Wired for Energy

Dr. Greg Trainor and Neil Belford speak with Tony Arnel, Professor and former Deputy Chair of Forest and Wood Products Australia, and past President of the Energy Efficiency Council. Tony explains how demand-side management evolved from "not sexy at all" to mainstream conversation over 17 years, shaped by the Council's advocacy for stronger building standards, appliance ratings, and electrification pathways. He reveals the elephant in the room: millions of existing buildings built before performance standards existed, and why Australia still lags European minimum standards despite moving from four to seven-star housing ratings. The conversation shifts to forestry's surprising role in the energy transition—Australia is a net importer of timber despite vast forests, and timber buildings from cross-laminated structures to 45-story towers like Sydney's Atlassian building offer carbon sequestration advantages while improving indoor air quality and occupant wellbeing.

(00:00) Introduction and Energy Efficiency Council's demand-side focus

(06:00) Council's advocacy role and influence on national policy

(16:00) Social license and consumer support for energy efficiency

(21:00) The elephant: existing buildings and international standards gap

(27:00) Forestry's role and Australia as net timber importer

(33:00) Cross-laminated timber renaissance in commercial buildings

(38:00) Industry professor role connecting academia with research funding

The views and opinions expressed by the guest speaker during this podcast are solely their own and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer or any other organization they may be affiliated with.

Our guest shares personal experiences and insights based on their individual journey, and listeners should understand that these reflections are meant for informational purposes only.
Any advice or opinions presented in this podcast should not be construed as professional guidance, and individuals are encouraged to seek their own counsel regarding their specific situations.

Wired For Energy is a production of Network Edge, with episodes produced and edited by Posterboy Media.
To find more information about the energy transition visit - www.networkedge.io

Dr. Greg Trainor speaks with Dani Alexander, CEO of UNSW Energy Institute, about Australia's energy research landscape and the alarming decline in R&D investment. Despite UNSW's proud legacy—including inventing the modern solar cell and vanadium redox flow battery—public energy R&D has halved over the past decade while deployment spending tripled. Dani reveals why Australia now invests just 0.03% of GDP in energy innovation compared to 0.06% a decade ago, and warns this threatens our ability to become a renewable energy innovation superpower. The conversation covers UNSW's three strategic pillars: consumer-led transformation, grid decarbonisation, and export opportunities in green commodities. Dani also discusses the Sunspot calculator, transport sector challenges, AI's double-edged impact, and why the global energy workforce shortage has become a key barrier to achieving net zero.

(00:00) Introduction and UNSW Energy Institute's role
(03:00) Solar legacy: PERC cells and Australia's manufacturing opportunity
(20:00) Consumer focus and the Sunspot independent calculator
(34:00) Investment crisis: energy R&D halved while deployment tripled
(42:00) Three strategic objectives and buying into the transformation

The views and opinions expressed by the guest speaker during this podcast are solely their own and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer or any other organization they may be affiliated with.

Our guest shares personal experiences and insights based on their individual journey, and listeners should understand that these reflections are meant for informational purposes only.
Any advice or opinions presented in this podcast should not be construed as professional guidance, and individuals are encouraged to seek their own counsel regarding their specific situations.

Wired For Energy is a production of Network Edge, with episodes produced and edited by Posterboy Media.
To find more information about the energy transition visit - www.networkedge.io

Dr. Greg Trainor, Neil Belford, and Ben Meek reflect on the inaugural season of Wired for Energy and preview what's coming in 2026.
Since launching in May 2025, the podcast has covered remarkable ground—from Jack Kotlyer at Energy Australia discussing commercial EV charging to Tim Washington at Jet Charge rolling out networks across Australia. Each guest brought unique perspectives on the energy transition, from artificial intelligence with Dave King to grid stability innovations with Mark Vincent at South Australian Power Networks, and spatial analytics breakthroughs with Nigel Barry at Intelfuse.
Greg, Neil and Ben share their personal highlights from the year. Greg discusses the artificial intelligence episode and how AI will transform home energy management, business models, and network operations—though the energy industry remains characteristically slow to adopt new technology. Ben reflects on the Intelfuse episode, highlighting how Australian utilities' sparse networks drove world-leading innovation in spatial analytics, with Nigel's contrarian hypothesis that individual trees, not just canopy, interfere with power lines. Neil champions Mark Vincent's "Keeping the Lights On" episode, celebrating South Australian Power Networks' light-touch engineering approach to grid stability that used brilliant voltage management ideas rather than expensive infrastructure.
Looking ahead to 2026, the team introduces seven new themes: Proof of Life (what's actually working), Digital Frontier (operations and workforce transformation), The Outsiders (innovation from adjacent industries), Social License (customer and community relationships), Government and Regulation (policy frameworks under pressure), The Horizon (academia and future vision), and Capital (infrastructure investment and funding). These themes will focus on execution over theory, examining real solutions to the challenges everyone faces in the energy transition.

(02:00) Season overview and diverse guest perspectives
(04:00) Greg's highlight: artificial intelligence with Dave King
(10:00) Ben's highlight: spatial analytics innovation with Nigel Barry
(14:00) Neil's highlight: Mark Vincent and grid stability solutions
(18:00) Theme One: Proof of Life—what's actually working
(20:00) Theme Two: Digital Frontier and operations transformation
(22:00) Theme Three: The Outsiders bringing non-energy innovation

The views and opinions expressed by the guest speaker during this podcast are solely their own and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer or any other organization they may be affiliated with.

Our guest shares personal experiences and insights based on their individual journey, and listeners should understand that these reflections are meant for informational purposes only.
Any advice or opinions presented in this podcast should not be construed as professional guidance, and individuals are encouraged to seek their own counsel regarding their specific situations.

Wired For Energy is a production of Network Edge, with episodes produced and edited by Posterboy Media.
To find more information about the energy transition visit - www.networkedge.io

Join Dr. Greg Trainor and Neil Belford for a special panel discussion with Megan Fisher, CEO of Energy Lab, alongside two breakthrough startups from their portfolio: Dr Thomas Nann, CEO and Co-founder of Allegro Energy, and Nick Hazell, CEO and Founder of Algenie.
Energy Lab has spent nearly 10 years building Australia's premier climate tech accelerator, supporting 280 startup alumni through 10 different programs—from launching ventures to scaling internationally. With 450 mentors, 240 angel investors, and deep connections across the energy industry, they're filling a critical gap in specialist support for founders tackling the hardest problems in decarbonisation.
This episode showcases two companies at different stages of their journey. Allegro Energy has developed a breakthrough microemulsion electrolyte for long-duration flow batteries, solving cost and safety challenges that have plagued competing technologies. After completing commercial trials with Origin Energy and CSIRO, they're scaling towards grid-scale deployments of 100+ megawatts. Algenie is reimagining algae cultivation with helical photo bioreactors made through plastic extrusion—slashing costs so dramatically that gigatons of CO2 could be sequestered into bioplastics, textiles, food, and fuel. Their technology thrives on intermittent renewable energy, turning grid constraints into competitive advantages.
(04:00) Energy Lab overview: programs, mentors, and supporting climate tech founders
(10:00) Allegro Energy's microemulsion electrolyte breakthrough for flow batteries
(18:00) AR Genie's helical photo bioreactor and the gigaton CO2 opportunity
(28:00) International expansion strategies and mentor network value
(38:00) Manufacturing in a renewable world and embracing intermittency
(44:00) Academic to commercial transition and shifting incentives
(50:00) Raising ambition to gigaton scale and making climate impact

The views and opinions expressed by the guest speaker during this podcast are solely their own and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer or any other organization they may be affiliated with.

Our guest shares personal experiences and insights based on their individual journey, and listeners should understand that these reflections are meant for informational purposes only.
Any advice or opinions presented in this podcast should not be construed as professional guidance, and individuals are encouraged to seek their own counsel regarding their specific situations.

Wired For Energy is a production of Network Edge, with episodes produced and edited by Posterboy Media.
To find more information about the energy transition visit - www.networkedge.io

Dr. Greg Trainor and Neil Belford speak with Alan Hunter, CEO and Founder of NRN (National Renewable Network), and Jess Padman, Director of Energy Products, about their innovative approach to making renewable energy accessible to everyone—without the upfront costs, maintenance headaches, or complexity.
This episode explores how NRN has reimagined solar and battery adoption by removing the financial barrier. Instead of customers buying their own systems, NRN installs, owns, and maintains the assets, then licenses them to energy retailers who use the capacity 24/7 for their hedging strategies. Customers simply get lower energy bills—typically saving $700-$1000 annually—without any capital investment or maintenance risk.
Alan shares his journey from door-to-door solar sales to discovering that the traditional ownership model wasn't working for many Australians. Jess explains the sophisticated digital platform that makes the entire customer journey seamless, from quoting through to installation tracking.
The conversation tackles critical industry challenges: why only 15% of battery owners join VPP programs (even among early adopters), the conflict of interest across stakeholders when customers own their assets, and why $2.3 billion in battery subsidies aren't solving grid problems. Learn how NRN's model eliminates these conflicts by positioning energy retailers as the true customers, how they size systems to maximise retailer profitability while delivering customer savings, and their vision for expanding into heat pumps and EV charging—potentially even vehicle leasing as part of the energy plan.

(05:00) NRN's business model: install, own, maintain, and license to energy retailers
(11:00) Digital platform advantage and keeping customers engaged through simplicity
(18:00) Evolution from residential PPAs and partnering with solar retailers
(24:00) Why only 15% of battery owners join VPPs, and the $2.3 billion subsidy question
(30:00) Working with distribution networks and government partnerships
(35:00) Startup advice and future expansion into heat pumps and EV solutions
(40:00) System sizing strategy and the need for retailer-network collaboration

 

The views and opinions expressed by the guest speaker during this podcast are solely their own and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer or any other organization they may be affiliated with.

Our guest shares personal experiences and insights based on their individual journey, and listeners should understand that these reflections are meant for informational purposes only.
Any advice or opinions presented in this podcast should not be construed as professional guidance, and individuals are encouraged to seek their own counsel regarding their specific situations.

Wired For Energy is a production of Network Edge, with episodes produced and edited by Posterboy Media.
To find more information about the energy transition visit - www.networkedge.io