In the Driver’s Seat: Clean Energy and Community Power

In this episode of the Black Magic Woman Podcast, I sit down with Ruby Heard, a proud descendant of the Jaru and Gija peoples and founder of Alinga Energy Consulting. Ruby shares her journey into electrical engineering and how a decision at sixteen to “save the world” set her on a path from Hanging Rock, Victoria, to global projects in Silicon Valley and refugee camps in Ethiopia. We yarn about her role on the First Nations Clean Energy Network steering committee, the push to ensure mob are in the driver’s seat of Australia’s renewable energy transition, and the successes of community-led clean energy projects already underway. Ruby also speaks about the barriers communities face in accessing reliable and affordable power, the reality of prepaid “power cards” in remote areas, and the opportunities to create lasting change through policy, education, and Indigenous leadership. This conversation is both inspiring and practical—showing what’s possible when cultural knowledge and engineering expertise come together to build a just energy future. Resources & Links Alinga Energy Consulting:https://www.alinga.com.au First Nations Clean Energy Network:https://www.firstnationscleanenergy.org.au Engineers Without Borders Australia:https://ewb.org.au Engineers Australia – 100 Engineers Making a Difference:https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast The Black Magic Woman Podcast is hosted by Mundanara Bayles and is an uplifting conversational style program featuring mainly Aboriginal guests and explores issues of importance to Aboriginal people and communities.  Mundanara is guided by Aboriginal Terms of Reference and focusses more on who people are rather than on what they do. If you enjoyed this episode, please ‘Subscribe’ on Apple Podcasts or ‘Follow’ on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you’d like to contact us, please email, [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.