The future of energy: Sophie's story

They’re worlds apart, but Sophie Allen’s childhood experiences in Scotland and subsequent years spent in Far North Queensland have had a major influence on her career choices. Sophie is helping to shape the future of energy for customers at the fringe of the grid.??

The past

I grew up in a small community in the north of Scotland. We experienced extreme weather conditions in winter, with freezing temperatures and thick snow, which caused regular outages and sometimes we would lose power for up to a week at a time.?

When the power went out for long periods my mum would get me to empty everything out of the freezer into bin bags and put them in the snow in the garden!

The challenges our customers face at the fringe of grid are different, but similar in many ways.

I think these early experiences have helped me identify with the challenges our remote customers face and how we can continue to deliver safe and reliable power with alternative supply options into the future.

The present

We're embracing technology that helps us meet the challenges of serving remote and fringe of grid customers across vast distances and in isolated locations.

My focus is how we can continue to supply rural and remote customers with cost-effective and reliable electricity in challenging locations using these renewable technologies as alternative future supply options to the current poles and wires.

As new technologies in renewable energy and battery storage mature, this creates opportunities to supply our remote customers locally by installing local generation to reduce overall network costs and provide a utility-grade electricity supply.

The challenge is ensuring the technologies are appropriate to the environmental conditions and applications they are being installed and operated in and can continue to be maintained long term.

The future ?

We are all moving to a zero-carbon future and my role in Energy Queensland is playing a part in the transformation of the electricity supply in Queensland.

The whole of the energy industry is changing to adapt to the new 2032 and 2035 renewable energy targets to have 70% and 80% renewable energy in Queensland by these dates.

This shift towards renewable energy has created exciting opportunities and jobs with the increasing use of energy storage systems like batteries, microgrids and the adoption of new technologies, such as electric vehicles and smart grids.

The lifestyle

It’s wonderful living somewhere with stunning natural beauty, from the lush rainforests and pristine beaches, diving on the Great Barrier Reef at the weekend or camping in the bush.?

Far North Queensland is rich in culture and history and has a diverse mix of people from different backgrounds and cultures.?

The opportunities

The energy industry is changing at a phenomenal rate and Energy Queensland offers a wide range of rewarding career opportunities in this dynamic industry.

It’s great being able to do challenging and interesting work with career development opportunities in a regional area.

Be open to exploring different opportunities, taking on new challenges and giving it a go.

Be part of the future of energy: go to www.energyq.com.au/careers