Dr Glenn Platt leads a team working on a diverse range of energy efficiency and clean generation technologies, from new types of wind generators through to energy management technologies for your house.
Dr Glenn Platt is a Research Group Leader with CSIRO Energy Technology.
He enjoys leading a diverse team of energy experts, and has an eagerness and interest in applying his skills as an engineer to helping the wider community.
Current activities
Dr Platt leads the CSIRO Energy Technology Demand Side Energy Systems group, a team of engineers working on technologies such as:
Numerous industry roles have given Dr Platt an understanding of the practical characteristics of real-world systems and how research can be applied to solve specific challenges.
As Dr Platt explains, 'Whilst there's a lot of focus on large-scale clean generation techniques, my team concentrates on the demand side of the electricity system and energy efficiency technologies that can help us use less electricity, and distributed generation technologies that make electricity close to where it will be consumed, for example, solar panels on the roof of your house.'
'These technologies, focusing on where we actually use the electricity, have benefits such as reducing the need for more large infrastructure, allowing people to feel ownership of their energy consumption, and improving the reliability of our electricity system.'
Dr Platt is responsible for managing the combined efforts of a sizeable team of researchers and technicians from CSIRO's Division of Energy Technology and the ICT Centre.
Background
Dr Platt's background in electrical engineering and wireless communications has given him a sound platform to apply his theoretical knowledge to the world of distributed energy management and intelligent agents.
'I have been interested in how and why things work from a very early age,' says Dr Platt.
'I used to be a member of CSIRO's Double Helix club and I can vividly remember a science show they performed at high school where they showed us how rockets could be made. After the show, I went straight home and tried it for myself–I had to have a go and know how it was done. I've always been very inquisitive!'
Numerous industry roles, including his experience as a research engineer in Denmark with Nokia Mobile Phones, have given Dr Platt an understanding of the practical characteristics of real-world systems.
Academic qualifications
Dr Platt studied electrical engineering at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, completing a thesis titled Power line carrier communication methods.
During his undergraduate degree he won a scholarship to study overseas and spent time studying at Ohio University, USA. His Doctorate was in electrical engineering in the area of telecommunications.
Achievements
Dr Platt has received numerous awards in recognition of his work including:
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completed the Vincent Fairfax Leadership programme in 2008
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co-winner of The International Symposium on Energy, Informatics and Cybertics' Best Paper Award, 2005
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winner of The University of Newcastle Postgraduate Student's Association student scholarship, 2002
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winner of the Institution of Engineers Australia 'Ian Henderson Award' for public speaking, 2001
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awarded Young Achievers Australia Young Business Person of the Year for Hunter region, 1998.
Learn more about CSIRO's work in Information & Communication Technologies.
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