UNSW Sydney hosted the 2025 State of Energy Research Conference, with leading researchers, policymakers and industry mapping the path to net zero emissions.
Australia's energy sector is at a crossroads, facing the competing demands of reducing emissions, lowering prices and maintaining reliability.
This week, the nation's energy research community gathered at UNSW for a summit to address some of the most pressing challenges in the race to net zero.
The 2025 State of Energy Research Conference (SoERC) focused on advancing innovation and industry partnerships to deliver a faster, fairer and more secure energy transition.
Research, not just resources, to power Australia's future
Speaking at the opening session of the conference, Scientia Professor Vlado Perkovic, Provost at UNSW, emphasised the importance of inclusive collaboration to achieve Australia's energy goals.
"By aligning equity with innovation, Australia can lift productivity, unlock new trade opportunities, and meet its climate commitments without leaving communities behind," Prof. Perkovic said.
"Collaboration is how we can deliver applied solutions and policy approaches that translate research into action. We can only win the race to net zero together."
CEO of the UNSW Energy Institute and Chair of the Energy Research Institutes Council for Australia, Dani Alexander, said the event showcased vital research to help chart the future of Australia's clean energy transition.
"We're working to connect frontline research with industry to build collaboration across sectors and align efforts for real impact," Ms Alexander said.
"UNSW is proud to host the conversation that will help accelerate solutions at the scale and speed the transition demands."
On the cusp of a 'solar revolution'
Around 40% of Australia's electricity comes from renewable sources, and solar is on track to become the world's most prominent and cheapest energy source.
But harnessing its full potential depends on our ability to store and manage energy effectively, so that power is available when and where it's needed, even when the sun isn't shining.
Experts and industry leaders called for stronger investment in infrastructure and consumer upskilling to build a more self-sufficient and stable energy future.
Organised by the Energy Research Institutes Council for Australia (ERICA), the Conference at UNSW featured keynote speeches from specialists working at the forefront of the energy transition, including Climate Change Authority Chair Matt Kean.
Mr Kean praised UNSW's work in developing the technology that underpins most of the world's solar panels.
"It is not hyperbole to say work done here and at UNSW's partner institutes has transformed the global economics of energy and delivered the cheapest source of energy in history," Mr Kean said.
"Low-cost solar has also given the world a fighting chance to decarbonise our economies in time to avoid the more catastrophic end of the climate change tail.
"It took 68 years for the world to install its first terawatt of solar capacity, based in no small part on the intellectual property created right here at UNSW, but just two years to install the second.
"Globally, solar power has been doubling about every three years, so records will continually be set."
The conference addressed rising electricity costs and the complexities and challenges involved in building renewable energy generators that can effectively and reliably supply the national grid.
The NSW Chief Scientist, Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte, said that while there had been significant developments in energy research, more work needed to be done to fundamentally update Australia's network.
"The electricity network we built in the last 120 years, or more, is arguably one of the most complex things mankind has ever put together," Prof. Durrant-Whyte said.
"As an engineer, I think it is going to be a challenge to transition and change that in only 10 years."
AI and the energy transition
Researchers also examined the dual impact of artificial intelligence, highlighting its potential to accelerate the shift to renewables and emerging energy technologies, while also warning of the significant strain AI data centres place on the electricity grid.
Director of the UNSW AI Institute, Dr Sue Keay, said Australia was significantly underinvesting in AI, despite its critical role in enabling a clean energy future.
"Australia has an advantage in being able to access renewable energy and having geopolitical stability," Dr Keay said.
"That means we are a potentially fantastic source of sustainable compute to the rest of the world.
"We need to be thinking about AI as part of the energy transition and planning for what that might look like."
It is not hyperbole to say work done here and at UNSW's partner institutes has transformed the global economics of energy and delivered the cheapest source of energy in history.
