In the first episode of Exploring Hydrogen, we are joined by globally recognised Professor Peta Ashworth OAM, Director of the Andrew N. Liveris Academy for Innovation and Leadership, Chair in Sustainable Energy Futures at The University of Queensland (UQ), and Chair of the Queensland Hydrogen Taskforce. During this podcast we learn about all things Hydrogen as an introduction, Peta’s clean energy journey and her current roles, the Queensland Hydrogen Taskforce’s work, the importance of social licence and building trust within communities, Queensland’s competitive advantage and where Peta sees her success in the coming years.  

Peta’s highlights: 

2:00 - Peta’s current clean energy roles with the industries she works with  

3:34 - More about the Queensland Hydrogen Taskforce  

6:08 – Social identity in the renewable energy sectors 

8:21 - Current public perceptions of Hydrogen and its safety 

10:50 – So what is Hydrogen Energy, why now and net zero emissions by 2050 

19:16 - The route straight to “green” – is it achievable? 

23:13 - Exporting opportunities – molecules, skills & technologies   

28:26 - Industries building trust within the community and the importance of collaboration  

32:55 - What is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and its challenges / advancements?  

38:41: Queensland’s competitive advantage in developing the Hydrogen industry 

40:54 - Queensland’s Hydrogen and Decarbonisation sectors – new opportunities & changes 

42:03 - What does success look like for Peta in 5 years? 

43:16 - Jobs that are going to be highly sought after in the Hydrogen space 

45:09 - How can we participate and contribute to the industry? 

Peta Ashworth OAM Bio: 

Professor Peta Ashworth OAM is the Director of the Andrew N. Liveris Academy for Innovation and Leadership, Chair in Sustainable Energy Futures at The University of Queensland (UQ), and Chair of the Queensland Hydrogen Taskforce. Professor Ashworth brings over thirty years’ experience working in a range of senior management, consulting and research roles. Prior to joining UQ in 2016, Peta worked as a consultant to industry, as Research Group Leader at CSIRO, and in senior executive roles for the Body Shop. 

Professor Ashworth is a globally-recognised expert in the fields of energy, communication, stakeholder engagement, and technology assessment. For almost two decades, Peta has been researching public attitudes toward climate and energy technologies, including wind, carbon capture and storage (CCS), solar photovoltaic, storage and geothermal. An accomplished speaker and facilitator, Professor Ashworth is actively involved in building energy literacy more broadly both within Australian and globally, and regularly provides input to policy briefings, think tanks, as well as educational events for the benefit of the broader community. 

Peta’s contributions to the field of sustainable energy include leading the social science research program of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, as well as working alongside Australia’s Chief Scientist in the development of Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peta-ashworth-oam-5502002/ 

Resources: 

https://alumni.uq.edu.au/liveris-academy 

https://energy.uq.edu.au/ 

https://www.epw.qld.gov.au/about/initiatives/hydrogen/taskforce 

https://www.globalccsinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Global-CCS-Institute-Fact-Sheet_What-is-CCS.pdf