DrEd Langham

Discussion of our recently released research on barriers to home energy upgrades covered in The Conversation

Summary of new research on the barriers encountered by households wishing to undertake home energy upgrades

Have you ever thought about developing a local solar farm? Have you got a few sites in mind but not sure how much the grid can handle? In years gone by the answer to these questions for most people was most definitely no. But in 2017 as the distributed energy transition steamrolls on and innovative start-ups, communities and local governments step up to play with the industry ‘big guys’, increasingly the answer is ‘hell yes!’

Australia, like much of the rest of the world, is in the midst of an energy transition. With falling electricity demand and the uptake of household solar panels in just under 1.4 million homes, the most important question is not whether this transition is happening, but how we manage it to maximise the benefit to all Australians. Community energy is one of the answers. Community energy projects are those in which a community comes together to develop, deliver and benefit from sustainable energy. They can involve energy supply projects such as renewable energy installations and storage, and energy reduction projects such as energy efficiency and demand management. Community energy can even include community-based approaches to selling or distributing energy. Community energy projects allow individuals to be involved in clean energy beyond the bounds of their own homes or businesses and in so doing bring a range of benefits and opportunities for their household and for the wider community.

How will our electricity system change in the future? Will we consume more electricity over time or less? And how will we meet our energy needs? The answers to these questions have considerable public policy implications but our ability to forecast these changes has so far been limited. Electricity forecasts just four years ago predicted strong, uninterrupted growth in electricity demand. In reality, demand has fallen for the past four years.

Around the world, people concerned about global warming and wary of higher energy costs are turning away from big power distributors in favour of local and “distributed” energy technologies and services. You may have seen this video doing the rounds lately. It tells the story of Boulder, Colorado, where the city council is planning to take over the electricity supply system from their utility, Xcel Energy. Not surprisingly, Xcel is resisting. Boulder wants to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and lower the cost of electricity. And they have framed this as a battle between a small community and a corporate energy giant. It’s unclear whether Boulder will succeed in taking control of the grid, as while just this week the proposal was given the thumbs up by voters, it is bound to face legal challenges from Xcel. But could this “people’s revolt” be a sign of future localised energy autonomy?