Australia

IEEFA Research

IEEFA Update: Santos won’t solve the problem of Barossa LNG with carbon capture and storage

IEEFA Update: Santos won’t solve the problem of Barossa LNG with carbon capture and storage

Leaving the ‘dirty’ gas in the ground might now be the best course of action

20 October 2021 (IEEFA Australia): Even if it employed carbon capture and storage, Barossa gas will continue to release financially risky carbon dioxide emissions onsite, onshore and across the supply chain, making it one of the more expensive and dirtiest gas projects in the world, finds a new report from the Institute for Energy Economics […]

October 20, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA: Australia’s climate policies could push New South Wales into a debt spiral

IEEFA: Australia’s climate policies could push New South Wales into a debt spiral

Climate policy failure will shrink Australia’s GDP by 6% and increase net debt in NSW to 100% by 2060, with taxpayers footing the bill

20 October 2021 (IEEFA Australia): Australia’s failure to commit to net zero targets or any credible climate policy is a growing economic threat to New South Wales and other states, argues a new report by the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The Reserve Bank of Australia’s deputy governor Guy Debelle last week […]

and October 20, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA Australia: Ahead on solar, woefully behind on distributed energy resource standards

IEEFA Australia: Ahead on solar, woefully behind on distributed energy resource standards

Making the right technical decisions about DER

Despite being ahead on rooftop solar installs, Australia is behind other jurisdictions (like Germany and California) in putting sensible governance arrangements in place for distributed energy resource (DER) technical standards. DER technical standards – covering smart devices including rooftop solar systems, air conditioners, electric vehicle (EV) chargers, pool pumps and the like – are designed […]

October 7, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA Australia: There’s a better way to manage coal closures than paying to delay them

IEEFA Australia: There’s a better way to manage coal closures than paying to delay them

Energy Ministers and the energy industry should reject the ESB capacity mechanism proposal

21 September 2021 (IEEFA Australia): The Energy Security Board’s (ESB) proposal for consumers to pay conventional generators such as coal and gas an extra fee for their capacity, not just the actual power they produce, should be rejected by Energy Ministers at a forthcoming meeting this Friday argues a new report prepared by energy market […]

, and September 21, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA Australia: ESB fails to deliver substantive progress on integration of distributed energy resources

IEEFA Australia: ESB fails to deliver substantive progress on integration of distributed energy resources

It's time to think big about small-scale DER

The Energy Security Board’s (ESB’s) final post-2025 market design advice to Energy Ministers has been very controversial. First there was the unnecessary proposal for a capacity payment paid by electricity consumers to power stations not just for the electricity they generate, but also for the size of capacity installed in the plant, irrespective of how […]

September 20, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA: $5.1 billion spend on offshore gas exploration until 2027 could have fostered 2.5GW of renewable capacity and 4,800 jobs

IEEFA: $5.1 billion spend on offshore gas exploration until 2027 could have fostered 2.5GW of renewable capacity and 4,800 jobs

The government is increasing issuance of gas exploration permits in the offshore sector ignoring risks imposed by global decarbonisation

20 September 2021 (IEEFA Australia): Increasing issuance of exploration permits over production, the Australian government has given the green light to oil and gas giants including Santos and Woodside to potentially spend $AUD5.1 billion throughout the next six years on risky offshore exploration activities despite industry-low success rates and the global energy transition, finds a […]

, and September 20, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA Australia: Government cannot lower electricity bills by subsidising old and high cost power plants

IEEFA Australia: Government cannot lower electricity bills by subsidising old and high cost power plants

Refocusing attention on transmission and distribution of electricity will bring better results

27 August 2021 (IEEFA Australia): The Federal government can better achieve its ambition to lower electricity prices if it focuses on the transmission and distribution side of the energy market rather than the generation side, as its latest plan for keeping old coal plants open will in fact increase consumers’ electricity bills, not lower them, […]

and August 27, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA Australia: Hit to power bills from coal bail-out plan

IEEFA Australia: Hit to power bills from coal bail-out plan

Energy Security Board’s unnecessary $2.9 - $6.9 billion payment for power station capacity will come at a high cost to consumers

20 August 2021 (IEEFA Australia): Households may soon face a new charge on their power bills – potentially double that from the carbon price – if Energy Ministers agree to a proposal for a new capacity payment to power companies, according to a new report prepared by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis […]

, and August 19, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA: Enforcing outdated Australian-only demand response standard not in consumers’ long term interest

IEEFA: Enforcing outdated Australian-only demand response standard not in consumers’ long term interest

Energy Ministers urged to rethink AS4755 standard against more beneficial, consumer-friendly international solutions

5 August 2021 (IEEFA Australia): Mandating a new Australian standard for pool pumps, air conditioners, electric storage water heaters and electric vehicle chargers will consign households to outdated technology, finds a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Australia’s Energy Ministers have decided that various domestic appliances sold in the […]

, and August 5, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA Australia: Reviewing access, pricing and incentive arrangements for distributed energy resources

IEEFA Australia: Reviewing access, pricing and incentive arrangements for distributed energy resources

Planning must begin for a zero-inertia zero-emissions electricity system

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AMEC) has sought assistance to make distributed energy resources an integrated part of the national electricity market (NEM) for the benefit of everyone. When the NEM operating on the east coast of Australia was designed, there was almost no rooftop solar or other small generation, demand response or storage in […]

August 4, 2021 Read More →

More News and Commentary

IEEFA Update: There is plenty of coal and gas in the world but a volatile market is nobody’s friend

Gas will be winding its way out of the energy system

Gas prices are continuing to surge around the world. The cost of gas is at unprecedented levels and global markets are buckling under the strain. Many countries are heavily reliant on imports of gas and high spot prices are making supplies unaffordable. There is plenty of coal and gas in the world but current market […]

October 21, 2021 Read More →

Renewables push Victoria power prices to 1 penny per megawatt-hour

Renew Economy: One cent a megawatt hour. That was the average price of wholesale power for most of the daytime hours in the state of Victoria in August and September. Record amounts of renewable energy generation on Australia’s main grid, and an abundance of rooftop solar, sent the average spot electricity price in Victoria down […]

October 21, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA Update: Santos won’t solve the problem of Barossa LNG with carbon capture and storage

IEEFA Update: Santos won’t solve the problem of Barossa LNG with carbon capture and storage

Leaving the ‘dirty’ gas in the ground might now be the best course of action

20 October 2021 (IEEFA Australia): Even if it employed carbon capture and storage, Barossa gas will continue to release financially risky carbon dioxide emissions onsite, onshore and across the supply chain, making it one of the more expensive and dirtiest gas projects in the world, finds a new report from the Institute for Energy Economics […]

October 20, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA: Australia’s climate policies could push New South Wales into a debt spiral
and

IEEFA: Australia’s climate policies could push New South Wales into a debt spiral

Climate policy failure will shrink Australia’s GDP by 6% and increase net debt in NSW to 100% by 2060, with taxpayers footing the bill

20 October 2021 (IEEFA Australia): Australia’s failure to commit to net zero targets or any credible climate policy is a growing economic threat to New South Wales and other states, argues a new report by the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The Reserve Bank of Australia’s deputy governor Guy Debelle last week […]

and October 20, 2021 Read More →

Rio Tinto plans $7.5 billion investment in wind and solar power by 2030

Renew Economy: Mining giant Rio Tinto has unveiled plans for massive investments in wind and solar, including up to 5GW (5,000MW) for its Boyne Island and Tomago smelters and another 1GW for its huge iron ore mines in the Pilbara in Western Australia. The projects were unveiled as part of Rio Tinto’s newly announced plans […]

October 20, 2021 Read More →

Iberdrola to spend $8.2 billion on East Anglia offshore wind project

Reuters: Global wind power leader Iberdrola (IBE.MC) will pour six billion pounds ($8.24 billion) into a wind farm complex in the North Sea off the east coast of Britain, in its biggest project investment worldwide, it said on Monday. Iberdrola said in a statement it would foot the bill for the East Anglia Hub site, […]

October 19, 2021 Read More →

Solar meets majority of Australia grid demand for first time

Renew Economy: The combined output of rooftop and large scale solar met more than half of Australia’s grid demand for the first time on Sunday, as records for renewable output and share of demand continued to tumble across the country and coal output hit a record low. As the National Party met on Sunday to […]

October 18, 2021 Read More →

Mining giant BHP signs deal for renewable energy to run Olympic Dam mine in South Australia

Renew Economy: Global mining giant BHP says it has signed a landmark deal with Iberdrola Australia to slash its emissions at the giant Olympic Dam mine by taking power from the new Port August Renewable Energy Park in South Australia. Olympic Dam is one of the biggest copper, gold and uranium deposits in the world, […]

October 14, 2021 Read More →

IEEFA: Spiking coal prices: Don’t blame the energy transition

Volatility highlights urgency for renewables-based energy solutions

“Energy crisis.” The phrase evokes nearly-forgotten images of gasoline queues in the 1970s, but increasingly describes the spike in global fossil fuel prices. A handful of commenters eagerly lay the blame on renewable energy, which they claim has distracted the world’s attention from investments in oil, gas, and coal production that could have calmed markets. […]

October 13, 2021 Read More →

IEEFA Update: To be taken seriously, Australia needs a credible emissions reduction plan

Regional leadership up for grabs in the energy transition

The global transition to clean energy has ended its initial phase of incremental growth and is on the brink of transformational change. However imperfect may be the outcomes of November’s United Nations COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, policy, economic and financial forces are now combining to drive the rapid adoption of renewable energy around […]

October 13, 2021 Read More →
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