Former intern engaged by Blue Power Partners

We are delighted to announce that our former intern, Dario Tarquini, is moving on to a promising new role with Blue Power Partners.

In his new role as Acquisition Engineer with Blue Power Partners, Dario will be instrumental in advancing the development of renewable energy projects, playing a significant part in the global shift toward green energy.

Dario came to us during the final stretch of his Masters of Engineering degree at RMIT, joining as a student intern and in time being promoted to a role which saw him overseeing the team delivering the bulk of our technical R&D. Throughout his time with us, Dario has demonstrated remarkable proficiency and dedication across numerous initiatives. His key contributions include significant inputs into papers and presentations showcased at a number of conferences. Additionally, he has authored insightful articles for our blog and conducted rigorous analyses that substantially enhanced our real-time data services. His enthusiasm and team-oriented approach have proven him to be an invaluable asset.

In parallel with his new position, Dario will continue to work for Exemplary, albeit with limited working hours. We are excited for Dario’s future with Blue Power Partners and wholeheartedly wish him great success in this new journey.

Former Intern Engaged by Neoen

We are thrilled to announce that our intern, Nihal Abdul Hameed, has been offered an exciting opportunity to work as an operations controller at Neoen. Nihal joined Exemplary in 2019 while pursuing his master’s degree in Renewable Energy at ANU. During his time as an intern, Nihal gained valuable experience in handling and analyzing large volumes of weather and climate data, which played a significant role in securing his current position at Neoen.

Neoen is a frontrunner in the renewable energy sector and operates under a develop and own model. The company boasts an impressive portfolio of solar and wind farms across Australia, including the Hornsdale Wind Farm (316 MWp) and the Coleambally Solar Farm (189 MWp). Additionally, Neoen is a leading operator of big batteries in Australia, with the upcoming 100 MW / 200 MWh Capital Battery and the 200 MW / 400 MWh Western Downs Battery.

In his new role, Nihal will be responsible for managing the generation of renewable energy plants and battery storages, aligning them with the demand and prices in the National Energy Market. Despite his new position, Nihal will continue to work for Exemplary, albeit with limited working hours.

New Book – The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation

In a time of escalating ecological concerns, “The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation” serves as a beacon, guiding us towards understanding our current situation and potential solutions. The authors, Mark Diesendorf (author of Sustainable Energy Solutions for Climate Change) and Rod Taylor (author of Ten Journeys on a Fragile Planet), brilliantly lay out a path to a sustainable society, urging us to rethink our political, social, and economic systems.

The book exposes the corporate capture of our politics, an alarming reality underscored previously by Bill McKibben in his The End of Nature. Reviewing this book, he wrote, “Its conclusions about the need for social movements to fight the corporate capture of our politics seem particularly relevant.“

With the guidance of “The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation,” we can foster a more informed, proactive global community, working together for a more sustainable world.

At the 4 July book launch, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase this groundbreaking work at a discounted price of A$30, a significant markdown from the recommended retail price of A$45. A chance to own a copy of this important work, and contribute to the discourse it encourages, should not be missed.

This book shows in depressing detail how likely it is that our civilisation will collapse. In ecological terms, we are booked on the Titanic and steaming toward the iceberg, with uninformed or irresponsible leaders still throwing coal into the boilers. It is still possible to avert the collapse we are heading for, but it will require concerted and urgent action. This book documents the hopeful way forward and shows what you can do now to improve our chances. It may be the most important book you ever read.
Ian Lowe, Emeritus Professor, Griffith University

Renewables deliver ACT the smallest price increases in the national electricity market (while it phases out natural gas)

Average residential electricity bills in the ACT will rise by only $75 a year from July, with the independent pricing regulator signing off on a maximum 4.15% increase to standing offers. The average commercial electricity bill would only increase by $289 each year, largely driven by increases to wholesale energy prices.

The ACT’s Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission’s (ICRC) senior commissioner Joe Dimasi said, “The ACT will have the smallest price increase among jurisdictions in the national electricity market. The average annual bill for Canberrans on standing offers will be the lowest compared to the default market offers faced by customers in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, where residential customers are facing increases in the order of 20% to 27%.”

The ACT government pays a contract price to renewable electricity generators for all of the electricity fed into the ACT grid which has been 100% renewable since 2020. When wholesale spot prices for electricity are above the contract price, the generators return their earnings above the contract price to Evoenergy, which manages the scheme on behalf of the ACT government.

And on 8 June, the ACT Legislative Assembly passed the Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Natural Gas Transition) Amendment Bill which requires all fossil fuel gas connections to cease before 2045, the same date as the territory’s net zero emissions target.

This is no small thing. According to Evoenergy, the Territory’s gas distributor, there are currently around 139,000 gas mains connections in the ACT, with 80 per cent of all new homes still connecting to the fossil gas network. Over the 2019-2021 period, Evoenergy reported 8,910 new connections – almost 3,000 new connections per year.

Victoria follows not too far behind with the Labor government’s “gas substitution roadmap” which at this stage is incentivising households to invest in efficient electric alternatives to gas for home heating and hot water.

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