The 2021 Clean Energy Council Award winners announced today shine a spotlight on the leaders of the Australian renewable energy industry and reward the organisations’ contribution to furthering the development of clean energy in Australia.

The awards recognise Goldwind Australia, Hydro Tasmania and Synergy for excellence in innovation, community engagement and marketing and communications respectively.

Andrew Bray, National Director of RE-Alliance, has been recognised with the Outstanding Contribution to Industry Award for his extraordinary passion for implementing a renewable energy future that delivers for regional communities.

“Andrew’s long commitment and dedication to working constructively with industry while maximising outcomes for communities is something that is truly admirable and should be celebrated,“ said Clean Energy Council Chief Executive, Kane Thornton.

“A great communicator, Andrew is a fierce advocate for the role that renewables can play in our regional communities.”

While the Australian renewable energy industry has had its fair share of critics in the media, the vast majority of journalists provide insightful and nuanced reporting on the latest developments as Australia transitions to a clean energy future. The Media Award recognises one of these journalists for their exceptional coverage of the Australian clean energy industry.

The Clean Energy Council congratulates Nine Publishing’s Peter Hannam as the inaugural winner of the Media Award.

“Peter’s reporting has played a huge role in bringing the community along with industry throughout the transition to date,” said Thornton. “His articles really capture the imagination of the reader and go a long way to bridging the gap between technological advance and reality.”

“The importance of social licence as Australia’s energy mix continues to transition comes to the fore across our award winners this year,” continued Thornton.

“Our industry will only be as successful as the community allows us to be and this year’s award winners have all demonstrated high levels of engagement. The Clean Energy Council is proud to recognise these organisations’ outstanding commitment to innovation in delivering clean, low-cost energy to all Australians.

“Congratulations to our 2021 award winners, finalists and the thousands of dedicated professionals and tradespeople across the country who continue to deliver for the clean energy industry.”

The 2021 Clean Energy Council Award winners are:

· Innovation Award – Goldwind Australia designed and deployed the IdentiFlight system at the Cattle Hill Wind Farm in Tasmania, which uses high-precision optical sensors and artificial intelligence to detect endangered Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles and shut down wind turbines to avoid collision.

· Community Engagement – Hydro Tasmania launched the COVID-19 Recovery Program to assist Tasmanian communities in overcoming the challenges associated with the pandemic.

· Marketing and Communication Award – Synergy employed an innovative marketing approach to create interest in its Outreach initiative, a program designed to increase customers’ understanding of new energy technologies and improve their energy management.