By boosting the demand for energy from the grid, electric cars could help create an incentive for more renewable energy investment, while smoothing over issues with supply and demand.
It’s time to take the political heat out of electricity grids.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
Privatisation and competition were supposed to make electricity cheaper. Instead, Australia’s quasi-federal energy system has made it easier to pass the buck when things go wrong.
Better managing how we use electricity in our homes will reduce pressure on the grid, and reduce the need for more power stations.
Power line image from www.shutterstock.com
Fossil fuel advocates claim only coal and gas can deliver cheap and reliable energy, and renewables are synonymous with sustainability. But demand management can solve all three problems.
The 155mph BMW i8 HYBRID might be beyond most of us, but it shows how far the electric drive sector has come.
Motor Blog
The potential shutdown of Victoria’s Hazelwood power station could leave a large gap in coal-fired baseload generation. But other coal power stations have plenty of spare capacity to fill the gap.
South Australia is leading the way on wind energy - but that’s posing problems for the electricity sector.
Wind image from www.shutterstock.com
Alex Fattal, University of Technology Sydney and Nicky Ison, University of Technology Sydney
The electricity market that covers most of Australia is designed to have periods of high prices, to attract new generators. But there may be better ways to encourage electricity investment.
Malcolm Turnbull faces many challenges in transitioning Australia to a post-mining boom economy.
Lukas Coch/AAP
What are the key policy challenges facing the new Turnbull government in terms of economic growth and budgets, cities, transport, energy, school education, higher education and health?
Labor has promised half of Australia’s electricity will come from renewables in 2030.
Wind turbine image from www.shutterstock.com
There’s a wealth of climate policies to choose from this election – but what will they do electricity prices?
An LNG tanker leaves Gladstone, Queensland. Gas development is one of the drivers behind Australia’s increasing emissions and electricity demand.
AAP/Dan Peled
When will residential solar be cheaper than the cost of power from the grid? This point of ‘grid parity’ is a moving target but moving closer in a number of places.
Before jumping into the home battery market, make sure you do your research.
Patrick Fallon/Reuters
The ‘early adopters’ of home battery storage will pay significantly more than those who come later, but it won’t be long until prices drop enough for many more to get on board.
By 2030 large-scale solar cost about the same as fossils fuels.
Solar image from www.shutterstock.com
By 2030 renewable energy sources such as solar and wind will cost a similar amount to fossils fuels such as coal and gas, thanks to falling technology costs
Is the price right for installing solar panels?
Edmund Tse/Flickr
In June this year, forecasts revealed residential and business demand has risen for the first time in five years. The trend could be here to stay, according to a report released today from the Australia Institute.
South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago is the third since the bank adopted a more transparent way of operating.
Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko
The South African Reserve Bank is a fine example of clear communication of the decision whether to hold, increase, or decrease interest rates. It also gives clear signals of future decisions.
Rooftop solar panels are disrupting Australia’s electricity market, and competing with networks.
Jason Wong/Flickr
James Whitmore, The Conversation and Michael Hopkin, The Conversation
The federal government’s keenly awaited Energy White Paper is firmly focused on cutting prices and red tape, and boosting industry competitiveness - and less so on climate change and renewable energy.