Researchers, industry leaders and government representatives met in Madrid to explore international collaboration to solve clean energy challenges
Representatives from the Australian technology institute RMIT, the International Research Center for Energy and Environment (CIEMAT) in Spain, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), the energy consultancy EDIPAE, and the Australian technology company KAI-2 recently met to explore opportunities for connecting electricity, heat, and renewable fuels in more resilient and efficient energy systems.
Calum Drummond, RMIT's Associate Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Vice-President, and Xavier Mulet, a professor at RMIT, joined CIEMAT's Director General, Yolanda Benito, and the Director of the Energy Department, Emilio Gómez, for a workshop that also focused on opportunities to translate research into real-world solutions.
According to Calum Drummond, “Both Spain and Australia have achieved remarkable growth in renewable energy, but the next phase of the transition presents a different challenge. As solar and wind installations age and reach the end of their lifespan, we have an opportunity to rethink, modernize, and repower our energy systems.”
For her part, Elena Laburu, Investment Director at Austrade, outlined avenues for greater collaboration between Spain and Australia in research, innovation, and investment, while Vladimir Finn, Commercial Director at KAI-2, showcased digital tools that help energy projects move from initial concepts to market-ready solutions.
The workshop reinforced Spain’s importance as a partner of our patron, RMIT Europe, and resulted in an agreement to collaborate on future initiatives between Europe and Australia in the areas of clean energy, advanced technologies, and sustainable industry.
Read the news on the RMIT website
