A clean energy technology scientist, whose work explores how electric vehicles and batteries can integrate with the power grid, is this year’s ACT Emerging Scientist of the Year.

Dr Bjorn Sturmberg is a senior research fellow in the Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program at the Australian National University where he works on research, development, demonstration and commercialisation of low-carbon electricity and transport systems.

He led the first retrofit of an Australian apartment complex into a solar and battery powered microgrid, where he realised the socio-economic barriers to decarbonisation and their impacts on social equity.

His research aims to have immediate, real-world impacts to accelerate the transition to clean energy and steer this transition towards fairer and more equitable outcomes.

Dr Sturmberg said: “I’m honoured to be the ACT Emerging Scientist of the Year and to represent the world-leading clean-energy research and development taking place at ANU and across the territory.

“I also want to thank all the ACT organisations whose partnerships have enabled my research and delivered real impacts. These include the ACT Government, ActewAGL, Evoenergy, ITP Renewables and Zepben.”