14/08/2026
Late last month, Era Advisory's Renewables Lead, Suki, attended the 2026 Australian Clean Energy Summit in Sydney, joining industry leaders, policy makers, investors, First Nations representatives and clean energy professionals to explore the next phase of Australia's energy transition.
A strong theme throughout the summit was that delivering renewable energy projects is about much more than generation and transmission infrastructure. Successful projects rely on trust, strong partnerships, early and respectful engagement, meaningful benefit sharing, and a genuine commitment to the communities that host them.
Some of Suki's highlights included the Women in Renewables Lunch, which celebrated inclusive leadership and the importance of creating visible pathways for women across the sector; the First Nations session, which reinforced the need for Traditional Owners and First Nations communities to be recognised as rights-holders, partners and leaders in the transition; and a session on misinformation, which explored how transparency, credible information and respectful dialogue can help address community concerns.
Reflecting on the event, Suki's key takeaway was that social licence is not a separate workstream. It sits at the heart of project success. As the clean energy transition continues to accelerate, the way projects are planned, communicated and delivered will be just as important as the infrastructure itself.
At Era Advisory, we see this reflected in projects across Australia, where building relationships, understanding local perspectives and creating opportunities for meaningful participation are essential to achieving better outcomes for communities and proponents alike.