Energy Hack 2016

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The Carlton Connect Initiative LAB-14 700 Swanston Street Carlton 3053 VIC, Australia

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Caitlin McGrane

caitlin.mcgrane@unimelb.edu.au

T: +61 3 9035 9458

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There is a revolution kicking off in global electricity sector. The way energy is produced, stored and used is undergoing rapid changes. The exponential uptake of solar + battery systems promises to turn the traditional, centralised power grid on its head. But will the system be as distributed as current trends suggest? What does the future of energy look like? 

At University of Melbourne we’re excited to be partnering with Powershop to bring together a community of hackers, hustlers and hipsters – determined to harness the consumer and technology revolution in energy. Join us for two dynamic days to discover and engineer opportunities in the brave new world of connected energy.

Get access to data, experiment with new forecasting and machine learning methods, test your ideas with business mentors, collaborate with the talented Powershop and Melbourne Energy Institute team, learn about the aspirations that motivate consumers, discover emerging technologies, tap into Melbourne’s entrepreneurial fire power, and shake up your thinking. This two-day hackathon will bring experts in industry and policy together with researchers and students from diverse disciplines. Unlock ideas, educate influencers and stimulate entrepreneurship in the energy industry worldwide.

This hackathon is brought to you by Melbourne Energy Institute and Powershop.

Pre-requisites
Anyone with a passion for learning and solving problems is welcome.

Energy Hack format
1. Two-day energy-hack in Melbourne
2. Collaborate with other innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs and end users.
3. Build and test your ideas.
4. Pitch to the panel.

Download the Program

What you will learn
Throughout the weekend our diverse and highly skilled mentors, including members of the excellent Powershop dev team, will be available to help with everything from development, data, technology, whole of system analysis, market validation and positioning, growth marketing strategies, pitching - learn as much from researchers, business thought leaders as you can.

During this weekend you will gain access to exclusive data and gather otherwise unavailable insights into the business of delivering energy. You will collaborate with energy professionals and researchers and gain deep insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the industry and how its potential for good can be harnessed.

Network and get your head around the sector, including business and employment opportunities.

What to bring
All food and drink will be provided. Please bring your own laptop and any tech you wish to use.

Prizes
There are some excellent prizes up for grabs. New sound systems that have barely hit the market, cash, free electricity and a cosy dinner with leaders in the energy and start up community including the CEO of Launch Victoria.

Panel of Judges
Michael Brear, Director Melbourne Energy Institute
Georgia Beattie, CEO StartUp Victoria
Dominique Fisher, Director LaunchVic
Chris Murphy, Strategic Advisor Powershop Australia
Jason Bagg, The Myer Family Investments
Paul Breen, Founder Powershop Australia and Serial Entrepreneur  


Event costs
The whole weekend costs $25 per person. All food and beverages will be provided.

Please note spaces are limited, so hustle hackers.

Register here

Themes

The Virtual Powerplant

Can you imagine if grid infrastructure was provided as a trading platform, allowing you to buy solar energy from your neighbour? Energy has never been deemed sexy, but neither was car transport, and look how the Uber business model has taken the world by storm. What if the energy was traded via peer-to-peer interactions? Consider the growing Internet of Things connecting things-to-things and people-to-things and people-to-people. What could a virtual grid look like and what sort of social and hardware interactions would eventuate?

Electric Vehicles

As electric vehicle become a growing part of Australia’s transport and energy system, and more arrive on market at increasingly accessible prices, there are a number of questions to grapple with. What role could they play in the energy storage network? What impact will they have on home energy production systems? If everyone plugs in the evening at a similar time how will major grid infrastructure be impacted? Owning an EV is essentially like having a portable home battery, Is there opportunity for EV’s to become the heart of energy management systems for households giving an individual more control and energy demand management options? What does the advent of autonomous vehicles do to the electric vehicle business model in view of growing car sharing and peer-to-peer transport? It is time to start thinking big as we work through the opportunities electric vehicles present.

Have we got data for you?!

The energy sector has access to massive amounts of data in real time. Very few sectors enjoy the level of detail and the timely access in terms of what is bought and sold across the market place and at what price. Melbourne Energy Institute researchers have also been playing with weather data, to understand how it affects the demand and availability of energy. So much data! With an increasingly complex and distributed energy systems and new hardware and software at the household and neighborhood level, there is even more coming online. How can the diverse and massive amount of data be utilized? What role can new machine learning methods and Bayesian forecasting techniques play? How do individuals want to interact with the data, what sort of data do customers want to see? Do people who have invested in their own energy production, such as a solar array / battery, have a special interest in the energy their home is producing, what sort of information would empower them, how would it usefully be presented and at what frequency?

Community Power

There have been great some examples in Australia of community run and owned energy production. Wind turbines and large solar arrays have been purchased by community groups and boards of directors set up to run these mini power plants. But do Australian towns really want to purchase their own energy production infrastructure? Does a suburb want to run their own carbon zero power plant? The answer is, surprisingly, a resounding yes! Communities are becoming increasingly keen to take control of their own energy production. With distributed storage and production technologies becoming more and more accessible community spaces such as school and town hall roofs are being utilised to produce energy. Whether a battery bank, a solar array or a modest wind farm, unused spaces are being revitalised and income generated from community power production is being invested back into schools and other services vital to the community.

Energy Hack 2016 Schedule

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