How System Engineering can derisk the energy transition
Conference
Asia-Oceania Systems Engineering Conference (AOSEC 2025)
Title
How System Engineering can derisk the energy transition
Abstract
International concern about climate change has led to burgeoning global energy decarbonisation efforts. These scale from product redesigns, through major decarbonisation projects in transport and energy, to transitioning to national green electricity grids. This presentation opens by covering how thoughtful use of digital engineering approaches can model complex energy decarbonisation projects using contemporary MBSE approaches that can link to cost-effective analytical approaches to investigate the technical feasibility of what are often a range of alternative solutions with differing combinations of technologies to inform the entrepreneurs, investors, and engineers involved. A number of case studies will then be presented that demonstrate this approach and show how modest systems assurance studies supported through this digital engineering approach can enable small to medium systems engineering service providers to offer impactful guidance on the design, implementation and risk mitigation of decarbonisation projects. The second part of the presentation moves the discussion to the level of national electricity grids. By taking the Australian National Electricity Market as an example, the presentation explores the advantages of taking a systems-of-systems approach and the impact this can have on achieving grid resilience during grid evolution, and operations.
Key takeaways:
- Climate change concerns are driving large-scale energy decarbonisation efforts, ranging from product redesigns to national green electricity grid transitions.
- Digital engineering and MBSE approaches help model complex decarbonisation projects and assess technical feasibility across multiple technology options.
- Systems assurance studies supported by digital engineering enable smaller service providers to guide design, implementation, and risk mitigation effectively.
- A systems-of-systems approach improves resilience in evolving national electricity grids, as shown by the Australian National Electricity Market example.
Authors
Professor Stephen Cook FIEAust CPEng NER, Senior Principal Systems Engineer, Shoal Group
Dr Mark Unewisse MIEAust CPEng NER, Systems Engineering Advisor, Shoal Group
Matthew Wylie MBA CPE CSEP, Head of Engineering, Shoal Group
Date
Monday 27 October 2025
Learn more
Click to view presentation
About Shoal
Shoal is complex systems design company. We use Systems Engineering combined with Modelling, Simulation and Analysis to help our clients define, analyse, decide, optimise, and deliver technology-intensive projects in complex environments across Defence, Space, Transport, Energy and Infrastructure.
More: shoalgroup.com
Contact
Matthew Wylie
Chief Engineer, Shoal Group
[email protected]
