Exploring beyond diesel - 2

James Jackson, President of NSW Farmers

Charlie Prell, Farmers for Climate Action

Ben Mitchell, CNH Industrial

Fiona Waterhouse, Utilitas Group
B Mfg Mgt, Dip Env Studies, Cert Business, GAICD

Fiona Waterhouse is a production engineer by trade, owning and advising engineering/technology related ventures over the past 25 years. In 2010 she founded biogas developer Utilitas Group to bring together the most capable and motivated people on the planet to unleash the power of biogas to fuel industry, support energy networks and energise communities.

Fiona's passion for regional communities, farming and food production started as a border at Hurlstone Agriculture High School in Western Sydney, Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Manufacturing Management from the University of Technology Sydney, a Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Studies from Macquarie University and a Graduate Diploma in Business from the Queensland University of Technology.

And

Joe Finneran, Mollongghip and District CPH (Community Power Hub)

Charles Luo, Senior Energy Engineer
BEng(Hons)/BCom MIEAust NER  RPEQ  CMVP  CEES

Charles Luo is a Senior Energy Engineer with over 9 years’ experience in the renewable energy, energy storage, and energy efficiency industry.

Charles is highly skilled in both behind and in front of the meter energy optimisation and generation, especially in the agriculture sector. Over the past 24 months he has managed pitt&sherry’s delivery of energy assessments as part of the Victorian Agriculture Energy Investment Plan for over 150 farming businesses in Victoria; designed and assessed the effectiveness of load shifting through ice banks and solar systems for NSW dairy farms; and led the delivery of the AusVegVIC Energy Efficiency Capabilities Program that helped vegetable farmers with energy efficiency and reducing energy costs.

An astute analyst, Charles has more recently been integral in pitt&sherry’s development of energy and cost optimisation models for the production of green hydrogen using large scale solar and batteries as part of the system’s feasibility study.

Dr Neil Thompson, Queensland University of Technology

Dr Neil Thompson has undertaken award-winning research at QUT Australia and KIT Germany in his role as Adjunct Associate Professor with the Institute for Future Environments. His work in the field of integrated hydrogen energy systems for mining and agribusiness has been regularly published in the USA and Europe leading to his recent appointment as Managing Director of ITM Power Pty Ltd for the APAC region. Since then he has developed a number of local reference sites for ITM’s rapid response PEM electrolysers across the mobility, industrial chemistry and power to gas sectors in partnership with key international clients.

Charlie Prell, Farmers for Climate Action

Farmers for Climate Action is a movement of farmers, agricultural leaders and rural Australians working to ensure farmers are a key part of the solution to climate change.

Charlie Prell is a sheep farmer from Crookwell and one of four farmers under the Crookwell 2 windfarm. He is a trong public supporter of the benefits wind farms can bring to small regional communities. He worked as the NSW Regional Organiser for the Australian Wind Alliance from July 2012 until August 2019. He was part of the working group that formed "Farmers for Climate Action".