Peak power demand is a major factor driving Australia’s rising power prices. So how do consumers tackle this, and how will it affect vulnerable households?
Planned transmission infrastructure upgrades will allow South Australia to export more wind power and Victoria to use less fossil fuel.
Last week, another US coal-burning utility announced a significant wind power purchase that would lead to lower, more stable electricity prices.
US and European electricity retailers let their customers know whether their power is coming from renewables or fossil fuels. Australian retailers have no such obligation.
Despite blistering heat and a supposed new air-con load, Australia’s electricity market wasn’t pushed very hard at all this past summer. So what’s going on?
AGL Energy’s decision to buy the nation’s biggest power station emitter has paid handsome financial dividends, despite falls in demand hitting its retail operations. Its wind farm portfolio, however, has overtaken its hydro capacity, and CEO Michael Fraser is still trying to make sense of the political landscape, and its impact on carbon and clean energy.
Data is emerging as a key issue in the electricity industry. So much data about network operations is kept secret, but if it was released it could help stop gold-plating. And it may even help consumers getter better deals from energy retailers.
Despite heatwave conditions causing Australia’s electricity demand to buck its dropping trend, coal-fired power and NEM emissions continue their retreat.
QCA says compulsory time-of-use pricing for solar households expensive, ineffective, unfair and maybe illegal, but good for networks. Hooray!
Study finds that installing solar PV on every suitable rooftop could supply 134.8% of Australia’s residential electricity needs, cut prices to 7c/kWh.
The global electricity market, once noted for dull regulated returns, is in a state of turmoil. Its business model is effectively broken – a series of dramatic ‘game changing’ renewables technologies and falling demand has seen to that. The question is, what should go in its place?
As Australia’s electricity prices continue to spiral out of control, a strong case is building for the introduction of demand management targets.
The federal government’s final Energy White Paper names retail price deregulation, increased community engagement, improving the efficiency of energy networks, and the nation-wide roll-out of smart meters as some of the key critical reforms needed to help lower retail electricity prices.
The time is right for scientists to take ownership of the energy policy debate, before the public switch off from that issue too.
For low-income households, energy saving usually means switching off. Will COAG’s reforms give them more options?
The PM’s electricity reform plan will not cut power prices or stop increases. It’s a temporary cover to stem the political blood loss.
The PM takes her electricity pricing reform package to COAG this week. But could the answer be in addressing congestion pricing for the network?
SA/Vic power network co. denies overspending on infrastructure. Second bidder for Q-Cells; Galaxy’s lithium call; Oz solar gong; world water warning.
