The Social License: The Customer & Community Episodes

Dr. Greg Trainor, Neil Belford, and Ben Meek reflect on the inaugural season of Wired for Energy and preview what's coming in 2026. Since launching in May 2025, the podcast has covered remarkable ground—from Jack Kotlyer at Energy Australia discussing commercial EV charging to Tim Washington at Jet Charge rolling out networks across Australia. Each guest brought unique perspectives on the energy transition, from artificial intelligence with Dave King to grid stability innovations with Mark Vincent at South Australian Power Networks, and spatial analytics breakthroughs with Nigel Barry at Intelfuse. Looking ahead to 2026, the team introduces seven new themes: - Proof of Life (what's actually working), Digital Frontier (operations and workforce transformation), - The Outsiders (innovation from adjacent industries), - Social License (customer and community relationships), - Government and Regulation (policy frameworks under pressure), - The Horizon (academia and future vi…

On this week's episode, we have Ryan Wavish, GM of Innovation at Engie Australia, to explore how one of the world's largest energy companies is navigating Australia's unique energy transition challenges. From his early days at boutique consultancy Marshman Hill working with ARENA's A-Lab initiative to leading Engie's ambitious 500MW virtual power plant vision by 2030, Ryan shares insights into building customer trust, managing distributed energy resources, and creating the "business model of the...

In the first interview of the series, hosts Greg Trainor and Neil Belford talk with Jack Kotlyar, head of Green Transport at EnergyAustralia. They discuss the vital role of electric vehicles (EVs) in decarbonising Australia's transport sector, the anticipated rise in EV adoption, and the associated challenges for grid infrastructure and regulatory frameworks. Jack shares his journey in the energy industry, insights on the future of EVs, and the strategies needed to support this significant trans...