Overview of sessions, keynote presentations, and networking opportunities.

Conference Program

We’ve curated a program featuring plenary presentations, panel discussions, parallel sessions, and networking opportunities to support productive exchange and collaboration across the two-day conference.

Register to attend

Pre-conference event

Welcome reception and registration

IEA Annex 96 Expert Meetings

6-7 October 2026, 8.30 am – 5 pm 

This Annex focuses on enabling buildings to act as flexible energy assets within modern energy systems. It will provide building owners and market participants with clear concepts, processes, tools, and evidence to support reliable, automated, and cost-effective trading of building flexibility at scale. Emphasis is placed on practical, repeatable solutions and the technologies that make it easier to deliver flexibility from buildings.

It also examines the digital infrastructure needed to coordinate and automate large numbers of flexible loads across local and national energy markets, including their potential to reduce carbon emissions based on time-of-use energy intensity. The Annex will deliver guidance, case studies, and frameworks for policymakers, planners, building owners, and technology providers, while actively sharing findings through reports, webinars, and an online case study portal.

Annex 96 has a vibrant and active community, with participation from over 20 member countries and over 60 organisations. Annex participants meet face-to-face twice annually.

The first annex meeting was held in Montreal (25 October), followed by the second annex meeting in Turin (26 April). The third Annex meeting will be held in Wollongong on 6–7 October, followed by the international conference.

Welcome registration, and guided tours

7 October 2026, 3 pm – 5 pm

An opportunity to meet fellow participants prior to the main event and tour the most sustainable buildings and facilities at the University of Wollongong.

Conference schedule

Day one - 8 October 2026

Subject to change

  • 8.30 am – On-site registration

    Registration and check-in will be open from 8.30 am.

  • 9.00 am – Opening ceremony

    The conference will commence with a formal welcome and opening remarks.

  • 9.20 am – Group photo

    Delegates are invited to assemble for a group photo before the next session.

  • 9.40 am – Plenary address 1

    Potentials, challenges and technologies for energy flexibility provision of buildings and data centres in high-renewable power grids — Professor Shengwei Wang.

  • 10.20 am – Morning tea

    Morning tea and networking.

  • 10.50 am – Plenary address 2

    Electricity system transformation: People, technology, and markets — Ms Dani Alexander.

  • 11.30 am – Panel discussion

    Looking to the past and the future of consumer energy resources in Australia.

  • 12.30 pm – Lunch

    Lunch and networking.

  • 1.30 pm – Parallel and award competition sessions

    Parallel sessions will feature presentations across a range of conference themes, and the award competition sessions.

  • 3.10 pm – Afternoon tea

    Afternoon tea and networking.

  • 3.40 pm – Parallel and award competition sessions

    Parallel sessions and the award competition sessions resume at 3.40 pm.

  • 6.30 pm – Conference dinner

    Conference dinner.

Day two - 9 October 2026

Subject to change

  • 8.00 am – On-site registration

    Registration and check-in will be open from 8.00 am.

  • 8.30 am – Plenary address 3

    Enabling digital intelligence for grid integrated control of Buildings — Dr Stephen White.

  • 9.10 am – Plenary address 4

    System integrity protection schemes (SIPS) against cyber-attack-induced cascading outages — Professor Vladimir Terzija.

  • 9.50 am – Morning tea

    Morning tea and networking.

  • 10.20 am – Panel discussion

    Flexible demand in the built environment.

  • 11.30 am – Parallel sessions

    Parallel sessions will feature presentations across a range of conference themes.

  • 12.45 pm – Lunch

    Lunch and networking.

  • 1.30 pm – Parallel sessions

    Parallel sessions will resume after lunch.

  • 2.45 pm – Afternoon tea

    Afternoon tea and networking.

  • 3.15 pm – Parallel sessions

    The final parallel sessions resume at 3.15 pm.

  • 4.30 pm – Closing ceremony

    Closing remarks and presentation of conference awards.

Special sessions

ICDIES 2026: Future AI Leaders in Smart Energy Competition

Eligible participants

University students (undergraduate, master and PhD students). Students may apply for this competition individually or as a team, endorsed by their supervisor.

Competition overview

This competition focuses on demonstrating the latest advancements, practical applications, and future potential of AI in smart energy systems. It brings together brilliant students to share insights, demonstrate real-world deployments, and promote collaboration on innovative AI-enabled solutions. We encourage real-world applications of AI-enabled technologies in areas including, but not limited to, smart buildings, smart grids, renewable energy systems, distributed energy systems, and their AI-enabled digital twins. Case studies conducted on open-access datasets are not preferred.

Prizes for the winner and finalist

To encourage high-quality submissions and recognize outstanding work, the competition will present one RISE Research Student Internship Award to the winner, and merit certificates to those who are shortlisted for final presentation.

RISE Research Student Internship Award: A one-month student internship fully funded (award total amount: HKD 30,000 covering round-trip travel and living expenses in Hong Kong) by the Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) will be awarded to the winning project. The awardee will work in the RISE as a research assistant for one month*.

* Subject to obtaining a valid Hong Kong work visa. RISE will support the winner’s visa application, but final approval is subject to the decision of the Hong Kong Immigration Department.

The first-listed student of the winning project will be recognized as the main contributor and receive the internship award. The other students and the supervisor will receive the award certificates.

Submission requirements

Interested students must submit their applications by 30 June 2026. The submission requires 1-page A4 PDF including: short biography of the applicant(s)/team, real world case briefing, AI enabled methods and solutions, and measurable outcomes/achievements; 1-page A4 PDF of the supporting materials list including: published papers, patents, and third-party verification certificates, etc. Only shortlisted applicants will be asked to provide copies of the supporting materials.

Selection criteria

The assessment criteria include innovation (30%), measurable outcomes (30%), impact (10%) and final presentation (30%). Six applications will be shortlisted for the in-person final presentation to a judging panel during the conference. Each presentation includes 10 minutes of oral presentation and 10 minutes of Q&A.

Competition Committee

Professor Fu Xiao, Dr Yongbao Chen, Dr Zhe Chen

Looking to the Past and the Future of Consumer Energy Resources in Australia

Australia is leading the world in the adoption of Consumer Energy Resources (CER), with millions of households transforming the national grid through rooftop solar, surging home battery storage, smart EV chargers and flexible loads. This rapid decentralisation brings both immense opportunity and complex distribution network and system challenges. This panel aims to synthesise learnings from Australia transitioning from a one-way grid to an intelligent, multi-directional distribution network without compromising system security.

Questions we will explore include:

  • We have had many trials of distribution flexibility. Are distribution networks technically ready for this to scale if the economic regulation changes to support this?
  • Do we need to define a distribution system operator (DSO) as a separate role to network operator?
  • How can we ensure consumers can be adequately rewarded for supporting distribution networks and the system overall, including through value stacking?
  • Where do EVs fit into all of this? Will V2H and V2G overwhelm all other potential sources of flexibility?

Moderator: Dr Gabrielle Kuiper, CSIRO

 Panellists:

Outstanding PhD Student Awards - Finalist Presentations

The Outstanding PhD Student Awards recognise exceptional research conducted by current PhD candidates and researchers who have completed their PhD within three years of the conference. Six shortlisted finalists will present their research in a dedicated conference session. Presentations will be assessed by an expert judging panel, with consideration given to presentation clarity and responses to questions, methodology and research strategy, originality and significance, feasibility and timeline, and potential impact. Award recipients will be announced during the conference closing ceremony.

Outstanding Young Scholar Awards - Finalist Presentations

The Outstanding Young Scholar Awards recognise the research achievements, impact and future potential of outstanding young scholars. Six shortlisted finalists will present their major research achievements, the impact of their work and their future research directions in a dedicated conference session. Presentations will be assessed by an expert judging panel, with consideration given to research achievements and impact, academic independence and leadership, future research direction, originality and significance, presentation clarity and responses to questions. Award recipients will be announced during the conference closing ceremony.