Overview of sessions, keynote presentations, and networking opportunities.
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 attend6-7 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.
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.
The IEA EBC Annex 96 Agenda is available to download and print.
The full ICDIES2026 Program is available to download and print.
Subject to change
Registration and check-in will be open from 8.30 am.
The conference will commence with a formal welcome and opening remarks.
Delegates are invited to assemble for a group photo before the next session.
Potentials, challenges and technologies for energy flexibility provision of buildings and data centres in high-renewable power grids — Professor Shengwei Wang.
Morning tea and networking.
Electricity system transformation: People, technology, and markets — Ms Dani Alexander.
Looking to the past and the future of consumer energy resources in Australia.
Lunch and networking.
Parallel sessions will feature presentations across a range of conference themes, and the award competition sessions.
Afternoon tea and networking.
Parallel sessions and the award competition sessions resume at 3.40 pm.
Conference dinner.
Subject to change
Registration and check-in will be open from 8.00 am.
Enabling digital intelligence for grid integrated control of Buildings — Dr Stephen White.
System integrity protection schemes (SIPS) against cyber-attack-induced cascading outages — Professor Vladimir Terzija.
Morning tea and networking.
Flexible demand in the built environment.
Parallel sessions will feature presentations across a range of conference themes.
Lunch and networking.
Parallel sessions will resume after lunch.
Afternoon tea and networking.
The final parallel sessions resume at 3.15 pm.
Closing remarks and presentation of conference awards.
Abstracts are available to download and print
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.
Dr Gabrielle Kuiper, CSIRO
Mark Lewis, NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub:
Mark Lewis – Business Development Manager for the Electrification and Energy Systems Network of the NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub. He brings to the role experience in the commercialisation and scaling of physical and digital technologies. With over 20 years of experience in delivering business and technology enablement and transformation, Mark has successfully managed complex programs and portfolios of work across various industries, such as FinTech, Telecommunications, Digital Publishing, Aviation, Automotive, Construction, Manufacturing, and Commercial. He has developed his experience working in United Kingdom, Europe, United States and Australia. Mark is a professionally certified Engineer and Program Director.
University students (undergraduate, master and PhD students). Students may apply for this competition individually or as a team, endorsed by their supervisor.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Professor Fu Xiao, Dr Yongbao Chen, Dr Zhe Chen
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.
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.