Published 26 February 2025

Spending the 2024-25 summer as a vacation student at CleanCo has cemented Petra Celebicanin’s interest in renewable energy. 

An electrical engineering student at the University of Queensland, Petra was assigned to CleanCo’s Strategy and Development team, where she was quickly immersed in the world of grid-scale batteries. 

As she is studying for a second major in advanced finance and economics, Petra was delighted to be given the task of developing an operating model for a pilot NAS (sodium sulfur) battery that CleanCo is investigating. She was able to work with engineers, sustainability experts and retail analysts to develop the model. 

“I was asked to investigate how the different operating factors of the NAS battery would affect not only its financial sustainability but also its lifespan,” she said. 

“In order to do this, I had to learn about the way the National Electricity Market operates, as well as the NAS battery technology itself. 

“It was great to go to Swanbank where the NAS pilot project is based and see the site for myself. As the site is being developed into a Clean Energy Hub, I was also able to see the lithium-ion battery being built there.” 

Petra said her experience at CleanCo confirmed she is on the right track with her studies. 

“Being able to learn more about an innovative technology such as the NAS battery was very exciting. There are more than 250 of these types of batteries in operation around the world but currently, there is only one NAS battery operating in Australia. 

“Working at CleanCo was a really positive experience for me – the people were very friendly and willing to share their knowledge with me. I learnt a lot and got a taste of what it would be like to work in the world of renewable and low emission energy – I’m excited to finish my degree and start working in this space!”