New analysis revealed less than half the extra pumped hydro capacity promised by Snowy 2.0 can be delivered. There is now overwhelming evidence the project should be put on hold.
- Professor and Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University
‘Switchers’ who change their energy retailers often are following accepted wisdom, but research shows it saves them far less than expected.
The likelihood of half of Victoria being plunged into blackout are low – but the question reveals growing tension between the energy market and its regulators.
Proposed rules for managing energy demand could potentially lower prices and reduce blackout risk, but there are reasons to be skeptical.
Energy companies offer thousands of different prices, making finding the best deal all but impossible.
South Australia’s energy prices have gone up as more renewables entered the market – but prices would have gone up even more without them.
A policy that aims to reshape the electricity sector needs to be judged on its numbers. But the lack of public modelling from the Energy Security Board makes it impossible for analysts to do this.
With electricity bills becoming more complicated, it’s increasingly difficult for customers to know if they are getting a good deal.
Where do sky-high energy costs come from? Energy companies who build unnecessary infrastructure, passing on the cost to consumers and making a profit.
Officially, Australia’s average electricity prices are the 11th highest in the OECD. But a look at the numbers suggests this is a significant underestimate.
Will decarbonising energy make it more expensive? Probably not, but we could assuage doubts by linking emission reduction targets to price.
A panel of leading economists has given its majority verdict on Alan Finkel’s proposed Clean Energy Target: it may not be the best possible emissions policy, but we should get on with it anyway.
The charge for retailing electricity in Australia compares poorly other deregulated markets in Europe
Privatisation and competition were supposed to make electricity cheaper. Instead, Australia’s quasi-federal energy system has made it easier to pass the buck when things go wrong.
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