WHAT WE DO
Komo Energy is a consultancy firm at the forefront of innovation as Australia transitions its energy sector to distributed renewable technologies.
We use our vast experience from large scale and commercial scale renewable energy projects to provide a variety of services for community groups, land holders, government departments and corporates.
We use innovative business models to find new applications of solar, storage and other Distributed Energy Resources.
OUR PEOPLE
Brent Heber
Program & Development Manager
Brent is an expert in customer relationship management and business development. After 15 years in the audio-visual and broadcast sectors, he switched industries and has spent the past 5 years working in the renewable energy industry.
His experience covers residential and commercial solar, grid connected battery systems, household energy efficiency as well as residential ventilation and insulation. Brent’s recent roles have involved implementing customer relationship management solutions for industry leaders, business development, client education, feasibility assessments and installation management.
He is passionate about renewables and about the environment and has contributed to politics in this area. He is a passionate educator of solar who can speak with authority drawing on his wealth of professional experience, in addition to his personal experience in achieving a carbon positive home in Sydney.
Gerald Arends (Director)
Head of Project Services
Gerald is a leading lawyer advising on solar and solar/battery projects both nationally and internationally, having covered transactions in more than 25 countries. Gerald has worked in a variety of legal and commercial roles in the renewable energy industry. He has 16 years standing, with the last 11 years dedicated almost exclusively to renewables. Within Komo Energy, Gerald leads on project development activities.
Gerald’s recent successes include advising BayWa r.e. on the 20 MW Hughenden project in Queensland, and the 112 MW Karadoc and the 106 MW Yatpool projects in Victoria and advising juwi Renewable Energy on the world-leading Degrussa solar/battery integration project and the Agnew hybrid project. He has worked extensively in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Japan. In the Philippines, he advised on the 132 MW Cadiz Solar Project, the largest of its kind in South East Asia.
Gerald is taking a reflective approach to his work and regularly publishes in relation to renewable energy, speaks at conferences and teaches postgraduate courses.
Jonathan Prendergast (Director)
Head of Energy Market Strategy
Jonathan is an experienced project manager, engineer and procurement specialist, with over 12 years’ experience in clean energy project developments and investments. He is particularly recognised for working at the forefront of renewable energy procurement strategies and business models. Within Komo Energy, Jonathan leads on work in the energy markets.
He has an extensive commercial and technical knowledge, having managed and advised on projects from feasibility through to implementation. Since 2012, Jonathan has managed innovative energy projects for the UTS as the university’s Consultant Project Manager – Energy, bringing several ‘firsts’ for Australian renewable energy procurement into the UTS portfolio. Johnathan co-ordinated the City of Sydney’s Technical Working Group on Trigeneration and worked as Project Analyst for Bendigo Bank on Renewable Energy and Community Impact investments 2014-16.
Jonathan strives to be a leader in the development of clean energy and is continually working on leading innovative projects and updating his knowledge.
Swati Johri (Director)
Head of Funding & Procurement Strategies
Swati is a senior projects lawyers of more than 15 years standing, covering a range of industries. She has an outstanding reputation within social housing projects and worked extensively on economic infrastructure and renewable energy projects.
Swati is also an experienced management consultant. Mostly recently, she was a Director in the Infrastructure Advisory team where she led the PwC teams advising NSW Government on a major social housing procurement program, a social housing provider on their successful bid on the NSW housing management transfers program and a UK-based renewable energy developer on a 160MW solar project. Within Komo Energy, Swati leads on commercial advisory services.
Her blend of consulting experience and her legal background give her a strong understanding of government policy drivers, process and the outcomes-based frameworks that governments use to drive results.
Our experience
Australia's first offsite Solar PPA
With UTS, Jonathan conceived and implemented an Australian first corporate renewable energy purchase from an offsite solar facility, Singleton Solar Farm using a local electricity trading style model.
Australia's first Precinct Trigeneration Project: Central Dandenong
In his role at Prendergast Projects, Jonathan performed a key role in developing Australia’s first precinct Trigeneration project in Dandenong as part of the VicUrban and DPCD Revitalising Central Dandenong initiative. Subsequently, Jonathan has been engaged on other pioneering projects such as the City of Sydney, North Ryde, Maribyrnong Defence Site and other District Energy projects.
Karadoc and Yatpool Solar Farms
In his role at Pegasus Legal, Gerald advised BayWa r.e. on the contracting for the substations and the solar farms for the 112 MW Karadoc Solar Farm and the 106 MW Yatpool Solar Farm in Victoria’s North West. The projects used a unique procurement strategy that allowed the projects to go to market at faster than many other solar farms.
Sandfire’s Degrussa Hybrid Solar/Battery project
In their role at Pegasus Legal, Gerald and Swati advised juwi Renewable Energy on solar/battery integration into an existing offgrid diesel network at Sandfire Resources’ Degrussa mine in Western Australia. The project was, and is still, industry-leading due to the commercialisation with a relatively short remaining mine life as well as the unusually high level of solar/battery penetration into the existing network. Gerald and Swati worked on all aspects of the commercial and legal structuring, from the design of the PPA through to EPC and O&M contracting, as well as ARENA funding, CEFC project financing and divestment to NEOEN.
NSW Regional Community Energy Fund Program
Provided financial and commercial advice to bidders in preparing submissions for the $30 million RCEF program.
Procurement & Project Development Services for a 162MW Solar Farm
Provided strategic, commercial advice and project development services to a UK-based developer developing a 162MW solar farm in Queensland. This involved assisting the developer in submission of the grid connection application, undertaking an independent procurement process for insurance advisory services, electricity market forecasting and key suppliers and contractors and making submissions for PPA tender processes.
INSIGHTS
5 TIPS TO DEVELOPING YOUR SOLAR FARM
CONSUMER POWER: THE UNIQUE ROLE OF CORPORATES IN RENEWABLE ENERGY
HOW DO OFFSITE SOLAR PPAS WORK?
