AWARDS FINALIST: Tim Edmonds – Simply Energy
Tim Edmonds joined Simply Energy as the commercial customer connections lead in 2021.
Less than a year later – having identified that engineering decisions were regularly overlooking opportunities within the market that could lower costs, accelerate electrification, and facilitate earlier emissions reductions – he set up a team to turn these opportunities into business services.
As head of advisory, Edmonds, along with his team, has helped eliminate the equivalent of 180,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in those projects where he has direct responsibility, and enabled 355 GWh of new load growth.
Several customer projects that were not previously considered feasible have got under way. Others are starting earlier than expected, and the industry’s approach to electrification is now much more collaborative.
Broader service range
Edmonds and his team are now working with 18 large commercial and industrial businesses that benefit from the electricity market opportunities available to accelerate their transition efforts and take advantage of a much wider range of services.
These include:
- alternative electricity pricing structures that incentivise flexibility
- integration of technology enabling flexible energy usage
- revenue opportunities from participation in ancillary flexibility markets
- advisory services for wind, solar and battery initiatives
- economic modelling to analyse on-going transmission and network costs
- economic modelling to establish cost-effective network configurations for embedded generation and battery storage
- alternative infrastructure and asset ownership options
Innovative strategies
Edmonds’ ability to spot opportunities and solve complex problems is evidenced by a new approach to coal boiler replacement that will accelerate electrification.
Instead of the traditional approach of replacing an existing coal boiler with an equivalent-sized electrode boiler – often subject to cost and network constraints – he devised a ground-breaking hybrid solution involving operating an existing coal boiler alongside an electric one, utilising dispatch optimisation.
This approach uses Simply’s flexibility technology to enable boilers to operate in response to wholesale market signals, such as the price and carbon profile of electricity or the cost of coal.
It means process heat users can install an electric boiler sooner and optimise its use to minimise that of its coal boilers.
Open Country implemented this solution at its Awarua plant, conserving 3750 tonnes of coal and reducing its CO2e emissions by 6875 tonnes within four months.
Mataura Valley Milk
To help Mataura Valley Milk turn its Southland facility into New Zealand’s first all-electric dairy factory, Edmonds collaborated with Transpower to explore various network connection options for its new boiler, ensuring the dairy company had the additional electrical capacity required to operate it.
Edmonds worked with Mataura to identify further opportunities to improve the project's capital structure, access marginal transmission pricing, lower construction costs and reduce energy losses – all of which supported the project’s commercial viability.
With Edmond’s support, Mataura was able to thoroughly evaluate options, make decisions that balanced short and long-term priorities and negotiate a cost-effective contract for additional electrical capacity.
The boiler's installation in March 2024 marked the final step in the plant’s conversion from coal-fired milk processing to certified renewable electricity.
Edmond’s contribution will help eliminate approximately 22,000 tonnes of direct carbon dioxide emissions a year from the plant's owned or controlled sources.
Leadership
Simply Energy describes Edmonds as the type of person you want in your corner and on your team. More than just a colleague, he is a friend, leader, and mentor.
His colleagues, customers, partners, and peers regard him as an inspiring and generous leader, the company says.
His collaborative approach and leadership foster better solutions, earning him recognition amongst his colleagues, peers, and the wider energy sector for the outcomes he achieves, Simply Energy says.
The Young Energy Professional award category is sponsored by Phoenix Recycling Group.