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But activities do not end there. The Smart Energy Council is a grass roots organisation dedicated to supporting
its 1500 members, who in turn employ hundreds of thousands, through a broad range of services and activities:
an annual conference and exhibition that attracts more than 6000 delegates, regular seminars and webinars,
roadshows and technical training for professional development and robust industry standards that boost PV
uptake and consumer confidence.
The Council also assembles market intelligence reports, industry and technology news updates for its data
base of more than 30,000 industry stakeholders and produces a quarterly magazine which has been published
continuously since 1980, a fine legacy from long-time former Editor and Board member the late Bill Parker.

Moving with the times the Council in 2013 launched an Energy Storage division and in 2019 its Hydrogen
Australia division, foreshadowing enormous potential in the generation and export of the commodity.
On behalf of the ACT (capital territory) government the Council currently manages the ACT Renewables Hub.
Thanks to Smart Energy Council Patron and former ACT Deputy Chief Minister Simon Corbell and his then
adviser Steve Blume, the ACT is a trail blazer in low emissions and this year became the first jurisdiction in the
world to source 100 per cent renewable energy. The ACT has now pledged to phase out fossil gas by 2045
and no new gas connections.

With its proactive agenda and suite of resources the Council’s membership, which comprises individuals,
small and medium businesses, Australian and international corporations, developers, installers, investors,
energy traders, salespeople, market analysts, engineers, scientists and recruiters, has grown fifteenfold in
twelve years. Council revenue has multiplied ten times.
Many have commented that the Smart Energy Council, which is based in the nation’s capital Canberra and has
a permanent staff of just ten, punches well above its weight.

“We have always made ourselves extremely relevant,” John Grimes commented.
What does the future hold?

Australia’s renewables industry stands on the cusp of a series of substantial developments.

Australia’s state governments that have listened to the Smart Energy Council and set zero emissions targets
by 2050, are developing utility scale plants and gigawatt scale Renewable Energy Zones, holding reverse
auctions and in general powering ahead with renewables.

At the same time prominent and active business and industry groups in Australia along with farmers, miners,
superannuation providers, corporations, unions and others are steering low carbon emissions technologies
through divestment in fossil stock and investment in renewables. It is heartening to witness.

“Progress is an inevitable as it is unstoppable,” John Grimes said.

“As David Attenborough states in his book A life on our planet ‘Our careless use of fossil fuels has set us the
greatest and most urgent challenge we have ever faced… we may yet pull off a miracle and move to a clean
energy world by the middle of the century’.”

Perhaps we can conclude this report by adding another profound statement, this one delivered by Cindy
Nelson, former Administrator of the American Solar Energy Society, who in 2002 declared ‘Solar energy
people are the best! This ethical, highest common goal approach to life seems to bring intelligent well-meaning
people to solar energy societies around the world.”

Hear hear!

34 | ISES SWC50 - The Century of Solar-Stories and Visions