Back in 2016, we began to see early signals that the world of energy was changing. What had been a predictable, one directional system was shifting beneath our feet. The rise of rooftop solar, early batteries and digitised devices pointed to something bigger: a future where the grid and customers would operate as one connected ecosystem, not separated by infrastructure but unified by data, control and participation.
We could see that the next decade would demand a different skill set.
It wouldn’t be enough to excel at trading or managing physical assets. We needed to become just as strong in data, digital platforms, advanced analytics and eventually AI, as we had been in the analogue world. What was emerging was not just new technology, but a new type of infrastructure where intelligence sits above physical assets and orchestrates them as a system. The transformation was underway: from analogue to digital, from centralised to distributed, from one-way flows to two-way electrons becoming mainstream.
The business model that had defined the industry for a century was being rewritten in real time. Value was beginning to shift beyond traditional generation and retail, toward distributed assets, platforms and customer control. This required the ability for us to adapt technologically, commercially and culturally.
That’s why programs like Free Electrons mattered so much. They brought us closer to the thinkers, founders and problem-solvers operating at the very edge of what could be possible. These were people challenging assumptions, experimenting with new architectures and showing utilities what innovation could look like when unconstrained.
Those interactions stretched our perspective, accelerated our capability and helped shape our approach to orchestrated distributed energy, digital infrastructure and customer-centred flexibility. The exposure to global innovators complemented the deep internal technical work including our early VPP orchestration, the development of intelligent platforms, and the shift toward systems that “think” through data, automation and human-guided optimisation.
Together, those internal efforts and external collaborations helped accelerate our understanding of what a modern energy system could become.
Looking back, 2016 wasn’t just a moment. It marked an inflection point – the year when the future stopped being theoretical and started becoming urgent.
It set us on the path we’re still on today: building a system where customers participate, the grid adapts, intelligence lives in every layer, and innovation happens across an ecosystem, not within a single organisation.
What began as a signal of change has now become the direction of travel for the entire industry.
For Origin, the task now is not simply to respond to that direction of travel, but to help shape it. The next era of energy will not be defined by a single technology, but by how intelligently the entire system and ecosystem work together.
Tony Lucas
Chief Financial Officer, Origin Energy
Tony Lucas is Chief Financial Officer at Origin Energy, one of Australia’s leading integrated energy companies. He oversees finance, corporate strategy, capital markets, sustainability and technology, supporting disciplined capital management while guiding the business through the transition to a lower‑carbon, more distributed and customer‑centric energy system.
Before his appointment as CFO, Tony was Executive General Manager, Future Energy and Technology, where he played a central role in shaping Origin’s future energy strategy. In this role, he drove the development of digital platforms and distributed energy capabilities that underpin new customer propositions and scalable growth.
Tony brings more than 30 years’ experience across energy and global financial markets. He began his career in international finance, holding roles at Bankers Trust (now Deutsche Bank) and Lehman Brothers in London, before moving into the energy sector. Since joining Origin in 2002, he has held a range of senior leadership positions and, in 2016, became a founding partner of FREE ELECTRONS™, championing strategic innovation and the practical application of emerging technologies and business models to deliver meaningful, scalable impact.
