Author at Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis
Homes will be equipped with rooftop solar panels, EV-managed charging technology, smart air conditioners and smartphones, all connected by smart software – a virtual power plant in the making
The push towards electrification is accelerating and will require smarter energy management to match demand with supply and provide the types of services that will support a renewable grid. Markets and business models are changing to meet this need, as are households. The most important principle in the new energy-buildings-transport-technology nexus is that a […]
Your home’s power plant – turning solar energy, battery, electrical appliances and electric vehicles on the roof into a source of energy used by the energy market
March 21, 2022 (IEEFA): As Australia passes three million rooftop solar installations, households looking to buy a battery storage system or an electric vehicle can be part of a new type of plant electricity resulting in faster and cheaper decarbonization. In the future, so-called “virtual power plants” that harvest distributed renewable electricity and demand response will play […]
We need a mission-oriented energy policy
Energy market organizations reluctantly recognize that governments interfere and always will. It would be more tolerable if everyone was on the same page. To date in Australia, there has been no shared vision. The absence of a coherent national energy policy caused a rollercoaster of investments and meant that we did not have the […]
The resources behind the meter – rooftop solar, electric vehicles, batteries and smart devices – need to be optimized or households will pay more in the energy transition
In July 2020, the Energy Security Board (ESB) released a consultation paper proposing that technical standards for distributed energy resources (DERs) – rooftop solar, electric vehicles, smart appliances and everything in between – be governed by a new way. Unlike the existing mess of multiple forms of uncoordinated norm setting, a […]
The sun will power much of our future – policy and regulation for Australia’s electrification must embrace distributed energy resources
Amid global coal and gas price volatility, Australia’s electrification via rooftop solar is the clear winner in the race for the cheapest energy. Critics who claimed economies of scale were lacking when Australia began subsidizing household rooftop solar, maintaining the focus on large-scale solar, overlooked the economics of production and colocation load. Put […]
Make the right technical decisions about DER
Despite being ahead of rooftop solar installations, Australia lags behind other jurisdictions (such as Germany and California) in establishing reasonable governance arrangements for technical standards distributed energy resources (DER). DER technical standards – covering smart appliances including rooftop solar systems, air conditioners, electric vehicle (EV) chargers, swimming pool pumps and others – are designed […]
It’s time to think big about DER on a small scale
The Energy Security Board’s (ESB) final advice on post-2025 market design to energy ministers has been highly controversial. Firstly, there was the unnecessary proposal of a capacity payment paid by electricity consumers to power stations not only for the electricity they produce, but also for the size of the capacity installed in the station, regardless of either the way […]
A useless “solution” to a problem that has already been solved
A landmark decision announced yesterday requires electricity distribution networks (local pole and cable companies) to support energy exports from household rooftop solar systems, batteries, electric vehicles (EVs) and other consumer energy devices. The IEEFA notes that the new Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) rules are two steps forward, one leap back for electricity consumers. AEMC did […]
Energy ministers must rethink how to mandate demand response for household appliances
As Australia’s electricity system transitions to variable renewable sources, the need for smart solutions such as demand response increases. Household Demand Response provides options to increase or decrease an appliance’s power consumption. It can also be used to alter the flow of any on-site power generation, for example using excess solar generation to charge […]
Energy ministers urged to rethink AS4755 against more beneficial and consumer-friendly international solutions
August 5, 2021 (IEEFA Australia): Imposing a new Australian standard for swimming pool pumps, air conditioners, electric storage water heaters and electric vehicle chargers will lead households to outdated technology, according to a new Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) report. Australian energy ministers have decided that various home appliances sold in the […]
