News

Optimal Power Flow for Active Distribution Networks: Advanced Formulations, Practical Considerations and Laboratory Demonstration

The Melbourne Energy Institute held its third annual Symposium as a virtual event on Friday 11 December 2020. The Symposium showcased research by the University of Melbourne’s graduate students, post-docs, academic staff, as well as leading international researchers.

On Friday 27 November MEI hosted a public forum jointly supported with the Grattan Institute as one of our Future Energy Series.

Bending the rules: Socio-spatial possibilities and constraints in financing urban renewable energy transitions

Gas turbines (GTs) play an important role in power generation and transport. They produce a lot of power per unit volume or mass and, depending on configuration, can be very efficient and responsive. GTs can also run on conventional or zero emission fuels such as hydrogen. GTs therefore have an important role to play in supporting renewable-rich, decarbonised power systems, whilst also being the dominant form of propulsion for commercial aircraft for the foreseeable future.

Today, almost all solar cells deployed on our roofs and at solar farms are made from silicon. However, these cells only use a fraction of their incident sunlight efficiently. Whilst most of the energy in the ‘red’ part of the solar spectrum is turned into electricity, about 60 to 80 percent of the yellow, green and blue parts of the spectrum is lost as heat.

On Wednesday 28 October, MEI was pleased to host Dr Jonathan Myrtle from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) for our third Quarterly Energy Dynamics seminar of the year.

Optimal performance of a wind farm with integrated energy storage

A modelling framework for a multi-energy virtual power plant providing network services considering uncertainty

Dr Gang (Kevin) Li, MEI Fellow and senior lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Melbourne, has been awarded the David and Valerie Solomon Award as part of the 2020 ATSE Innovation and Excellence Awards. This Award recognises early-mid career science or technology graduates working in academia, research or industry R&D, who demonstrate the substantial ability to foster research-industry collaboration and knowledge transfer for the benefit of Australia.

Quantum computers are potentially far more powerful than conventional computers and may enable the solution of many problems that are currently intractable. After sustained research over decades, quantum computers are now emerging from the laboratories of companies such as IBM and Google.

Electricity markets around the world have added significant Variable Renewable Generation (VRG) in the form of wind and solar. As well as having zero greenhouse gas emissions, these technologies have limited predictability, variable output and low operating costs. Some form of policy is also usually used to encourage investment in VRG, such as the various renewable-specific policies that are currently in place across Australia or our discontinued carbon price. However, the economic performance and investibility of wholesale electricity markets with high levels of VRG is not clear, particularly when we consider realistic levels of renewable generation uncertainty.

The electrochemical regeneration of granular activated carbons in situ of permeable reactive barriers

On Wednesday 5 August 2020, the Negative Emission Technologies in Australia report was launched in a webinar by the Peter Cook Centre for Carbon Capture and Storage Research and the Melbourne Energy Institute.

The MEInetwork20 Energy Systems Short Course has just successfully concluded after three intense weeks. Course attendees, including graduate UoM students and participants from MEI’s industry partners, learnt skills in analysing the financial, technical, and environmental performance of energy projects.

On Wednesday 29 JulyMEI was pleased to host Dr Jonathan Myrtle from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) for our third Quarterly Energy Dynamics seminar of the year.

Wind is a fantastic source of renewable energy, but it is variable and can be hard to forecast. As renewables become dominant, we’re presented with the challenge of more accurately forecasting renewable energy production. We need to maintain a secure and efficient electricity system over the energy transition.

Melbourne Business School has announced a new centre to improve social and financial outcomes by helping leaders put environmental sustainability at the heart of their organisation, the Centre for Sustainability and Business.

A technological revolution is underway in most electricity systems around the world. Solar and wind generation technologies offer emission-free energy at close to zero marginal cost. Coupling these technologies with storage and demand response allows for firmer sources of power and improved balance between demand and supply. However, the integration of these technologies into the grid comes with new challenges for maintaining operational security.

On Wednesday 17 June MEI was pleased to partner with the Faculty of Business and Economics to host the webinar Building the Superpower of the Low Carbon World Economy.

Evaluation and screening of adsorbents for the separation of carbon dioxide from natural gas

In an opinion piece published in the Australian Financial Review on Monday 1 June 2020, Professor Peter Cook, Senior Adviser at the Peter Cook Centre for CCS Research at the University of Melbourne, and David Byers, Chief Executive of CO2CRC, wrote about how hydrogen and CCS could be the energy road map winner.

Whilst buildings account for close to 40% of national energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions, there are also significant embodied energy and emissions associated with their construction. These embodied quantities are the sum of the energy and emissions required to produce and assemble all the materials used whilst the building is constructed.

Investigation into the role of extracellular substances and intrinsic cell characteristics on the harvesting and processing of microalgal suspensions

On 13 May 2020, the Australian Energy Market Operator's (AEMO) presented key findings from the most recent Quarterly Dynamics report.

Multi-objective optimisation of a prefabricated house in Australian climate zones

Today’s photovoltaics industry is dominated by crystalline silicon solar cells, holding around 95% of global market share. Most of these silicon solar cells feature simple electronic structures in which high concentrations of ‘dopant’ atoms, such as phosphorus or aluminium, are introduced into the silicon surface regions directly under the cell’s metal contacts.

The Melbourne Energy Institute is pleased to again host the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) as they present the findings of their latest Quarterly Energy Dynamics report. Dr Jonathan Myrtle, Team Leader, Market Insights, AEMO, presenting the Quarterly Energy Dynamics Reoprt for Q3 2019

The MEInetwork Seminar Series is now in its third year. Its first two years studied the operation of the electricity and natural gas supply chains. These seminars start with primary resources and end with the customer, discussing networks, markets, regulation, established technologies and the emerging along the way.

The MEInetwork20 is launching in April, promising a unique program focused on promoting inter-disciplinary collaboration between our energy researchers and industry professionals.

Hierarchical economic model predictive control of an isolated microgrid

Over the last twenty or so years, residential solar PV has grown from a technology loved by a few early adopters to one that is embraced by many Australians. Whilst this extraordinary growth has brought significant environmental and economic benefits, challenges associated with the integration of residential solar PV into local electricity distribution networks have also become more significant.

The Melbourne Energy Institute hosted the “Hydrogen Futures” workshop with the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) and the National Academy of Engineering of Korea.Dr Sarah Ryan FTSE, Board Member, Woodside Energy, Dr Patrick Hartley, Leader, CSIRO Hydrogen Industry Mission, Dr Bruce Godfrey FTSE, ATSE Vice-President, Professor Chinho Park, Yeungnam University, Dr Fiona Beck, ANU, Professor Oh-Kyong Kwon, NAEK President, and Professor Michael Brear FTSE, Melbourne Energy Institute.

Listen to the recording of AEMO's recent presentation of their Q4 Quarterly Energy Dynamics report.

Justice in Energy Transitions: How can justice facilitate low-carbon transition?

Characterisation, Detection and Forecasting of Intra-hourly Wind Power Ramps Under Complex Topography

On 18 December 2019, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) released the Final Report on its Value of Customer Reliability (VCR) Review.

On 13 December, graduate students and research staff showcased the cutting-edge research into energy being undertaken across the University of Melbourne at the MEI Symposium.

Listen to the podcast from our Energy Futures seminar, in which Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel AO, provided an overview of the National Hydrogen Strategy.

Funding by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) for the Affordable Heating and Cooling Innovation Hub (i-Hub) was announced last week.

Experimental study of a turbulent boundary layer over surfaces with spatially varying roughness

Listen to the recording of AEMO's recent presentation of their Q3 Quarterly Energy Dynamics report.

Fifty participants attended the Third Lateral Learning Program on Smart Grid Technologies and Implications for Inclusive Development from 14-17 October 2019 at the University of Melbourne.

Investigation of combustion noise in turbulent premixed flames using direct numerical simulations

Prof. Richard Sandberg, MEI's Energy Technology Program Leader, has recently received an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship for his research into designing quieter and more efficient aerospace technologies.

Proa, a start-up by University of Melbourne alumni, has recently become the first, independent provider of solar or wind farm forecasts to be integrated into the National Electricity Market Dispatch Engine (NEMDE) run by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).

After six weeks of working to develop a project aiming to power the energy transition, on 16th October Energy Hack 19 finalists pitched their ideas to an expert judging panel for a chance to win part of $35,000 in prize money.

Porous materials for energy-efficient gas separation and carbon capture

A recent forum hosted by the Australian Carbon Innovation and Federation University explored hydrogen’s potential as a sustainable fuel for the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland

Listen to the podcast from our Energy Futures seminar, which considered how to address the challenges and realise the opportunities of the great energy transition.

Energy and life-cycle cost optimisation framework for multi-residential building retrofit

David Byrne, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Melbourne, has been instrumental in the design and evaluation of a Power Changers large scale randomised controlled trial at Victorian energy distributor Jemena.

Paper submissions have opened for the Eleventh ACM International Conference on Future Energy Systems (ACM e-Energy), to be held in Melbourne in June 2020.

Techno-economic and environmental performance of a distributed, hybrid renewable energy power plant

Listen to the podcast from our recent Energy Futures seminar, which explored what Australia's energy policy may look like following the last election.

Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS); Sustainability, Challenges and Potential

Demand side management using thermal storage of residential buildings

Dr Reihana Mohideen, Program Leader for Energy, Community and the Region at MEI, is a member of the 2019 Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) Advisory Group and has organised a workshop at the Forum on gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) considerations in the energy sector.[Dr Reihana Mohideen at the University of Melbourne. Picture: Sam Davison.]

Listen to the recording of AEMO's recent presentation of their Q1 Quarterly Energy Dynamics report.

Over six seminars Prof Garnaut built the case for the energy transition in Australia, calling on knowledge of climate science and studies of the economic benefits of mitigation.

Empirical Studies of Consumer Search and Market Power

Australia is behind on regulating vehicle greenhouse gas emissions, but we have many options that when combined carefully could achieve deep abatement, clean our air and even save us money

The University of Melbourne have been successful in their application to the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DIIS) for funding of the Automotive Engineering Graduate Program (AEGP).

Customer roles in the future energy system

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced the outcomes of their Short-Term Forecasting round.

Access the slides from the Australian Energy Market Operator's (AEMO) presentation of their latest Quarterly Dynamics report.

Mineral precipitation from C02-saturated water in basalts and its potential for self-sealing of fractures and joints

MEI interviewed AEMO’s Farhad Billimoria and Dr Jonathan Myrtle about why their Quarterly Energy Dynamics reports are critical to decision making, planning and policy in Australia.

Professor Pierluigi Mancarella, Program Leader for Energy Systems at MEI, has been awarded the 2018 Newton Prize for an international project on power system resilience.

Immobilised Solvent Systems for Carbon Capture

Imagining the carbon neutral city: Conceiving, designing and enacting low carbon urban transitions

The promise of a hydrogen economy has waxed and waned, but the falling cost of renewable energy could be the game changer that makes hydrogen fuel economic.

On 12 December, graduate students, research staff and energy industry professionals from across the country met to exchange ideas and explore collaborations at the MEI Symposium.

Measuring Australia's air quality using atmospheric spectroscopy

The University of Melbourne’s Smart Grid lab has been involved in an exciting project researching Smart Grid technology. Researchers at the lab have been using Optimal Power Flow (OPF) as a means to control distributed energy resources in distribution networks.

Dr. Reihana Mohideen, Program Leader for Energy, Community and the Region at the Melbourne Energy Institute, has recently published her eagerly anticipated working paper addressing how energy systems and services in South Asia can improve women’s economic empowerment and well-being.

In a recent edition of Election Watch, Prof. Michael Brear, Director of the Melbourne Energy Institute, compares key policies of political parties against the backdrop of the current energy landscape in Victoria and nationally.

The value proposition of low carbon sustainable housing development: a property developer’s perspective

Ashley will be a mentor at this year's Energy Hack, and with ten years under her belt as a Siemens engineer she's got a lot to offer.

Meet Jonathan Anderson, veteran of MEI's two-day hackathon 'Energy Hack'.

Modelling socio-technical configurations to explore energy transition pathways

Listen to the podcast from our recent Energy Futures seminar, which discussed the future of Australian energy policy.

Listen to the recording of AEMO's recent presentation on their Q2 Quarterly Energy Dynamics report.

The University of Melbourne, together with University of New South Wales (UNSW), yesterday announced an $8.6 million research project investigating the performance and value of efficient, heavy duty, reciprocating engines running on renewable hydrogen.

Han Wang, an electrical engineering PhD student, has been selected as the University of Melbourne delegate to the 2018 Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar, widely considered the most prestigious youth science event in the world

A group of experts have entered a submission to ‘Clean Air for All Victorians’, using their diverse knowledge to provide a vision for Victoria’s Air Quality Statement.

Machine Learning techniques for time-series forecasting with application to Smart Grids

Listen to the podcast from our Energy Futures seminar, which discussed the final report from the ACCC’s electricity affordability inquiry.

Financialisation and scaling towards 'just' urban sustainability transitions - the possibilities and limits of renewable energy innovations in cities

Energy Systems Seminar Series launched with guest speakers from AEMO.

Listen to our podcast from the Australian Energy Market Operator's (AEMO) presentation of the results from their Quarterly Dynamics report.

Performance of Electricity Markets & Power Plant Investments in the Transition to a Low-Carbon Power System

Listen to the podcast from our Energy Futures seminar on the central issue of energy and climate policy in Australia - the National Energy Guarantee.

Listen to the podcast from our Energy Futures seminar that explored exactly what a sustainable electricity network would look like.

The Assistant Minister for Science, Jobs and Innovation Senator the Hon Zed Seselja has recently announced that the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) program will be co-funding Future Fuels CRC with $26.25m.

Read all about the Energy Hack 2017 winners.

Listen to the podcast from the 2017 Distinguished Lecture given by Professor Sally Benson on the role of energy systems analysis in making good energy choices.

Listen to the podcast from our event launching the feasibility study report into using seawater in a pumped hydro energy storage facility in Cultana, South Australia.