Hi Smart Community friends,

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, work and record this podcast and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening.

In this episode of The Smart Community Podcast, I speak with Renee Wootton Tomlin, aerospace engineer, commercial pilot and Founder and CEO of New Era Energy, about the future of sustainable aviation and Australia’s opportunity to build a domestic renewable fuels industry.

Renee shares her journey from aerospace engineering and flying into the sustainable aviation fuel space, including her experience working on Western Sydney International Airport and supporting the development of ethanol-to-jet technology with LanzaJet.

We discuss what sustainable aviation fuel actually is, the different materials that can be used to produce it and why policy, finance and demand certainty may be bigger barriers than the technology itself.

We also explore how First Nations knowledge, ownership and economic participation can be placed at the centre of the energy transition, rather than communities simply being consulted after decisions have already been made.

The conversation also covers energy sovereignty, opportunities for regional communities and farmers, the skills Australia will need and why this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a new industry here at home.

As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

Connect with Renee via LinkedIn and learn more about her work with New Era Energy.

Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community

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The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital.