Electrification

SwitchedOn podcast: Electrification won’t blow the grid, if networks can connect with consumers

Published by

For years we’ve been told that widespread electrification could overwhelm Australia’s electricity networks.

But midway through the Electrify 2515 trial, Endeavour Energy, the project’s network distributor, says the biggest influence on the grid is customer behaviour – when and how customers use their electrical appliances.

General Manager of Future Grid and Asset Management Colin Crisafulli explains why we won’t need to double grid infrastructure even if we double the amount of electricity we use, and why managing just a handful of peak demand days each year is what really drives network investment.

He argues that networks need to develop products, tariffs and services that genuinely deliver value for customers if they want households to embrace more flexible energy use. 

Anne Delaney is the host of the SwitchedOn podcast and our Electrification Editor. She has had a successful career in journalism (the ABC and SBS), as a documentary film maker, and as an artist and sculptor.

Anne Delaney

Anne Delaney is the host of the SwitchedOn podcast and our Electrification Editor. She has had a successful career in journalism (the ABC and SBS), as a documentary film maker, and as an artist and sculptor.

Share
Published by

Recent Posts

Wholesale power prices plunge as renewables surge, batteries boom, and gas hits 23-year low

Wholesale electricity prices surge as wind displaces coal, batteries push out gas and home storage…

28 July 2026

Sunshine state sets new solar record – in the middle of winter

Queensland has set a new record for the share of solar power in its electricity…

27 July 2026

Electricity network tariffs are a dog’s breakfast – where to now for distributors?

With less need for networks to perform their traditional role, and the state of tariffs…

27 July 2026

Climate groups back push for data centres to BYO renewables, ahead of Friday ministers’ meeting

Australia's growing number of large-scale data centres must be powered by renewable energy, groups say,…

27 July 2026

Quinbrook seeks approval for large solar farms to help power Australia’s push into making silicon for PV

Quinbrook begins planning journey for the first of two solar projects worth up to 500…

27 July 2026

Wind project cut in half due to weak wind resource and after strong community opposition

Plans to develop a wind farm in Queensland’s Whitsunday region have been cut in half,…

27 July 2026