After almost 20 years with BAI Communications (previously known as Broadcast Australia), the company’s Head of Sustainability and Buildings, Patrick Maraun is leaving the broadcast transmission company.
Patrick will move to back to the data centre industry, an area of expertise where he worked before he joined BAI in 2005.
Patrick and his team have been responsible for upgrading transmitter sites for broadcasters all around the country in a staged replacement timeline that aims to upgrade transmission and electrical equipment to the most sustainable options available for their clients.
BAI runs 741 transmission sites for ABC, SBS, WIN and Southern Cross Austereo, as well as delivering technology solutions for governments, transport providers and heavy industry.
Patrick was one of the first radio broadcast industry technology practitioners to join the ‘Green Ears Roundtable‘ initiative and has played an active part in sharing information and improving performance of broadcast trasmission equipment for the radio industry. ‘Green Ears’ was formed by broadcasters from all Australian radio sectors to improve the industry’s sustainability and help companies track their emissions.
Broadcast companies are increasingly being called to account for their emissions by governments and customers. In the broadcast industries, transmission is one of the major elements of any company’s energy consumption. When transmission is outsourced to an external provider, it is known as the broadcast company’s ‘Scope 3 emissions,’ in line with a set of definitions that measure your own (Scope 1 & 2) and your suppliers’ emissions (Scope 3).
Measuring transmitter emissions depends on the cooperation of your provider to report on the sustainability of your transmitter sites. BAI has been one of Australia’s most responsive transmission companies thanks to the work of Patrick and his team.
Patrick Maraun has told radioinfo:
“Through the Green Ears industry collaboration forum, we have the opportunity both to support and be inspired by the sustainability commitments of our major customers. The forum provides a valuable platform for participants to share sustainability wins, lessons, and build on our shared commitment to provide a more sustainable future for the Australian broadcast industry.
“As Australia’s largest provider of terrestrial broadcast transmission services we are acutely aware of our carbon emissions footprint and acknowledge that we need to take steps to decarbonise.
“In providing mission-critical availability services across Australia we also understand the value of resilient on-site power systems, especially in times of local emergency conditions. The dispersed nature of our physical network also means that we are uniquely vulnerable to the physical risks arising from the increased frequency and severity of climate extremes.
“As one of the top 200 Scope 2 carbon emitters in Australia, our executive leadership team committed in 2022 to reaching net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040 across our entire operation.
“Since then, we have continued to invest in renewable energy generation systems at a selection of high-powered facilities to provide on-site carbon-free energy sources and have committed to setting a science-based emissions reduction target with SBTI. We also appreciate that our emissions are inseparable from those of our value chain, and so we engage proactively with our major customers to support the wider industry journey towards net zero.”
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