Dominic Zaal

Dominic Zaal is the Director of the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute (ASTRI) within CSIRO. ASTRI is a Federal Government (ARENA) funded Program for the development and demonstration of Solar Thermal systems and technologies within Australia. As ASTRI Director, Dominic is actively involved in promoting the role that Solar Thermal can play in Australia's future energy mix. In undertaking this role, Dominic works closely with industry and governments on a range of Solar Thermal advocacy and commercial uptake opportunities.

Dominic is also actively involved in the working with companies on renewable heat options for industrial decarbonisation. The focus is on mid to high temperature (150C - 600C) renewable heat technologies (including thermal energy storage) to displace natural gas.

Prior to his work with CSIRO/ASTRI, Dominic worked in the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), where he was responsible for developing strategies for commercial uptake of renewable energy technologies. Dominic also managed an ARENA Program Team responsible for over 100 renewable projects across a diverse range of technologies. As Program Manager, he worked closely with industry and research institutions on the development, demonstration, and commercial deployment of renewable energy technologies.

Before joining ARENA, Dominic worked on Energy Programs within the Department of Industry. This included management of the Australian Government’s Energy Efficiency Opportunities (EEO) Program, which assisted large Australian companies to identify and implement energy efficiency savings.