A session not to be missed is a panel discussion dealing with the challenges of heat pump deployment.
Panellists from around the world will provide a global perspective on this issue on day two of the ARBS seminar program.
There is a lot of excitement about the widespread benefits of deploying heat pumps.
It has the potential to improves people’s lives while reducing emissions and moving towards electrification.
In all the excitement, however, the challenges implicit in the deployment of these technologies are regularly overlooked.
The range of issues that need to be addressed include upskilling the current workforce, refrigerant management issues, safety issues, end-of-life issues, managing retrofits in existing buildings with space and weight limitations and many more.
This session will describe the challenges faced in various sectors around the world and the solutions being pursued.
Heat pumps may well be key to a decarbonized future, but only if major hurdles are resolved.
The moderator for this session will be the general manager of Wilson Heat Pumps, Mark Padwick.
He will be supported by an impressive panel which includes Peter Mathieson, technical director, mechanical capability specialist at Aurecon.
Mathieson contributes to design and projects across the Aurecon business.
He has been fortunate to work on a wide range of unique and interesting projects across Australian, New Zealand and Internationally including specialist and large-scale developments in Asia, Europe, and the United States.
He is sought after for his technical insights and thought leadership. Peter has long been an advocate of low energy buildings and a “gas free” future as a precursor to net zero.
Another panellist is Glenn Day, head of public affairs and engagement at Stiebel Eltron.
With nearly 30 years at STIEBEL ELTRON, Day brings a wealth of experience in operations, sales, product development, and market development within the renewable energy sector.
He has a successful track record of delivering local and offshore renewable energy projects. Day's expertise extends beyond Australia, with product and market training experience in both Germany and Asia. Recognised as an industry leader, he previously served on the Australian Standards committee for solar water heaters and heat pumps and remains actively involved in various industry associations.
A panellist that will also provide an international perspective is Russell Patten, director general of the European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE).
A Belgian-British national, Patten became the EPEE director general in 2022.
He represents the RACHP sector across Europe. Russell, who has been advising EPEE as an external consultant for the last 22 years, since the organization was set up in Brussels in 2000.
He has 35 years of EU-Brussels lobbying, advocacy and political communication experience having started his career in the European Commission.
He then went on to work for an international law firm and several public affairs consultancies, advising on a broad range of policies but always with a focus on the environment and energy.
The final panellist is Stephen Yurek, president & CEO of the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).
Yurek joined AHRI in 2002 as vice president of Policy and Public Affairs and General Counsel.
He has also been director-at-large at the American National Standards Institute since 2009 and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in chemistry and a Juris Doctor.