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“Massive” opportunities in clean energy sector

The clean energy sector presents an enormous opportunity for all kinds of manufacturing businesses, according to Paul Hodgson, CEO of the Scaling Green Hydrogen CRC bid.

Hodgson is one of the keynote speakers at the ICN Clean Energy & Manufacturing Summit, a virtual event being held on November 28 this year.

“Attending the summit will help suppliers understand that you don’t have to be an electrolyser manufacturer or solar panel manufacturer, to be in the supply chain, you can be doing steel fabrication, you could be doing welding, you could be in logistics,” he said.

“There is going to be so many enabling things where people might go, ‘no I’m not a clean tech company’, but they’re a mining services company, or they’re a construction tech company or in the defence sector. They can apply their capability with minimal changes to tooling and skilling and facilities into the opportunity. That’s absolutely massive.

Hodgson identified a range of related industries that would benefit from the sustainable energy industry, including transport, roads, minerals, plastics, fibre composites and water treatment.

“If you do a mind map, there’s going to be hardly a part of the manufacturing and supply sector that’s not going to be touched by the opportunities in clean technology,” he said.

Hodgson is also keen to stress that it’s important for Australia to create a sovereign capability in clean energy and will speak to this in his presentation to the Summit.

“How do we grasp the economic development and job opportunities in the supply chain, so we don’t have the world’s technology, capital and skills build some projects and we just export our molecules and electrons? How do we create an industry, not just a few projects?

“This is going to happen, but do we want the rest of the world to do that for us, or do we want to build up and capture the opportunities? And that will have to be a concerted effort because the rest of the world will get on and invest, and we can’t just wait for them to make decisions for us.”

“We’re going to have to be bold and brave, and we’re going to have to lead,” Hodgson said, adding that it was also important for the Australian manufacturing industry to find more sustainable ways of working.

“All organisations need to be reducing emissions and they want their suppliers to be helping. By working with those end customers, and with those people higher up the tiers in your supply chain, to develop a better solution and make them look good, that that’s going to be better for your business.”

The ICN Clean Energy & Manufacturing Summit will give you the opportunity to not only connect industry leaders, government representatives and key stakeholders in the sector, but will allow you to network with potential supply chain partners.

At the Summit, Hodgson will be joined online by a range of industry experts including:

• Opening remarks – The Hon Ed Husic, Minister for Industry and Science
• Keynote speaker – The Hon Jenny McCallister, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy
• Professor Roy Green, Emeritus Professor and Special Innovation Advisor at the University of Technology Sydney
• Dr Vanessa Rauland, COE of ClimateClever
• Jocelyn Cooper of the Department of Industry, Science and Research
• Wes Horwood, Head of Future Projects at CS Energy
• Dr Neil Thompson, Managing Director of ITM Power
• Phil Richardson, General Manager, Hydrogen Projects at Stanwell Corporation Limited
• Darragh White, Project Director BlueFloat Energy
• Bettina Venner, Manager Supply Chain Development and Head of ICN SA

“This is a great opportunity to explore the latest clean energy policies and initiatives, gain insights into manufacturing opportunities, learn about successful renewable energy projects and connect with industry professionals and peak bodies,” ICN Limited executive director Warren Jansen said.

“ICN is proud to provide a platform for knowledge sharing, collaboration, and networking, with a focus on driving sustainable growth and innovation in the Australian clean energy industry.”

For more information, or to register for the event, go to the ICN Clean Energy & Manufacturing Summit website.

To find out more about the work of the Scaling Green Hydrogen CRC bid, visit the CRC website.

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