Expert view

There are so many really good Australian papers. Australian academics lead the world. But one that comes to mind is From natural gas to electric appliances: Energy use and emissions implications in Australian homes in Energy Economics by Mara Hammerle and Paul Burke. It does a great job of considering how shifting from gas to electricity in the home can improve overall efficiency because of large reductions in natural gas use are offset by smaller rises in electricity use – particularly for space heating. Worth a read.

Tim Nelson Chair, Review of the NEM

Expert view

"I'd like to highlight the "Right to Power" report by Original Power on First Nations communities and prepayment electricity meters. This research is critically important because it shines a light on an often-overlooked issue: while much of the energy sector focuses on the transition to renewables, there are still communities in Australia without secure access to electricity. The report reveals how prepayment customers, predominantly First Nations households in remote areas, fall outside the consumer protections and safety nets that most Australians take for granted, leaving them severely disadvantaged when it comes to something as fundamental as reliable power. It's a sobering reminder that energy equity must be part of the conversation about Australia's energy future."

Anna Collyer Executive chair, Australian Energy Market Commission

Expert view

My top 3 reads this year were:

Paul Simshauser and Joel Gilmore’s paper on counterfactual modelling of renewable system costs. A detailed and dispassionate exploration of a thorny hot button issue.

Ken Thornton’s technical and social history of Eraring. Building on his excellent 2015 PhD thesis on the history of the Electricity Commission of NSW, it’s a deep, deep dive on the station.

Not published this year, but Prue McGoldrick’s Yallourn Was… and Meredith Fletcher’s Digging Up People for Coal are great social histories of the company town demolished in the quest for coal deposits, and the people whose lives were uprooted in the process.

Alex Leemon Manager, Customer and Energy Markets, PolarBlue