Here is a great podcast by the Innovation Bay team's Phaedon Stough with Darren Miller, the CEO of ARENA (Australian Renewable Energy Agency).
Key highlights for me:
- ARENA has funded over 586 projects with $1.7B total deployed
- Got refunded for another 10 years for $1.6B
- Hydrogen is so light that it accelerates at 20 kilometres per second per second
- Expanded mandate beyond just energy to energy use
- It's grant based, but highly commercial
- Hydrogen needs to drop by a factor of 10 to be viable, which solar achieved
Some amazing projects worth looking at
Listen here:
Blurb from the podcast:
Darren Miller is the CEO of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). Darren Miller has more than 25 years’ experience across a range of sectors including renewable energy, electricity retail, technology, finance, media and entertainment. Prior to joining ARENA Darren was the co-founder and CEO of Mojo Power, an innovative electricity retailer.
In this conversation with Phaedon about Australia's renewable energy future, Darren discusses:
- ARENA’s investment track record
- The future role of hydrogen in Australia’s energy infrastructure
- The rise of electric vehicles and the challenges of the charging network
- How startups contribute to the energy system
ARENA is co-hosting the upcoming Renewable Energy Founder Forum with Innovation Bay this October. This event brings together clean energy startups, investors and industry stakeholders, opening up future pathways to funding and partnerships. Pitch applications for the event close Friday 25 June. If your renewable energy startup is shaping Australia’s clean energy future, apply to pitch here.