Hey Reader, welcome to The Energy's weekly data newsletter. This week we explore why Australian electricity meters are far from smart. The last mile Australian households yet to have access to a smart(er) meter are a step closer to seeing when they might get one after the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) this week published the approved replacement plans for legacy meters. Australia’s two-speed smart meter rollout began more than a decade ago when Victoria decided to go it alone. Today, data...
1 day ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, in today's edition: Farmers ready to electrify Beware the 'shysters' UBS flags Eraring extension ‘Good policy is how you change the world’ A group of early adopters of agritech and renewable energy who call themselves the “quiet majority” gathered in Canberra for a sold-out Farming Forever National Summit, while others shouted on a nearby hill. “Farmers are not the problem, we are the solution,” said Brett Hall, an Angus cattle farmer from the Derwent Valley in Tasmania and chair...
2 days ago • 10 min read
Hey Reader, in today's edition: Big ask for National Electricity Market reform Unlocking $4bn for the Wholesale Electricity Market Boos in Ballarat What does success look like? The National Electricity Market (NEM) review panel has been engaging heavily in recent weeks as the September 17 deadline for submissions on its draft report draws near. There have been plenty of questions on how each element of the recommendations might work in practice. The independent NEM Wholesale Market Settings...
3 days ago • 10 min read
Hey Reader, in today's edition: Higher fixed network charges put up for debate Missing tradies, specialists and IT experts Meters explained Fixed charges redux A pricing proposal killed off more than a decade ago has been put back on the table as policymakers consider how best to recover network costs in a consumer-led future. Energy Consumers Australia has suggested higher fixed network charges levied across all consumers. It argues such a move would improve equity, ensuring network costs...
6 days ago • 10 min read
Hey Reader, in today's edition: Getting off diesel Environmental law reform explained TagEnergy grows portfolio Diesel addiction threatens 2030 target Australia will fail to reach its 2030 emissions reduction target, let alone deeper cuts by 2035, if heavy industries don’t reduce their diesel use, scientists warn. A report released at Parliament House by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering (ATSE) and mining giant Fortescue (ASX: FMG) takes a look – fuel by fuel – at...
7 days ago • 11 min read
Hey Reader, welcome to The Energy's weekly data newsletter. This week we explore the impact the energy wars are having on consumer perceptions of clean energy. Australian support for clean energy Two new consumer polls on attitudes towards renewable energy provide some of the data behind the wedge politics seen in parliament this week. Debate on Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce’s private members bill to repeal climate laws on Monday quickly moved onto renewable energy targets and Nationals MP...
8 days ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, in today's edition: Preparing for a fully renewable system Measuring public support for the transition 2035 target looms Record investment in the NEM The annual State of the energy market report shows more than 5GW of new solar, wind, battery and gas capacity entered the National Electricity Market (NEM) in 2024 - the largest annual new entry of capacity since the NEM began in 1998. On 6 November 2024, renewable sources supplied 75.6% of total generation during the half-hour...
9 days ago • 12 min read
Hey Reader, in today's edition: Key player bows out of offshore wind More pressure on net zero Super for energy welcomed Bowen still hopeful on offshore wind Adding offshore wind to the energy mix is “going to be a bit slower and harder than we hoped”, Energy Minister Chris Bowen conceded, as a key player bowed out. Bowen released a draft guideline to help developers, researchers and scientists apply for Research and Demonstration licences in declared offshore zones, in a move designed to...
10 days ago • 10 min read
Hey Reader, in today's edition: A stable transition starts with workers More visibility on coal closures Battery boom trumps AEMO forecasts Reliability at home and at scale Energy workers - and their families - need certainty and the energy transition needs skilled workers. That’s the clarion call from a union of more than 60,000 electricians, apprentices and electrical workers as the National Electricity Market (NEM) faces reliability issues and as consensus on national licensing and...
13 days ago • 11 min read