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Hey Reader, welcome to The Energy. In today's edition:
- Urgent priorities for DER as we await delivery of battery policy
- Postmortem after Coalition wipeout
- Clean energy progress 'unstoppable'
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Beyond batteries: heavy lifting to do before the grid supports consumers
As the government gets to work on its policy to inject ~$2.3 billion into small-scale battery storage, there remains some serious technical work to integrate distributed energy resources (DER) into the grid.
Urgent priorities beyond implementing the battery scheme include establishing proper technical standards governance, and delivering on the overdue Consumer Energy Resources (CER) Roadmap commitments.
Several years have been wasted through a series of processes to establish governance arrangements for technical standards and the industry is still waiting.
Labor's small-scale batteries program will be delivered through the existing SRES which has successfully supported rooftop solar adoption for over a decade.
The program’s start date of 1 July 2025 creates an immediate implementation challenge. The Clean Energy Regulator must develop clear guidelines, including for what constitutes ‘VPP-ready’ batteries.
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Postmortem after Coalition wipeout
Labor has a mandate to “get on and do things”, University of Sydney chancellor David Thodey told the Australian Shareholder Association investor conference in Sydney, calling for more “aspiration” from all sides of politics.
“I’ve been around Canberra a long time, and I have not seen a vision and an industry strategy for Australia for 20 years,” Thodey said.
Regional communities, particularly those living in renewable energy zones or potential nuclear development sites, now have more certainty.
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Expert view
“We now have a chance to reset and come together in renewable energy regions and stop the politicking. Instead, let’s take the opportunity to work with our communities to ensure that renewable projects are done right.
Polling consistently shows that people in the regions generally support the shift to renewable energy - so long as it’s done in a way that benefits our communities and minimises impacts on nature.
The federal election result was emphatic in removing any uncertainty of Australia’s national direction towards an energy system primarily powered by renewable sources. We now need to redouble our efforts to ensure the shift to renewables is actively contributing to the strength and resilience of our regions.
We look forward to working with regional MPs from all parties on practical solutions, like Local Energy Hubs, that ensure regional communities have the information and resources to participate in and benefit from the energy shift that is underway across the country. There is no stronger way to indicate to rural and regional Australia that you’re putting them first in the rollout.”
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Andrew Bray
RE-Alliance National Director
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Are the Liberals in danger of becoming the Kodak of Australian politics? (Inside Story)
Nationals’ Leader in the Senate Bridget McKenzie defended the Coalition’s energy policy, saying she was a “huge fan of nuclear” - a Nationals’ policy position for more than a decade - and continued to conflate nuclear marine propulsion in AUKUS submarines with nuclear reactors. McKenzie blamed Labor for weaponising what she said was a false $600 billion price tag and the “cuts” that would be needed to pay for it.
“That was false advertising by the Labor Party there and it worked. That doesn’t mean you should actually throw out a solution to our energy sovereignty.
I thought we took a really good policy suite to the election, addressing many of the issues that you’re talking about for Australians.”
Bridget McKenzie told Sky News
Meanwhile, new South Australian Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia walked back the state government's support for a Royal Commission into nuclear energy, telling ABC Radio the technology had been "comprehensively rejected" by the electorate. (Renew Economy)
Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes eviscerated leadership contender Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor.
“The economic narrative was just completely nonexistent. I’m not quite sure what he’s been doing for three years,” Hughes told ABC.
A leadership vote is expected as soon as next week, pending the preference vote count in a number of seats, with Deputy of three years Sussan Ley stepping up as acting Liberal Leader.
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Clean energy progress ‘unstoppable’
“We’ll continue to be an ambitious government but we won’t get carried away,” Anthony Albanese told reporters in the Prime Minister’s Courtyard at Parliament House.
“We’ve been an orderly government. We’ve been a reform government. The thing that I reject is the idea that we haven’t been ambitious. Look at our agenda on the clean energy economy, on childcare, on gender equality, on education.” —Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Asked if the previous parliament’s failed nature positive bill would be a priority this term, Albanese said he wanted a federal environmental regulator that supported industry and sustainability. “I think that can be achieved.”
The independent Climate Council issued a report that found voters had given a clear mandate for a strong 2035 climate target, a renewable-powered grid with subsidised home batteries, and a tougher stance on fossil fuel projects. In seats with offshore wind zone debates, ALP support typically increased. Pro-renewables independents won more primary votes than in 2022, with an average 3.8% increase in contested seats, rendering the Coalition unelectable unless the party develops credible climate and energy policies.
“Australia’s clean energy progress will soon be unstoppable. By the 2028 Federal Election, renewables are expected to be providing two-thirds of the electricity in our main grid every year, 28% more than today.” - Election 2025 Three-quarters of Millennials and Generation Z voters named climate change as a top tier voting issue for the 2025 election. This climate voting bloc is now the largest - and still growing - group of Australian voters.
Staunchly against new gas development, the Greens, despite losses in the House of Representatives, could hold the sole balance of power in the Senate from July 1 with a record upper house vote nudging 14%, pending the final count.
“We stand ready in the Senate to make this the most progressive parliament that Australia has ever seen,” Greens Leader Adam Bandt told reporters.
Leadership is up for grabs here too, with Bandt trailing Labor candidate Sarah Witty after preferences in Melbourne, and one persistent contender expected to put her hand up.
"We’ve had more people vote for the Greens than ever before, however it didn’t concentrate in some of the areas that we needed,” Senator Sarah Hanson-Young told ABC RN.
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Catch up
Policy
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The IEA published the Chairs’ Summary of the Future of Energy Security Summit highlighting energy security can no longer be understood solely in terms of traditional risks.
“Although safeguarding oil and gas supplies and maintaining emergency response mechanisms remain critical, participants agreed that the future of energy security must also encompass newer dimensions such as cybersecurity, extreme weather events, supply chain resilience for critical minerals and clean technologies, and integration of electrified and decentralised systems.” After the Coalition’s stinging loss, nuclear should be dead. Here’s why it might live on. (The Conversation)
Capital
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Clean Energy Investor Group Head of Policy Marilyne Crestias said Australia must act decisively to attract clean energy capital, with policy uncertainty clouding the net-zero investment outlook in the United States. “This election has shown yet again that Australians back renewable energy, and want to see national leadership to match,” Crestias said. “Hosting COP31 would send a powerful signal, but we need to walk the talk.”
OPEC decided to ramp up oil production in June, citing “healthy market fundamentals” and low oil inventories. Further acceleration in output is expected which could bring back to the market as much as 2.2 million barrels per day by November. US President Donald Trump, on his way to Saudi Arabia to discuss an arms deal and nuclear agreement, wants OPEC countries to produce more oil to help ease pump prices back home.(Reuters)
Shares in BP (NYSE: BP) rose after a Bloomberg report that Shell had discussed the feasibility of a takeover with advisers. (AFR)
A group of Democrat-led US states filed a lawsuit in a bid to block President Donald Trump's move to suspend leasing and permitting of new wind projects. (Reuters)
Malaysia launched a rooftop solar aggregation scheme that allows homeowners to lease or rent their rooftop space to third parties who can then develop solar systems. (PV Magazine)
Technology
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The Faroe Islands Space Program is harnessing the Moon's gravitational pull through innovative tidal kite technology to generate renewable electricity. The global potential for tidal energy is staggering, according to Minesto CEO Martin Edlund, with an estimated 650GW of technically exploitable capacity, spruiking the untapped opportunities for tidal energy in ocean-based, fossil fuel-dependent economies. (Sustainability Times) (Interesting Engineering)
People
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Perth-headquartered DUG appointed Dr Fabio Mancini as Regional Chief Geophysicist. He has worked at Hess Corporation and TotalEnergies, and was the Chief Geophysicist at Woodside Energy and Blue Ocean Seismic Services.
Research
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Using a sociotechnical perspective, researchers outline a key component of establishing an EV adoption policy roadmap: policy benchmarking. (Energy Research and Social Science)
Random
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CSIRO Senior Research Scientist Paul McInerney found mayflies and shrimp making their bodies out of ancient gas in Queensland’s Condamine River. (The Conversation)
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What's on
May 6
Australian Wind Industry Forum
Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Tony Maher will deliver a keynote address in Melbourne at the Clean Energy Council’s onshore wind industry event.
May 7-8
Energy Users Association of Australia National Conference
Zen Energy Director Professor Ross Garnaut and Macquarie Group Head of Net Zero Ric Deverell will open the EUAA's annual conference in Melbourne. Other speakers include Endeavour Energy CEO Guy Chalkley, Essential Energy CEO John Cleland, Transgrid EGM of Network Marie Jordan, NEM Review expert panelist Phil Hirschhorn, Squadron Energy CEO Rob Wheals and Solstice Energy CEO Phaedra Deckart.
May 8
Melbourne Energy Institute public lecture
Pennsylvania State University Associate Professor of Energy Economics Chiara Lo Prete will speak at a hybrid event on contracts for gas prioritisation to power plants and grid reliability during winter emergencies.
May 16
AEMO consultation - cyber security
Submissions on the draft report on whether AEMO’s cyber security roles and responsibilities should be a declared NEM project are due.
May 21-22
Australian Renewable Energy Zones conference
Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Tony Mahar will speak along with EnergyCo CEO Hannah McCaughey and NSW Energy and Water Ombudsman Janine Young at this Sydney event.
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