Australia - Smart Grids - Climate Change and Photovoltaics

Synopsis

The fundamental shift that has taken place in environmental policies since 2007 will have a huge effect on the utilities market. Energy policies that were developed prior to this now need to be considered in relation to the new climate change and environmental realities – and for the ICT and energy industries this will involve checking government initiatives such as smart meters and national fibre telecoms networks against the new directions. By 2009 some CO2 policies such as the Cap and Trade system, as well as policies in relation to renewable energy, started to become clearer. Intensive lobbying aimed at risk aversion rather than at looking towards new opportunities is making it more difficult to drive changes more through new technologies for renewable energy and for smart grids. It could well be that in the end clean energy policies driven by photovoltaics are going to be the catalyst for the development of smart grids

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
  
• 2. Climate change policies
  
  • 2.1 Global warming – a new important political consideration
    
  • 2.2 Copenhagen Climate Council
    
    • 2.2.1 After Copenhagen all eyes should move to China (analysis)
      
  • 2.3 Australia is catching up
    
  • 2.4 Cap and Trade scheme
    
    • 2.4.1 New technologies
      
    • 2.4.2 Smart grids and carbon trading
      
  • 2.5 Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)
    
• 3. Renewable energy
  
  • 3.1 Australia lagging behind
    
  • 3.2 Solar cities
    
  • 3.3 Renewable energy scheme
    
  • 3.4 Competition might come from different directions
    
  • 3.5 People-driven demand
    
• 4. Trans-sector approach to climate change
  
  • 4.1 CO2 and ETS are becoming too esoteric for most
    
  • 4.2 Home energy improvements
    
  • 4.3 Smart grids
    
  • 4.4 Smart communities and smart buildings
    
  • 4.5 Empowering people to develop their smart community
    
  • 4.6 Smart grid demo could be the catalyst
    
  • 4.7 Government information and education campaign
    
• 5. Smart grid driven by user-driven photovoltaics
  
  • 5.1 Good for the economy, the environment and saving energy
    
  • 5.2 Government still stuck with dumb meters policy
    
  • 5.3 Lack of trans-sector approach
    
  • 5.4 Current grid can’t handle renewable energy
    
  • 5.5 International examples of failing grids
    
  • 5.6 Customers want to be in charge
    
  • 5.7 Without smart grids 20% renewable target will not be reached
    
• 6. Smart grid market in 2009 (separate report)
  
• 7. Related reports
  

• Table 1 – Market share of energy generation in Australia by energy source – 2006 - 2008

• Exhibit 1 – Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)
• Exhibit 2 – The results of climate change by 2050
• Exhibit 6 – Photovoltaics