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Bjorn Sturmberg

Research Leader, Battery Storage & Grid Integration Program at The Australian National University, Australian National University
Dr Bjorn Sturmberg is a Research Leader in the Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program at The Australian National University, which is designing and implementing the building blocks of our future electricity system.

Dr Sturmberg holds a PhD in physics from The University of Sydney. His PhD work on nanostructures that improve the efficiency of solar cells was awarded a scholarship from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. During this work he developed unique simulation software that he made available open source and that is now used in research groups internationally. He continued his passion for open source science in his postdoctoral appointment at Macquarie University, which delivered an open source package for studying the interaction of high power light waves with sound waves.

Dr Sturmberg is committed to improving energy equity. He spearheaded the multi-award winning Stucco Solar + Storage project, which, in an Australian first, transformed an apartment building into a highly self-sufficient microgrid with solar and storage, and slashed residents bills by over half. He subsequently received a Myer Innovation Fellowship and founded a social enterprise that unlocks solar for rental properties. He is a regular contributer to the public and policy energy discourses.

When transmission lines fell, 16 electric vehicles fed power into the grid

Jul 09, 2024 10:57 am UTC| Business Technology

Electric vehicles are an increasingly common sight on Australian roads. Each one cuts carbon emissions by half compared to fossil fuel vehicles, but increases household electricity use by 50%. This extra electricity...

Electricity prices are rising again. Here's how to ensure renters can cash-in on rooftop solar

May 26, 2023 14:49 pm UTC| Economy

Consumers struggling with cost-of-living pressures were dealt another blow on Thursday, when the Australian Energy Regulator confirmed energy price hikes of up to 25% from July. For the one in three Australian homes...

Climate Change Series

Good news – there's a clean energy gold rush under way

Sep 05, 2022 04:31 am UTC| Insights & Views

This week, the Australian Energy Market Operator warned gaps in electricity supply are likely within three years. The reason? Coal plants are quitting the market earlier than expected, as well as becoming less reliable....

Go local: how to keep the power on when disaster hits

Feb 10, 2020 23:51 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Bushfires, storms and floods regularly leave thousands of Australian homes and businesses without power. Sydneys wettest weekend in three decades left more than 130,000 households without power on Sunday. South...

Economy

Global Smartphone Shipments Rise 2% in 2025 as Apple Leads Market, Outlook Weakens for 2026

Global smartphone shipments recorded a modest 2% year-on-year increase in 2025, signaling a gradual recovery for the mobile industry, according to a report released by Counterpoint Research. The growth was largely fueled...

Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Dollar Slips on Powell Investigation Concerns

Asian currencies traded mostly flat on Monday as the U.S. dollar weakened following news that the U.S. government had opened a criminal investigation involving Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, raising fresh concerns...

Asian Stocks Edge Higher as Tech Shares Lead Gains Amid Global Uncertainty

Most Asian stock markets moved higher on Monday, led by gains in technology shares that followed a strong performance by U.S. peers, although overall advances remained limited due to rising geopolitical and macroeconomic...

Markets React as Tensions Rise Between White House and Federal Reserve Over Interest Rate Pressure

Tensions between the White House and the U.S. Federal Reserve escalated sharply over the weekend after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell revealed that the administration had allegedly threatened him with a criminal...

Japan Launches Deep-Sea Rare Earth Mining Mission to Reduce Reliance on China

Japan has taken a major step toward securing its supply of critical minerals by launching a groundbreaking deep-sea mining mission aimed at extracting rare earth elements from the ocean floor. A government-backed Japanese...

Politics

Marine Le Pen Appeal Puts 2027 French Presidential Race in the Balance

Marine Le Pen, the prominent leader of Frances far-right National Rally (RN), has begun a decisive appeal in Paris that could determine whether she is eligible to run in the 2027 French presidential election. The legal...

South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung Seeks Diplomatic Balance in Japan Summit Amid China Tensions

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is set to hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday in Nara City, highlighting Seouls ongoing effort to balance relations with its two key neighbours, Japan...

Australian Arts Festival Faces Author Boycott Amid Free Speech and Antisemitism Debate

A leading Australian arts festival has been thrown into turmoil after dozens of writers withdrew in protest over the decision to bar an Australian Palestinian author following the Bondi Beach mass shooting, reigniting a...

Trump Signals Possible Veto of ACA Subsidy Extension, Raising Health Insurance Uncertainty

U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited uncertainty around the future of Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance subsidies after saying he may veto legislation aimed at extending federal health insurance tax credits....

South Korea Investigates Alleged Civilian Drone Flights Into North Korean Airspace

South Korean authorities have launched a formal investigation into the possibility that civilians may have flown drones into North Korean airspace, following accusations from Pyongyang that unmanned aircraft violated its...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

BESI Reports Strong Q4-25 Orders Surge Driven by Data Center and Hybrid Bonding Demand

BE Semiconductor Industries N.V. (Euronext: BESI), a leading Dutch semiconductor assembly equipment manufacturer, reported robust preliminary orders for the fourth quarter of 2025, underscoring strengthening demand across...

Trump Considers Starlink to Restore Internet Access in Iran Amid Protests

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he is considering discussions with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk about restoring internet access in Iran, where authorities have imposed widespread blackouts amid...

Anthropic Launches HIPAA-Compliant Healthcare Tools for Claude AI Amid Growing Competition

Anthropic has announced the launch of a new suite of healthcare-focused tools integrated into its Claude AI chatbot, marking another significant step in the rapidly expanding use of artificial intelligence in medicine. The...

Elon Musk Says X Will Open-Source Its Algorithm Amid EU Scrutiny

Elon Musk announced on Saturday that X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, will publicly release its recommendation algorithm, including the full code behind organic content and advertising post...

China’s AI Sector Pushes to Close U.S. Tech Gap Amid Chipmaking Challenges

China is accelerating efforts to narrow its technological gap with the United States, driven by increased risk-taking, innovation, and strong policy support for artificial intelligence and semiconductors. Leading Chinese...