Show Notes
Welcome to the second episode of The Engineer's Next Door. In this episode we sit down with Mike Johns, Chair of Chemical and Process Engineering at UWA and Research Director of the Future Energy Exports CRC. Mike's route into research ran through five years on an oil refinery before a chance conversation on a beach sent him to Cambridge and then eventually a relocation to Perth, where today he works at UWA on the techno-economics of energy systems (amongst other things). Mike takes us through one of the key economic challenges of the energy transition: solar, wind and batteries have become dramatically cheaper per megawatt hour, but not necessarily at the hours they are needed. This was a fascinating conversation on both the role of research in enabling the energy transition and the economic realities of reducing emissions in WA. This episode is hosted by Nathan Hayward and Howard Thomas, members of theEngineers Australia WA Energy Transition Working Group.
More from The Engineers Next Door
How can engineers and economists collaborate to deliver WA's energy transition? Giles took the long road to economics, by way of a decade of bartending and a late return to university. After eight years in state government and a stint in consulting, he now plays a leading role in AMGC's $8 million wind energy manufacturing co-investment program in WA. In this episode, Giles explains what a local manufacturer needs to win wind turbine work, why flanges and anchor cages are the first components about to be made here, and why the 30-year maintenance programme may be the bigger prize for WA. Along the way we cover how satellites made solar cheap, what that means for the last 20% of the grid, and how engineers and economists think differently about the same problem. And yes, he can still make a very good martini. This episode is produced by the members of the Engineers Australia WA Energy Transition Working Group and hosted by group member Max van Someren, Managing Director of Bivios Australia.
In the first episode of The Engineers Next Door, we hear from Jai Thomas, Coordinator of Energy at Energy Policy WA, on how the WA state government is planning for Western Australia's energy transition.This episode is hosted by Max van Someren, a member of the Engineers Australia WA Energy Transition Working Group.