Claim OwnershipSwitchedOn Australia
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Join Anne Delaney as she tracks the electrification of everything with people at the forefront of the electrification transition.
129 Episodes
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As rooftop solar, home batteries and electric vehicles transform how energy is generated and used, Australia’s electricity networks are being forced to adapt. At last week’s Energy Networks conference in Adelaide, consumer energy resources were top of mind for many network leaders, even though networks in Australia are constrained by rules designed for a one-way grid and prevent them from dealing with consumers. Some networks argue they need a bigger role to manage consumer resources and avoid costly infrastructure overbuilds and keep prices down. Critics warn that expanding network powers will entrench their market dominance and stifle innovation. New research from EA Technology, which advises networks around the world, suggests that networks need a better understanding of how, when and why consumers use electricity. Chief Commercial Officer at EA Technology discusses their recent survey of more than 8,000 consumers across Australia, the UK and New Zealand.
As renewable energy projects expand across regional Australia, the question of who benefits is becoming increasingly important. Governments are introducing community benefit guidelines to ensure host regions share in the economic gains – WA is the latest - but results so far have been mixed. Kim Mallee, a co-director at the Community Power Agency, argues that community benefits can’t be treated as an add-on – they must be shaped by communities themselves. Drawing on international examples from countries like Denmark, Scotland and Ireland, she explores how ownership, co-investment and community-led models can deliver deeper, longer-term value. CPA’s new report, Power in Partnership, outlines how these approaches could work in Australia and we can move beyond compensation towards genuine partnership in the energy transition.
Rooftop solar, home batteries and smart technology are transforming Australia’s electricity system and helping many households cut their power bills. But a controversial draft review from the Australian Energy Market Commission has sparked debate about whether electricity pricing is shifting costs onto people who've invested in consumer energy resources, or alternatively, those who can least afford them. Gavin Dufty, the national director of energy policy and research at the St Vincent de Paul society, draws on years of data from the Vinnies Tariff Tracker project to show what households actually pay for electricity across the country. He argues the current system may be creating new inequities between households able to invest in solar and smart technology and those who cannot, including renters and low-income households. At the centre of the debate is a difficult policy question: should electricity pricing reward households that reduce their reliance on the grid, or should everyone pay more to simply stay connected? The outcome of the AEMC’s review could shape how the costs of Australia’s energy transition are shared.
What if the clean energy transition is ultimately led not by utilities or renewable energy companies, but by the data and AI industry? Luis F. Gonzalez, Chief Data and AI Officer at Aboitiz Power, argues that as data and energy become more intertwined, it will be the data sector that finances, shapes and champions decarbonisation. He says AI doesn’t just consume electricity — it changes the economics of who builds and controls energy infrastructure. And although he doesn’t want Face Book to run our power grids, he argues the only type of company capable of massive data brokerage for millions of consumer energy resources is a data company. While openly optimistic about the benefits of intelligence-driven systems, he also acknowledges the risks of monopoly power and that energy regulators are not yet ready for what’s to come.
Australia’s home battery rollout is accelerating, but many households may not realise they’re buying systems that are effectively locked to a single manufacturer’s software. Tech entrepreneur Simon Hackett explains why a lack of interoperability strips consumers of real control over batteries they’ve paid for and how closed, cloud-controlled systems risk higher costs, stranded assets, and weakened trust in virtual power plants. He outlines an alternative vision where open software allows households to optimise their energy use, respond to real-time prices, and create real power plants rather than virtual ones which serve someone else’s business model. At stake is whether Australia’s battery boom empowers households, or quietly hands control back to manufacturers and retailers.
Apartment residents are largely shut out of Australia’s rooftop solar advantage, with only 3.5% of apartments having solar. In this episode of SwitchedOn Australia, we explore whether balcony solar could change that by allowing apartment owners and renters to plug into cheap, clean power without owning a roof. Brent Clark, CEO of Wattblock, explains why balcony solar has taken off overseas — particularly in Germany, where more than a million plug-in systems now hang from balconies — and why regulation, not technology, is the real barrier. Australia’s safety rules, metering requirements and strata laws make balcony solar that much harder here. So what needs to change for it to work safely and fairly in Australia, and enable gigawatts of untapped solar potential sitting on apartment buildings to be realised.
Australia’s retail energy market promises competition and choice, yet many households feel confused, overcharged and stuck. Former chair of Victoria’s Essential Services Commission Ron Ben-David argues the problem isn’t just high prices, but a market design that assumes consumers behave like textbook economists. He explains how “buyer beware” has produced a loyalty penalty, rising mistrust and an endless layering of consumer protections that fail to address the root cause. As the energy transition accelerates and decisions become more complex, he warns the system is becoming harder — not easier — for consumers to navigate. He makes the case for a fundamental shift to a consumer duty that would require energy companies to act in their customers’ best interests. Without rebuilding trust, he warns, the energy transition itself is at risk.
When renewable energy developers first approached the Hay Shire Council in south-west NSW, the council saw both opportunity and risk. With the region designated as a Renewable Energy Zone and major wind projects on the horizon, they knew the energy transition could bring real benefits, but also real community division. Rather than sit back and let events unfold, they took the lead, helping ensure the community would engage with the transition. In partnership with the community, Hay Shire Council developed a proactive, inclusive process that not only kept the community informed, but led to a clear, community-driven set of benefit proposals, ranging from long-term affordable energy to supported housing. Ali McLean, the Council’s Economic Development Manager, shares how local government can shape the future when it steps up early and listens closely.
Last August, Dr Saul Griffith joined SwitchedOn Australia live on the Gold Coast to talk about his new book Plug In! which shows why households are central to driving Australia’s clean energy transition. He explains how electrification can cut emissions fast, save money, and reshape the way we use energy at home and in our communities. Saul shares insights from his career advising governments, including his role in shaping the US Inflation Reduction Act, and his work with Rewiring America and Rewiring Australia. He speaks candidly about consumer power, culture wars, and the politics of accelerating change. And he makes the case for an ‘army of consumers’ to demand a better deal from Australia’s energy system.
Grassroots footy is already feeling the heat of climate change, from flooded clubrooms and damaged ovals to training sessions cancelled as temperatures climb. Footy for Climate CEO Lex Lynch explains how nearly 600 community footy clubs have needed emergency assistance since Black Summer, revealing just how vulnerable the game has become. He shares how AFL players, fans and volunteers are working together to protect the sport they love, launching practical solutions like the Power Forward program, which installs solar and batteries to slash bills and keep clubs resilient. Lex discusses why players are deeply concerned about climate impacts, how trusted sporting figures can help build community confidence, and the growing movement to future-proof local clubs. And with a goal to upgrade 500 clubs by 2030, he shows how footy can lead Australia’s climate response from the ground up.
At Narara Ecovillage on the NSW Central Coast, residents have built something rare: an embedded network and electricity retailer that’s owned and run by the people who use it. NEV Power, their volunteer-driven, not-for-profit utility, coordinates rooftop solar, a community battery and a smart microgrid so households can share energy, ride through outages and draw far less from the wider grid. It’s a sharp contrast to the commercially run embedded networks found in many apartment towers, where profits flow out and consumer choice is constrained. Dave Parris — one of two people who run NEV Power — explains what it takes for a small community organisation to operate its own network while navigating complex regulations, technical challenges and different levels of household engagement. Narara offers a glimpse of how local energy systems can build trust, resilience and sustainability when they’re designed around people rather than profit.
Last winter, Declan Kelly set out to test whether a retail plan offering three hours of free electricity could heat his Central NSW Coast rental for nothing. The experiment, which previews what millions of households may soon try under the Federal Government’s Solar Sharers scheme, revealed just how far tariff-shifting can get you in a leaky Australian home. Kelly managed to lift the indoor temperature from 15 degrees to a tropical 32, only to watch the heat disappear almost as fast as it arrived. That experience led to a larger realisation: if these offers are meant for renters and people who can’t put solar on their roofs, they will only go so far unless we confront the poor thermal performance of Australia’s housing stock. Kelly — who writes the newsletter Currently Speaking and is the regulatory policy and corporate affairs manager at Flow Power — argues that no energy-market reform can compensate for walls, roofs and windows that can’t hold heat. His experiment prompts a sharper question about what Solar Sharer can and can’t fix, and what governments and regulators must tackle if these new tariffs are to deliver genuine savings for the people they’re designed to help.
Ten regional Victorian towns have been told their gas supply will be shut off next year because the gas company, Solstice Energy, says it’s too expensive to deliver. Around 1,145 households in places like Marong, Swan Hill and Orbost now have to choose between shifting to bottled LPG or attempting a rapid switch to electric appliances — with limited support. Environment Victoria has been working on the ground with affected residents and is hearing widespread anger, confusion and anxiety about a transition that’s been thrust upon regional communities. The situation stands in stark contrast to Esperance in WA, where a well-funded, hands-on, customer-centred approach helped households move off gas smoothly and fairly. Kat Lucas Healey, the senior climate and energy advisor at Environment Victoria, explains why Victoria’s process risks locking vulnerable residents into higher-cost energy options and missing the chance to help people electrify.
Australia could soon be throwing away huge amounts of renewable energy simply because there’s nowhere for it to go. It’s partly why the Federal government has announced its Solar Sharer scheme – a way for households to mop up free, excess electricity for 3 hours in the middle of the day. But is Australia in danger of building a high-renewables grid that leans too heavily on households to solve structural problems? Long-time consumer energy advocate and Senior Advisor with the Justice and Equity Centre, Craig Memery, argues large industrial loads, not households, could be doing more of the heavy lifting on demand flexibility. He warns that renters, shift workers and anyone who can’t move their energy use to the middle of the day could end up subsidising those who can. And he champions energy efficiency as the overlooked “no-brainer” that cuts bills, emissions and peak demand for everyone.
Australia is on the cusp of building more renewable infrastructure in the next decade than in the previous three combined, but the way we build it could make or break regional communities. One of the biggest challenges isn’t turbines or a transmission towers, it’s housing: where will thousands of construction workers live in towns already in a housing crisis. A new report from RE-Alliance argues worker accommodation doesn’t have to be a burden — it can become an important community benefit that a project leaves behind. From refurbishing disused aged-care homes in Wellington, to turning workforce villages into future suburbs in Rockhampton and Gracemere, to councils like Uralla planning for housing long before the workers arrive, there’s a shift happening in how some developers think about construction. RE-Alliance’s national director, Andrew Bray, discusses how the energy transition can bring a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
Parents for Climate CEO Nic Seton unpacks the next chapter in the group’s fight against misleading climate claims. After securing a major settlement against Energy Australia earlier this year — which led to an apology to 400,000 customers and the withdrawal of the company’s Go Neutral product — the Parents have turned their sights to the claims made by other energy retailers, and the government sanctioned Climate Active scheme that endorsed it. Their new report reveals that one in three major retailers are making potentially misleading claims — and they name who they are. Nic explains why the government-backed standard isn’t fit for purpose, and how it’s enabling energy retailers to market products that look green but don’t stack up.
This week’s hearings of the Senate inquiry on information integrity on climate and energy revealed how deeply divided the national conversation about renewables has become. Even as Australia accelerates the rollout of new transmission lines, solar farms and wind projects, many regional communities feel that change is happening to them, not with them. Professor Sara Bice from the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University has spent years studying how governments, industry and communities can collaborate to deliver large-scale infrastructure in ways that are fair, transparent and socially sustainable. Her research shows that while most Australians support the energy transition, they want it to be fair and just — and that the number one driver of public acceptance for new infrastructure isn’t technology or money, but confidence in the regulation that governs it.
Tens of thousands of First Nations households across northern Australia are living with the constant threat of power cuts — some being disconnected from electricity nearly every week. Lauren Mellor from Original Power and Dr Tom Longden from Western Sydney University discuss their new report, The Right to Power – Keeping First Nations Communities on Prepayment Connected, which exposes the staggering human and systemic toll of prepaid electricity systems. They reveal how prepayment — a system often imposed without consent and designed to shift financial risk from retailers to consumers — is leaving families in the dark, often during extreme heat. They discuss the failures of retailers to protect vulnerable customers, the ‘racialised’ nature of prepayment rollouts, and the reforms needed to keep communities connected. From automatic hardship concessions to heatwave disconnection bans and community solar programs, they argue it’s time to end a two-tiered energy system that no other Australians would tolerate.
Australia’s clean energy transition is colliding with a surge of misinformation — from viral claims about whale deaths caused by off-shore wind farms to industry-backed ‘community’ campaigns designed to sow doubt about renewables. Disinformation is now pervasive and coordinated. It damages democratic debate and urgent climate action, and creates confusion and erodes support for climate change action. A Senate committee inquiry is currently looking at how these narratives spread and who’s behind them. It’s received hundreds of submissions and will hear from researchers, activists, tech platforms, etc about how misinformation shapes public attitudes and policy. Chair of the committee, Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson outlines what they’ve learnt so far, and what it will take to ensure truth and transparency are protected in Australia’s energy debate.
Australia’s electricity sector is decarbonising — but not fast enough. While the Renewable Energy Target has been doing the heavy lifting to incentivise the rollout of wind and solar, it doesn’t require fossil fuel generators to cut their emissions. For years governments have avoided putting a price on carbon, fearing it would drive up power bills. But new modelling from the Grattan Institute shows those fears are outdated — household energy costs are actually set to fall as more Australians switch from petrol and gas to electric. They argue that by extending the existing Safeguard Mechanism, which is already used to cap the emissions of large industrial polluters and the transport sector, we could accelerate the clean-energy shift without increasing household electricity bills. Alison Reeve, Program Director for Energy and Climate Change at the Grattan Institute, explains how this approach could deliver both lower bills and lower emissions.
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