SwitchedOn Australia RenewEconomy

A popular refrain of the renewable energy transition is it will deliver an energy system that is more democratic, as well as decarbonised. That the political power of generating energy will shift from big power companies to households, as a result of us being able to generate and control electrical power from our rooftop solar, batteries, electric vehicles, etc. But this decentralised, democratic narrative isn’t a foregone conclusion. For many years Dr Bjorn Sturmberg, the Research Leader at the Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program at the ANU, has worked towards energy equity – he implemented Australia’s first solar and storage microgrid for an apartment building, and led a startup that makes solar work for rental properties. But Bjorn now believes trying to address energy equity in our privatised energy market is flawed, and we need to expand our imaginations so we can have energy equity for everyone. He’s proposing a basic energy scheme where every household is provided with free electricity to cover essential, non-discretionary uses of electricity – cooking, heating and cooling – and excess consumption is paid for through existing market mechanisms.

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In the last couple of weeks the Federal Government has brought down a budget that does nothing to help householders electrify, and a gas strategy based on the premise that fossil “gas is needed through to 2050 and beyond.” Whilst the Government has promised a $300 rebate on every household’s energy bill, this one-off sugar hit is seen by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) as a missed opportunity to deliver permanent energy bill relief to those most in need. Permanent bill relief could have been achieved if householders were helped to get off gas and electrify by installing rooftop solar and batteries. Furthermore, the looming gas supply gap the government wants to fill with more gas, could be plugged by reducing household gas use. Joshua Runciman is the lead analyst for Australian gas at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, IEEFA.

For more information about electrification and energy efficiency https://switchedon.reneweconomy.com.au

As we embrace the renewable energy transition there’s a growing interest in ‘community’ batteries – they’re seen as a way for local communities to share energy resources, especially with people who can’t afford their own batteries or solar. But Tristan Edis, the Director of Analysis and Advisory at the consultancy firm Green Energy Markets, says most of the medium sized batteries that have so far been installed in Australia and called ‘community’ batteries have failed to deliver value for energy consumers, or reduce energy bills. He’s crunched the numbers and found the government has been funding big monopoly power companies to install ‘community’ batteries which produce power that is substantially more expensive than what a household battery can.
For more information on electrification and energy efficiency https://switchedon.reneweconomy.com.au

Amory Lovins has been writing and talking about energy policy, renewable energy, sustainability and energy efficiency for over 50 years. His views have been crucial to our understanding of energy efficiency. Lovins has advised major firms and numerous governments, authored hundreds of papers and books, and taught at several universities most recently Stanford. Time magazine named him one of the world’s most influential people. Lovins joins his colleague, Dean Walter, Principal of Strategy at RMI (the Rocky Mountain Institute), to discuss the enormous and still untapped potential of energy efficiency in the transition to a net zero future.

For more information about electrification and energy efficiency https://switchedon.reneweconomy.com.au

Australians are installing an estimated 940,000 new gas appliances and 800,000 new resistive electric appliances -panel heaters, oil heaters and older style electric hot water systems - every year, which are locking in significant long-term costs for heating and cooking. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis(IEEFA) found these inefficient appliances will force Australians to rack up $3.4billion in unnecessary energy costs because, whilst they may be cheaper to buy, they are more expensive to run. The problem is Australia has no minimum energy standards for space heaters, water heaters or cooktops which would enable consumers to make informed decisions about these important home appliances. Jay Gordon, IEEFA’s Energy Finance Analyst, says the government could fix the problem with a single intervention.

For more information about electrification and energy efficiency https://switchedon.reneweconomy.com.au

A recent report from Rewiring Aotearoa has shown the rising cost of petrol and gas in New Zealand now means electric homes and EVs are more affordable than fossil fuel alternatives. Even accounting for higher upfront costs, and the interest you pay if you need to borrow to buy these appliances, the report shows a combination of EVs and electric appliances are cheaper over the lifetime of the machines. The average home that uses gas and petrol vehicles could save around NZ$1500 per year at current interest rates (around AUD$1400). Even more – NZ$4,500 - if they get a low interest loan and get their electricity from a combination of rooftop solar, a home battery, and the existing electricity grid. Mike Casey, the Chief Executive of Rewiring Aotearoa, discusses their Electric Homes report, and how he fully electrified his own cherry farm.

For more information about electrification and energy efficiency https://switchedon.reneweconomy.com.au/