The cost to households of the electricity they use has been a sensitive political issue in Australia for at least the past six or seven years, and seems certain to remain so. That was certainly the case in 2010-11 when the then Labor government was negotiating passage of its package of carbon pricing/emissions trading legislation,

The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy program has released the latest electricity update of its National Energy Emissions Audit, covering October and November. Written by respected energy analyst Hugh Saddler, the Audit shows that Australia’s energy system is in transition, regardless of the political turmoil the change is creating.

Governments around the world offer incentives to support electric vehicles. Australia does not. This paper examines how we can boost electric vehicle sales – in four proven, low-cost ways. There is a race to transition the world’s massive car fleet to electric vehicles and Australia is falling behind. Technological improvements make electric vehicles more affordable

Most Australians support a Clean Energy Target and they want it to build renewables, including most voters for the Coalition and One Nation. The Australia Institute surveyed 1,421 Australians in September 2017 about whether they supported a new Clean Energy Target. Four in five (78%) said Yes: the Australian government should introduce a new Clean

The Australia Institute’s new Climate & Energy Program has released the National Energy Emissions Audit. The Audit, compiled by renowned energy specialist Dr Hugh Saddler, provides a comprehensive, up-to-date indication of key greenhouse gas and energy trends in Australia. “The report finds, disturbingly, that Australia’s annual emissions from energy use have increased to their highest

The Australia Institute’s new Climate and Energy Program has released the Electricity Update of the National Energy Emissions Audit (The Audit*) for September 2017, authored by renowned energy expert Dr Hugh Saddler. The September Electricity Update includes a special analysis of the peak demand events in February 2017 which shows that in addition to coal

The Australia Institute has released the Electricity Update of the National Energy Emissions Audit (The Audit*) for August 2017. The report, by renowned energy analyst Dr Hugh Saddler, shows flat demand across the National Energy Market (NEM). “Total annual demand for electricity in the NEM is dead flat. With both national economic activity and population

The Australia Institute released a report Electricity Costs which finds that electricity prices have increased at three times the rate of CPI. The report finds that companies have been ‘gold-plating’ financial assets and passing those costs onto consumers. Between December 1996 and December 2016 Australian electricity prices increased by 183 per cent—almost three times the overall increase

Australian governments are proposing to fund and build billions of dollars’ worth of new electricity generation capacity as the solution to our energy security crisis Regardless of whether investments like Snowy 2.0 or ideas for ‘clean’ coal power stations go ahead, these supply-side solutions will require many years to build and will have no impact on security of

The Australia Institute has released the Electricity Update of the National Energy Emissions Audit (The Audit*) for July 2017. The report, by renowned energy analyst Dr Hugh Saddler, reveals a stunning correlation between domestic electricity prices and gas prices, despite gas making up only 10 percent of electricity generation. Australian gas prices have risen significantly,

Welcome to the first issue of the The Audit – Electricity Update, the companion publication to the National Energy Emissions Audit Report.   Each issue of Electricity Update will also contain a more detailed discussion of one or two particular topics relating to the electricity system which have assumed particular importance in the period prior

Download The Audit (June 2017) The Australia Institute has launched the National Energy Emissions Audit (The Audit), written by respected energy analyst and ANU Honorary Associate Professor, Dr Hugh Saddler, which tracks Australia’s emissions of greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil fuels. The National Energy Emissions Audit will be published on a quarterly basis,

New research has drawn a comparison between very high wholesale prices in the National Energy Market in South Australia and Queensland. While high prices in South Australia have received much political and media attention, even higher prices endured by Queensland electricity consumers over the past five weeks have gone almost entirely unreported.

The Prime Minister and Energy Minister ignored advice from AEMO that renewables were not to blame for the SA blackout. In the afternoon of 28 September 2016, a huge storm raged through South Australia, knocking over multiple power lines and triggering a stage-wide blackout. Almost immediately, politicians blamed the blackout on the relatively high concentration

The Australia Institute, in partnership with engineering consultants pitt&sherry, has released the latest Carbon Emissions Index (CEDEX). The CEDEX is the benchmark indicator for Australia’s carbon emissions and an up to date snapshot of vital data from the energy sector. The report released today reviews the impact of the ACT’s 100% target on development of

In late 2010, after over a century of almost uninterrupted growth, demand for electricity in Australia began to fall. Two previous papers, published in 2013 and 2015, examined possible reasons why demand was falling in the National Electricity Market (NEM), which accounts for nearly 90% of Australian electricity consumption. However, no sooner had the second

The year to June 2016 saw a continuation of the slowdown in demand growth first seen last month. Total emissions from electricity generation in the NEM fell slightly in the year to June 2016. Annual emissions were 5.7% higher than in the year to June 2014. Total coal generation fell slightly to 75.8%, compared with

The Australian Energy Market Commission is considering a proposal to introduce a new rule in the national electricity market. The 5 Minute Settlement Rule Change is a very technical but important rule, which the Australia Institute believes would increase competition. Currently, gas peaking plants provide the energy to respond to rapid changes in demand. If

Battery and other energy storage technologies are ready to solve the problem of variability of renewable energy. This report includes new polling showing high public support in Australia for battery storage technology and parties that promote decentralised solar and storage for household use. Report surveys price reductions in renewable energy and battery technologies. It also

After total electricity demand declined for four years between 2010 and 2014, this month saw demand increased for the fourteenth successive month. The major factor pushing the resurgence of electricity demand is Queensland’s coal seam gas exports. CSG production uses a lot of electricity to power the pumps and compressors needed to extract the gas from

The April 2016 Carbon Emissions Index (CEDEX®) Report by pitt&sherry and The Australia Institute (TAI) indicates that electricity generation, demand and consumption continues to be on the increase nationally following a seventeen month trend. The total annual demand in the NEM is now 2.5% higher than the low point recorded for the year ending February

The March 2016 Carbon Emissions Index (CEDEX®) report by pitt&sherry and The Australia Institute indicates that while electricity generation continues to be the greatest contributor to emissions, principally through black and brown coal generation, petroleum and in particular diesel is a significant contributor to the increased growth in emissions with road transport and mining applications

The February 2016 Carbon Emissions Index (CEDEX®) Report by pitt&sherry and The Australia Institute (TAI) has found that national electricity demand continues to rise on average by 0.17% per month, and although emissions fell slightly in the year to 31 January 2016 as a result of decreased brown coal generation and increased hydro generation, electricity

A new report from The Australia Institute shows that a proposal to establish a global nuclear waste industry in South Australia would fail to secure 90% of the imported waste, leaving an expensive and risky legacy for the state. The report was commissioned by the Conservation Council of South Australia to analyse the submission to

Electricity emissions from the National Energy Market in Australia in 2015 increased 2.4 per cent on 2014 levels and have increased by 5.1 per cent since their lowest point in the year to June 2014, when the carbon price was abolished. This CEDEX® Electricity Update contains data for emissions from electricity generation in the National

The Australia Institute, in conjunction with Pitt&Sherry produce the CEDEX monthly. The CEDEX is the benchmark indicator for Australia’s carbon emissions and an up to date snapshot of vital data from the energy sector. CEDEX has been providing a comprehensive and early indication of key GHG and energy trends in Australia since 2009 and is

The Australia Institute, in a new partnership with engineering consultants Pitt & Sherry, will now be publishing the highly regarded Carbon Emissions Index (CEDEX) report. The CEDEX is the benchmark indicator for Australia’s carbon emissions and an up to date snapshot of vital data from the energy sector. The new CEDEX report will now, for the