Adam Gangemi (MBA, ’19) is among a new breed of young professionals committed to sustainable energy and carbon reduction solutions that will help decarbonise the Australian economy. 

Mr Gangemi has worked extensively in the energy space, developing and managing energy reduction solutions for predominantly large-scale projects.

In 2018, driven by a desire to support Western Australian businesses to make compelling changes to their global footprint, Mr Gangemi founded energy advisory Super Smart Energy Pty Ltd.

As Managing Director of Super Smart Energy, Mr Gangemi leads the organisation’s commitment to enhancing environmental and economic outcomes through developing and implementing high quality, carefully considered and accessible decarbonisation strategies.

Mr Gangemi focuses on educating and enlightening clients about energy waste and working with them to implement evidence-based solutions that will deliver value including reducing carbon footprints and achieving savings.

^{Adam Gangemi, Managing Director of Super Smart Energy}

How did studying an MBA help you launch your own company?

Coming from a technical background (geophysics), studying a business degree helped provide me with the business and financial skills needed to take the next step to manage my own business. It was never my intention from the start of my studies to go out on my own, however, with the learnings from the MBA and seeing others in the cohort achieve success in their own business I thought I could do it as well. 

What does a typical day look like for you?

I am normally up at 5am to make my way into the office for a 6am start. These first few hours before people arrive and the phone starts ringing are so valuable to help set up the day and build movement. Once 9am arrives it’s normally internal meetings followed by project work or meetings with current and prospective clients. The afternoon is normally focused on reviewing current timeframes, proposed client strategies and technical challenges before making sure I’m home for bath time with my little one.

Why such a passion for renewable energy?

I used to work in the oil and gas industry and we were often shown the Macondo disaster in the Gulf of Mexico as an event we needed to avoid as a company. There’s an image of a pelican covered in oil from that spill which resonated with me. I often wondered about the way we could avoid such disasters and the serious clean-up costs. Then, as renewables began to build momentum and move
to cost parity, the decision to make a career change was very easy as it made sense financially, socially and because of the impact it would have on the environment.

What carbon targets would you like to see in place for WA and Australia?

A zero carbon economy by 2040 and carbon offsets to be phased out by 2030 (if not earlier). It's ambitious, however, it's better to be bold and brave.

What are the biggest barriers to Western Australia switching to fully renewable energy?

Policy support and grid enablement for me are the two biggest barriers holding Western Australia back. If we had a government that supported the energy transition and made it easier for companies to add new projects either via infrastructure upgrades or renewable energy zones that would be a great start. Also, with the intermittent nature of renewable energy, making sure we have grid infrastructure that ensures continuous reliable power when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine. This would require large batteries for instant power support and base load support that can support the grid for many hours.

What changes do you think we'll see in the mining and energy sectors over the next decade?

Electrification, data and automation will be the big changes we see over the next decade. We are already seeing mining companies pushing for 60+ per cent renewable energy for new mining projects and insights from big data are helping the industry to improve productivity, communication and reliability. Automation will continue to improve and make mining safer by removing operators from site. Exciting times ahead!