NEWS
Aurora and AREA Host High-Profile Webinar on Australia–Japan Renewable Energy Markets
Webinar
Webinar, 31 July 2025
On 31 July 2025, Aurora Energy Research and the Australian Renewable Energy Association (AREA) hosted a special online webinar spotlighting the renewable energy markets of Australia and Japan. The event attracted strong interest from across the region, with around 250 attendees joining live to hear from leading voices across industry, government, and research.
The session opened with welcome remarks from Mr. Martin Stollberg of Austrade, highlighting the importance of international knowledge-sharing and market connectivity. This webinar was proudly delivered as part of the Australian & New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ANZCCJ)’s member engagement activities, with ANZCCJ members formally invited to participate.
The program featured in-depth market overviews from both countries, covering emerging trends, investment activity, and key policy updates. Highlights included discussion of Australia’s expanding utility-scale renewable pipeline and the federal incentives supporting battery storage, alongside Japan’s energy transition strategy and evolving regulatory landscape.
A core theme throughout was cross-border collaboration. Speakers explored the practical challenges and opportunities of working across both markets, offering valuable insights into grid integration, project financing, and policy alignment.
Speakers
John Grimes
Secretary· Smart Energy Council
Steve Blume is the former President and current Secretary of the Smart Energy Council. He also holds several other key leadership roles across the industry, including Director of the Australian Institute of Energy, Solar Accreditation Australia, and the Pacifica Renewable Energy Training Alliance. In addition, he serves as Secretary-General of the Asia PV Industry Association and Chair of SolarShare Community Energy.
With decades of experience as a political advisor, senior executive, and policy advocate, Steve has long been at the forefront of driving smart energy transformation. He is a passionate champion of solar, storage, and community energy solutions, and a firm believer in accelerating the transition to a clean energy future through collaboration, innovation, and strong industry leadership.
Kento Yoshimura
Head of Japan· Aurora Energy Research
Kento is the Head of Japan at Aurora Energy Research – leading the research, advisory, and software teams. He has extensive experience in Japan’s energy sector over the last decade.
Kento previously worked for Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) where he was engaged in energy policy and the team producing Japan’s Strategic Energy Plan. In addition to this, he also spent 5 years with McKinsey & Co. in Tokyo working across the energy sector.
Lloyd Mao
Co-Founder and Secretary-General · Australia Renewable Energy Association /Deputy General Manager · Green Gold Energy
With a career in the renewable energy industry dating back to 2006, Lloyd brings extensive experience across solar equipment manufacturing, international sales, and large-scale project development. Prior to relocating from China to Australia in 2018, he was actively involved in supplying solar technologies to markets including Australia, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
Since moving to Australia, Lloyd has played a key role in solar product wholesale and has contributed to the development and EPC delivery of over 2 GW of solar farm projects nationwide.
Andrew McGregor
Research Lead, Australia · Aurora Energy Research
Andrew is Research Lead for Australia at Aurora Energy Research, leading a team covering east and west coast electricity markets. Prior to joining Aurora, Andrew spent more than six years in the renewables industry working in various roles at a project developer, on wind, solar, battery and hydrogen projects in Europe, South Africa, Chile, Australia and wider APAC.
Matthew Tilbrook
Director – Project Finance · Metlen Renewables
Matthew joined Mytilineos (now Metlen Group) in 2018, focussed on project financing and investment in the solar division (previously Metka EGN, now M Renewables), and has been involved in acquisitions, project development, PPAs, financings and divestments in Australia, Asia, Europe, Latam and Canada.
Previously he worked for 12 years in project financing and advisory in London, for Mizuho, BNP Paribas, CBA and several advisory firms, covering onshore and offshore wind, solar, conventional power and other infrastructure sectors. He has a BSc in Physics (Hons) from UWA, PhD in Materials Engineering from UNSW, did an engineering postdoc at Cambridge and is a CFA Charterholder.
Christine Sun
Head of Greater China – Clean Energy · Ariel Re
Christine Sun brings deep expertise in clean energy and financial risk management, with over seven years in the reinsurance industry. Currently leading Ariel Re’s Greater China operations, she has played a pivotal role in supporting the global energy transition through tailored insurance solutions. Prior to Ariel Re, Christine was instrumental in expanding Munich Re’s clean energy portfolio across Greater China, underwriting over 130GW of solar panels through close collaboration with leading Chinese solar manufacturers. With a strong academic background in accounting and finance, Christine combines technical insight with commercial acumen to support clean energy innovation and investment at scale.
Martin Stollberg
Investment Director · Austrade Japan
Martin is the Investment Director at Austrade Japan, overseeing the investment attraction and support work across Austrade’s offices in Japan, Tokyo and Osaka. Energy and decarbonisation of industries have been the focus of the investment team for several years. Prior to joining Austrade in 2019, Martin worked at Mitsubishi Corporation in Japan and Europe, including in the energy and resources sectors.
