Keynote
- Dr. Sven Teske, Institute for Sustainable Future, University of Technology Sydney
- Presentation: Locating Offshore Wind in Australia
Offshore wind held immense potential for driving Australia’s energy transition, provided the siting of infrastructure and its integration into the energy system were handled correctly.
In this webinar, IUCN Vice President Peter Cochrane set the stage by highlighting the importance of balancing renewable energy development with biodiversity conservation and community well-being. He emphasised IUCN’s commitment to nature-positive solutions in the deployment of offshore wind and reflected on Australia’s role in reaching climate and biodiversity goals.
Following this, Professor Sven Teske from the Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS) presented a comprehensive analysis of Australia’s offshore wind potential, its possible future contribution to power generation, and favourable locations for offshore wind farms from both technical and economic perspectives. He explored how spatial optimisation could guide the development of offshore wind in ways that are efficient, fair, and aligned with climate and biodiversity goals. Focusing on Australia’s coastal regions, particularly those with existing or retiring coal infrastructure, Professor Teske outlined the strategic benefits of collocating offshore wind near established grid assets. He also shared insights into how good planning could reduce costs, accelerate deployment, and support regional communities.
This session aligned closely with the vision behind GINGR, a platform designed to help measure progress toward a Nature- and People-Positive energy system. Together, technological innovation and performance metrics supported the deployment of offshore wind projects that were not only technically sound but also contributed positively to biodiversity and local communities.