable energy industry in Australia. We will look at energy and climate strategies in the context of post-COVID-19 economic recovery and, taking both short and long term views, the increasing imperative to manage the risks associated with climate change.
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Episode summaries
Australia’s energy transition: risks and opportunities in electricity, gas and renewable energy markets
COVID-19 is causing unprecedented upheaval across the Australian economy and the effects are being felt in electricity and gas markets. Should we see an economic downturn impacting exchange rates and the debt markets, there could be flow on effects for the price of dispatchable capacity. There are also questions around the broader investment pipeline for new generation assets in the private sector.
For large energy users there is a range of risk management strategies that can be tailored to individual circumstances. Our experts will discuss the issues and the options available to business.
Featuring: Gilles Walgenwitz, General Manager, Energy and Carbon Markets and Alister Alford, Principal Consultant
Our host: Andrew Tipping, General Manager, Clients and Business Development
Energetics reflects on the forces that shaped the renewable energy market in 2019 and, with the impact of COVID-19, the risks that are arising for both project developers and offtakers. For corporates negotiating or considering a renewable power purchase agreement, experts Anita Stadler and Mark Asbjerg emphasise the importance of contract design, risk mitigation measures and keeping a focus on the objectives that drove consideration of a renewable PPA; remembering that they are a long term play. With a thorough, risk managed approach, a renewable PPA remains a tool which offers a long term hedge against energy market price risk and the achievement of emissions reduction goals.
Featuring: Anita Stadler, Associate and Mark Asbjerg, Senior Manager
Our host: Andrew Tipping, General Manager, Clients and Business Development
After considering the impact of COVID-19 on Ausrtalia's energy markets, we now turn to the economic downturn and the need to keep energy costs low. Mark and Gilles discuss the range of options available to businesses when looking to secure the most advantageous retail electricity deal.
Featuring: Gilles Walgenwitz, General Manager, Energy and Carbon Markets and Mark Asbjerg, Principal Consultant
Our host: Helen Wetherell, General Manager, Marketing and Communications
Australia has long been an innovator in the development of batteries. At a time when wind and solar offer significant cost reduction opportunities, and we see interest growing in distributed energy solutions, particularly behind-the-meter solar, Australia’s battery industry is set to boom. In this podcast, Energetics speaks with Jacques Eksteen of the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre about the benefits available to energy users, the maturity of the market and advice for corporates evaluating behind the meter battery solutions.
Featuring: Dr Gordon Weiss, Associate, Energetics and Jacques Eksteen, Chief Operating Officer, Future Battery Industries CRC in conversation with Anita Stadler, Associate and Renewables Market Lead, Energetics
Australia has extraordinary renewable energy resources. Parts of Australia are already experiencing some of the highest levels of wind and solar generation in the world, including one of the highest levels of small (residential) distributed solar photovoltaic systems. In recognition of the opportunity they present and the need to carefully manage the penetration of renewable resources into the National Electricity Market (NEM), the Australian Electricity Market Operator (AEMO) conducted the Renewable Integration Study (RIS). Released in April 2020, the RIS is the first stage of a multi-year plan to support a secure NEM into the future. In this podcast, we speak with one of the study’s authors, AEMO’s Chris Davies, who discusses the features, the feedback received to date, the evolution of the market and the critical next steps.
Featuring: Chris Davies, Manager of Future Energy Systems, AEMO and Gilles Walgenwitz, General Manager, Energy and Carbon Markets, Energetics
Out host: Anita Stadler, Associate, Energetics
Climate change and business response: Net zero pathways, risk management and resilience
In this episode, Dr Mary Stewart and Andrew Petersen share their insights on the status of global climate negotiations. We hear not only about the impact of COVID-19 on the progress of work and decision-making, but also what the pandemic may mean for global climate action when the world rebuilds.
Featuring: Dr Mary Stewart, CEO - Energetics and Andrew Petersen, CEO - BCSD-A
Our host: Dr Peter Holt, General Manager, Strategy and Policy
With the upheaval created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian businesses have been consumed by the need to respond and swiftly adapt to the new conditions that were so dramatically forced upon them. Yet despite these immense challenges, it is clear that leading businesses have retained a focus on developing a response to the growing risks presented by climate change – brought into sharp focus by the very recent, devastating fire season.
In this episode Energetics’ discusses the two elements of climate management: transitional risks and physical risks. We consider the value that is being created as businesses increasingly become aware of the need to integrate their climate response into their overall business strategy and vision for the future.
Read our summary article 'Managing climate risks in 2020: how are businesses responding?' here.
Featuring: Dr Nick Wood, Associate and Sally Cook, Principal Consultant
Our host: Dr Peter Holt, General Manager, Strategy and Policy
There is much discussion around ‘building back better’ and supporting the decarbonisation of Australia’s economy as we recover from the COVID-19 shock.
In this episode, Energetics examines both Australia’s track record of emissions reductions and where the opportunities lie for future abatement; from the expansion of renewable energy, to electric vehicles, electrification, and the application of hydrogen technologies.
Featuring: Dr Peter Holt, General Manager, Strategy and Policy and Dr Gordon Weiss, Associate
In this episode, special guest Chris Nunn, Head of Sustainability for AMP Capital, Real Estate discusses net zero emissions with Enegetics' Matt Sprague. Chris provides insights into the decision to pursue a net zero emissions target and the pathway to achieving this ambition. He describes the value in driving energy efficiency, securing renewable electricity and the co-benefits that can be created by taking a strategic approach to procuring offsets. AMP Capital will not only offset residual emissions, their vision is to play their part in supporting the restoration of Australia’s biodiversity.
Featuring: Matt Sprague, Senior Manager - Energetics and Chris Nunn, Head of Sustainability - AMP Capital, Real Estate
Our host: Jamie Ayers, Associate - Energetics
An experienced leader in the finance sector, particularly in sustainability and governance, Emma shares her views on climate risk management, the power of scenario based analysis for planning and capital allocations, and the importance of engaging with the investor community. Together with Energetics' Peter Holt, they discuss the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and Australia's path to economic recovery.
Read our summary article 'The role of sustainable finance in a more resilient Australia' here.
Featuring: Dr Peter Holt, General Manager, Strategy and Policy and Emma Pringle, sustainable finance professional
In this podcast episode, Energetics’ Dr Peter Holt is in conversation with Brendan Bateman, Partner at Clayton Utz and leader of the firm's Climate Change and Sustainability Group. He shares his insights on the legal implications associated with managing and disclosing climate risks, the need to consider both emissions reduction pathways and adaptation measures for a hotter, drier world, and the importance of engaging with climate science.
Featuring: Dr Peter Holt, General Manager, Strategy and Policy - Energetics and Brendan Bateman, Partner, Clayton Utz
Energetics is in conversation with Envizi’s David Solsky. Envizi is a resource optimisation platform which provides visibility of data from the enterprise to the equipment level. David speaks about the value that can be created with data analytics and reporting for energy, sustainability and asset performance.
Read our summary article 'Unlocking the insights from your sustainability data' here.
Featuring: Michael Bosnich, General Manager, Energy Accounting - Energetics and David Solsky, CEO, Envizi
Our host: Jamie Ayers, Associate - Energetics
The Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) has released a landmark report following workshops and engagement with over 50 investors from 22 organisations with more than $1.1 trillion in collective funds under management. Emma and Olivia discuss the report’s findings which show that significant improvements are needed to make climate disclosures more useful for decision-making, risk assessment, portfolio management and company engagement.
Featuring: Emma Herd, CEO, IGCC and Olivia Kember, lead author on the report, Energetics
Our host: Andrew Tipping, General Manager - Clients and Business Development
The CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology have vast sets of data and information, and deep knowledge, relating to Australia’s changing climate. As Australian businesses and communities seek to address the challenge of climate change, they need to access the science to obtain the insights they need. In this podcast we discuss the value that can be unlocked by accessing Australia’s extensive climate change scientific resources.
Read our summary article 'Building climate capability is key to managing physical risks' here.
Featuring: Dr Peter Holt, General Manager - Strategy and Policy and Dr Nick Wood, Associate
More and more businesses are pursuing emissions reductions. In this podcast we demystify the process of target setting. Energetics’ experts, Sonya Samson and Matthew Sprague discuss what they have seen when supporting clients to determine the type of target and the framework to be used, the need to align to business strategy, the importance of transparency and the use of offsets. The conversation is guided by Energetics' strategy and policy services lead, Sally Cook.
Featuring: Matt Sprague, Senior Manager and Sonya Samson, Senior Consultant
Out host: Sally Cook, Principal Consultant
In a year in which we’ve heard the word ‘unprecedented’ used many times, risk management is front and centre for organisations; particularly how they identify and prepare for large scale, high impact, business disruptions. The reality of our changing climate – and what we are doing about it – was highlighted with the devastating bushfires in Australia and the US. But while climate risk issues have been vigorously discussed in the past, they have not perhaps always been robustly addressed. There have been many initiatives aimed at increasing the awareness of climate risk, the assessment of the impacts of climate risk, and improving market disclosures in relation to exposure to climate risk, including the TCFD. So what, if anything, has changed - or is changing - in how we manage (and disclose) climate risk and build resilience?
Featuring: Nigel Brook, Partner, Clyde&Co and Dr Mary Stewart, CEO, Energetics
Out host: Susan Staples, Associate, Energetics
For Energetics’ first podcast of the year, we begin with a focus on the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). In this episode we discuss governance, the first of the four TCFD pillars. Energetics’ Sally Cook who leads our TCFD advisory services is joined in conversation by Principal Consultant and lead on the IGCC report Full Disclosure: Improving Corporate Reporting on Climate Risk, Olivia Kember, and governance expert, Susan Staples. Together they consider the elements of governance – oversight, foresight and insight.
Featuring: Olivia Kember, Principal Consultant, Energetics and Susan Staples, governance and climate risk specialist
Our host: Sally Cook, Principal Consultant, Energetics
