EDF Australia and Swinburne to drive energy transition

Swinburne University of Technology and EDF Australia have joined forces in a partnership to launch a groundbreaking program to drive innovation for the energy transition.

The partnership, funded by the Franco-Australian Centre for Energy Transition (FACET), will foster innovation for startups and support Australia’s decarbonisation goals.

While continued investment in traditional clean energy infrastructure remains essential for Australia to reach its net-zero targets, investment in innovation is needed to fully decarbonise the Australian economy.

The program will identify and support startups developing groundbreaking and innovative solutions to address key challenges in areas such as energy storage technologies, transmission infrastructure, alternative clean fuel developments and the decarbonisation of existing industrial assets.

The collaboration is Swinburne Innovation Studio’s first FACET grant and will combine the expertise of Swinburne Innovation Studio and EDF Australia.

Swinburne Vice-President of Innovation and Enterprise, Dr Werner van der Merwe, highlighted the importance of this program.

“This collaboration with EDF Australia reflects our commitment to delivering impactful solutions to address one of the greatest challenges of our time.”

EDF Australia CEO James Katsikas emphasised the partnership aims to deliver a unique opportunity for startups to work with major industrials and to test these innovative solutions in real-life conditions.

“We are deeply committed to the global fight against climate change. As an organisation we spend over A$1B annually on research and development to ensure we remain at the cutting edge of energy innovation. This partnership enables us to combine that global expertise with local innovation to work alongside dynamic startups and find new and impactful solutions that can accelerate Australia’s energy transition.”

“We will aim to provide startups with essential commercial and technical support, fostering collaboration and driving sustainable technological advancements.”

“Ultimately our investment in this program will assist us to deliver better outcomes in the infrastructure projects we are developing across Australia.”

Director of Swinburne’s Innovative Planet Research Institute Professor Allison Kealy agreed and highlighted the need to address energy challenges.

“The transition to a sustainable energy future requires bold, innovative thinking and partnerships like this one play a crucial role.”

“This partnership will enable us to leverage our combined expertise in technology commercialisation to make meaningful progress in energy storage, transmission and decarbonisation efforts.”

Fostering collaborative energy transition projects between France and Australia

The strategic partnership between Swinburne and EDF Australia was among several successful projects announced at the recent FACET Symposium, held in Melbourne.

Other Swinburne projects funded in the inaugural round include a skills roadmap for the clean economy, and a community microgrids initiative to support more efficient building energy systems and more resilient grid infrastructure.

Swinburne Edge will partner with CEA/INSTN and Université Grenoble-Alps to deliver a workforce development skills roadmap. The project will chart France and Australia’s capabilities to prepare for the demands and challenges of the future energy market, and to create new growth opportunities in the clean energy sector.

Swinburne’s energy transition researchers will collaborate with CSIRO and CEA’s Smart Grid Laboratory to advance future electric networks. With a focus on community microgrids, the team will develop a smart energy management system that optimises energy distribution, including an adaptive building management component that responds dynamically to grid conditions.