以消费者的为核心的净零能耗系统：澳大利亚能源市场委员会对我们共同能源未来的愿景（英文版）

ACONSUMER-FOCUSEDNETZEROENERGY

SYSTEM

TheAustralianEnergyMarketCommission’svisionforoursharedenergyfuture

EC

AStralianEnergyMarketCmmissin

September2024

AEMCNarrative

TheAEMCacknowledgesandshowsrespectforthetraditionalcustodiansofthemanydifferentlandsacrossAustraliaonwhichweallliveandwork.Wepayrespecttoall

ElderspastandpresentandtothecontinuingconnectionofAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderpeoplestoCountry.TheAEMCofficeislocatedonthelandtraditionallyownedbytheGadigalpeopleoftheEoranation.

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AEMCNarrative

AbouttheAEMC

TheAustralianEnergyMarketCommission(AEMC)isanindependentstatutorybodythatworksforAustralia'sfutureproductivityandlivingstandardsbycontributingtoadecarbonising,affordableandreliableenergy

systemforconsumers.

Welisten,makepracticalrulechangesandprovideexpertadviceinarapidlychangingworld.Welead,

collaborate,adaptandinfluenceinmakingandamendingrulesfortheNationalElectricityMarket,elementsofthenaturalgasmarketandrelatedretailmarkets;andprovidingstrategicandoperationaladviceonenergyissuestotheEnergyandClimateChangeMinisterialCouncil.

TheNationalElectricity,GasandRetailRulesmadebytheAEMChavetheforceoflawandundertheNationalEnergyLaws,alloftheAEMC’sworkisguidedbythelegislatednationalenergyobjectives.

Copyright

Thisworkiscopyright.TheCopyrightAct1968(Commonwealth)permitsfairdealingforstudy,research,newsreporting,criticismandreview.Youmayreproduceselectedpassages,tablesordiagramsforthesepurposesprovidedyouacknowledgethesource.

Citation

Tocitethisdocument,pleaseuse:AEMC,fulltitle,month,year.

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AEMCNarrative

CONTENTS

1Foreword5

2

ExecutiveSummary

6

3

Ourvision:aconsumer-focusednetzeroenergysystem

9

3.1ProvidingforAustralianconsumers

9

3.2Theessentialcharacteristicsfortransition

10

4

3.3Thebroadcontextfortheenergytransition

Ourguidance:longer-termchallengesandopportunities

12

14

4.1Equitableenergyoutcomesacrosshouseholds

15

4.2Energysystemsecurityandreliability

16

4.3Coordinationofenergypolicyandotherpolicyareas

17

4.4Levelsofsocialtrustthatsupportchange

19

4.5Deliveringcapital,labourandotherresources

20

4.6Meetingcommunity,environmentalandinfrastructureneeds

22

4.7Accessibledatathatsupportstheevolvingenergysystem

23

5

4.8Transitionplanningfortheroleofgas

Ouractions:focusareasfortheAEMC

24

27

5.1Understandconsumerbehavioursandpreferences

29

5.2Considerhowtofosterrapidelectrificationofvehicles

31

5.3Considertheregulatoryframeworkforgas

31

5.4Understandtheimpactofachangingclimate

32

6

5.5AEMCtoolbox

Appendix:AstructuredmethodunderpinsAEMC’sperspective

34

36

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AEMCNarrative

FOREWORD

AnnaCollyer

Chair

AustralianEnergy

MarketCommission

BeforewehadsatellitesandGPS,wayfarersnavigatedbythestars.They

identifiedthebrightlightsandconstellationsthatcouldbetrustedtopointtowheretheywantedtoland.Theylearnedwhichstarsstayedconstantandwhichonesmovedwiththeseasonsortheirtransitoftheearth.Theycreatedstoriesabouttheshapesintheskythathelpedmemorisethesequences

ofstarstheyneededtofollow,andthesestoriesmadeiteasiertosharedirectionswithothers.

ThedocumentbeforeyouisjustonewaytheAEMCisnavigatingitspathtoafuturedestination.Likemodernsailors,wehaveaccesstoenormousexperienceandtechnologytohelppredictwhereoureffortsarebest

directed,andliketheancients,weknowthatanarrativeisanexcellentwaytocaptureourknowledgeandshareitovertime.

TheenergysectorinAustralia,andaroundtheworldisexperiencingchangeatthescaleoftheIndustrialRevolution,onlyverymuchfaster.Withdomesticandcommercialenergycurrentlyoneoftheworld’smostsignificantsourcesofclimate-damagingcarbon,thetraditionalwaysweproduceandconsumepowermustbereplacedasquicklyaspossible.

Wearestillearlyinthisjourney,andweneedtounderstandmuchmore

aboutwhatwillhappenbetween2030and2050.Ourpurpose–legallyandethically–istoprovidethebestpossibleenergyoutcomesforAustralian

consumersofallkinds.Theconstellationsguidingusareshapedbytheevolvingneedsofenergyconsumersandtheframeworkthemarket

requirestomeetthoseneeds.Weneedtochartourcoursebytheworkthatmosteffectivelyprovidesanetzeropowersystemwithafocusonconsumerbenefits.

Inthisreport,framedasanarrative,wesetourselvesthetaskofpredictingwhatcomesnext:beyond2030andbeyondtheimmediatedemands

ofreviewsandrulechanges.Ourvision–aconsumer-focusednetzero

energysystem–setsadestinationtowardswhichwecanapplyourskillsinimaginingourpathahead.Thisallowedustoidentifyeightcrucialchallengesandopportunitiesandagreeonfourkeyactionareasthatdemandourearlyattentionifwearetoservetheenergysectorandwidercommunitywellintothefuture.

Weconnectedregulatoryshifts,markettrends,technologicalinnovations,

hereandoverseas,andconsultedourstaffandstakeholders.We

incorporatedtheextensiveresearch,policysettingsandplansestablishedbyAustralia’sgovernmentsandourmarketbodycolleagues.Asaresult,weareconfidentthisnarrative’sintentionsandprioritiesalignwiththeAustralian

Government’sNetZeroPlan,whichcoversallaspectsoftheeconomy.ItalsosupportstheEnergyandClimateChangeMinisters’ElectricityandEnergy

SectorPlanandcomplementsAEMO’sIntegratedSystemPlan,AER'sworkonGameChangerReformsandconsumerprotections,andjurisdictionalroadmapsforenergyandrelatedpolicyareas.

Theprimarytaskofthisdocumentwastomapandcapturethelonger-termworktheAEMCmustcompleteinordertonavigateaclearpathtoourvision.Wewillbeevenmorepleasedwiththeresultsofthismappingifothersfind

thenarrativeilluminating,too.

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AEMCNarrative

TWO

ExecutiveSummary

1.Ourvision:aconsumer-focusednetzeroenergysystem

WewanttohelpthepeopleofAustraliabenefitfroma

low-cost,lowemissions,reliable,secureandsafepower

system.Asuccessfulenergysystemtransitionisthecriticalfactorfordecarbonisingtheeconomy,supportingnationalprosperity,andgivingpeopleconfidenceinournew

approachtoenergyasweallfaceclimatechange.

Thefullstatementofourvisioninthisnarrativesetsoutthreelinkedcharacteristics:

•customer-facinggoals,suchasgivingconsumersaccesstoclearandactionableinformationaswellaswaystobenefitwithoutactivemarketengagement,

and

•grid-scalefeatures,suchasinnovationsthatdrivelow-costenergyalongsidetheflexibilitytoadapttochangingeconomiccircumstances,expandingtosupportnewexportopportunities,

leadingto

•energytransitionbenefitsforhouseholds,businesses,communities,

andtheenvironment–acrossanapproachcoveringenvironmental,social,culturalandeconomicmeasures.

RealisingthisvisionmeanstheAEMCcansupportAustralia'scommitmenttoaddressingclimatechange,empowerconsumerstoeasilymake

informedenergychoices,attractinvestorstosupportthesector,andfostersustainableeconomicgrowthandprosperity.

Weconsideredthechallengesandopportunitiesthatwouldexistregardlessofwhichpathwaythesectormayfollowtoachieveitsnetzerogoals.AmongtheissuesweidentifiedaremanythatAustraliahasbeengrapplingwithforsomeyears.Everyindicationisthatmostwillcontinuetorequireattentionastheenergytransitionevolvesinthedecadesahead.

2.Ourguidance:longer-termchallenges

andopportunities

Weconsultedandreflectedcarefullyonthechallengesmostlikelytorequireongoingeffortfrompolicymakers,regulatorsandstakeholders.Fromthis

workwedefinedeightchallengesoropportunitieswhere,collectively,wecanstrivetoachieve:

•equitableenergyoutcomesacrosshouseholds

•energysystemsecurityandreliability

•cross-portfoliocoordinationofrelevantenergyandnetzeropolicies

•levelsofsocialtrustthatwillsupportchange

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AEMCNarrative

•deliveryofcapital,labourandotherresources

•meetingcommunityandenvironmentalneedsalongsideinfrastructurerequirements

•accessibledatathatsupportstheevolvingenergysystem

•transitionplanningfortheroleofgas.

Werecognisetheneedtocontributetotheenergytransitionatpaceandamidrapidchanges,whilestilltakingafar-reachingviewofourtaskstosupportthetransitionthroughto2050andbeyond.

Theintentisforthesekeychallengesandopportunitiestoguideourcurrentworkprogramandidentifyfocusareasforaction.Theywillalsoguideour

longer-termcontextualviewofwhatisrequiredtosupportasuccessfultransitiontoaconsumer-focusednetzeroenergysystem.

3.Ouractions:focusareasfortheAEMC

Onewaythesefindingsguideusistohelpsetourworkprogram

prioritisationtoensureweapplyourresourcestotheworkthatmatters

most.Wesetannualprioritiesforrulechangesandreviewsforthispurpose.

Forexample,forthenext12monthsourprioritiesare:

•Consumers–progressingworkrelatingtourgentissuesforconsumerundertheregulatoryframework,includinghowweinform,empowerandprotectconsumersindividuallyandcollectively.

•Consumerenergyresources(CER)–wewillprogressworkrelatingtothetechnicalaspectsofCERincludingtheefficientintegrationofnewtechnologiesintothemarketandsystem.

•Long-termmarketdesign–progressingworkrelatingtolonger-termmarketdesigntoensureourframeworksprovidetheappropriate

reliabilitysettings,efficientprovisionofsystemservicesandinvestmentsignalsforthenetzerofuture.

•Transmission–progressingworkrelatingtothecost-effectiveandefficientdeliveryanduseofmajortransmissionandnetworkinfrastructure.

Ourworkonthisreporthashelpedtoidentifyfourbroaderfocusareas

thatwillbenestedwithinourworkprogram.Developingthesefocusareaswillsupportourprioritiesasweaddressopportunitiesandchallengesovertime,contributingtoachievingourvisionofaconsumer-focusednetzeroenergysystem.

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AEMCNarrative

Thesefocusareasareforustounderstandorconsider:

1consumerbehavioursandpreferencestoempowerchoiceinawaythatsupportstheenergysystemandbenefitsconsumersindividuallyandasacollective

2waystofostertherapid,efficient,effectiveelectrificationoftheconsumer-focusedtransportsector

3howtheregulatoryframeworkforgassupportsconsumersandtheelectricitysystemaswetransitiontoanetzerosystem

4theimpactofclimatechangeonthereliability,resilienceandsecurityoftheenergysystem.

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AEMCNarrative

THREE

Ourvision:

aconsumer-

+focusednetzeroenergysystem

Toachieve

ourvisionthe

energysystemmust:deliverforconsumers,foster

innovation,

andbeflexible,adaptableandresilient.

Decarbonisationisthemostsignificanteconomic,social

andenvironmentalchallengeofourtime.ThissectionsetsouttheAEMC’svisionfortheenergytransition,focusingontheenergysystemcharacteristicsthatareneededtodeliverdesiredoutcomesforhouseholds,businesses,communities,andtheenvironment.

Ourvisionfortheenergytransitionalignswiththestrategicdirection

setbytheAustralianGovernment’s

NetZeroPlan

andthesupporting

ElectricityandEnergySectorPlan

agreedtobytheEnergyandClimate

ChangeMinisters.Itisalsoconsistentwiththedevelopmentroadmap

describedby

AEMOintheIntegratedSystemPlan

(ISP)aswellastheAER’sworkon

GameChangerReforms

andconsumerprotections,aswellas

jurisdictionalplansforenergyandotherpolicyareas.

Inthisvisionanditsnarrative,wetakeabigpicturelens,capturingthebroadrangeofbenefitsthatasuccessfultransitiontoanetzeroenergysystemcandeliverforthepeopleofAustralia.

Australiaisamongtheforefrontofnationsansweringmanyofthemost

pressingquestionsarisingfrommajorpowersystemsbeingrevolutionisedbydecarbonisation,digitisationanddecentralisation.Wefaceunique

challenges,includingthegrowingscale,pace,andengagementofCERinagridthatcoversvastdistancesandmultiplejurisdictions.Weareproactivelymanagingthepowersystemengineeringandeconomicchallenges

associatedwithnewtechnologiesandthehugeinfluxofinverter-based

technologiesthatcanseethegenerationandtechnologymixrapidlyvaryonanysingleday.

Allofthismeansweareconstantlyinventingandtestingnewapproachesinpolicy,regulationandmarketoperation.Ourlearningsprovidean

opportunitytocontributebeyondourbordersbysharingourknowledgewiththerestoftheworld.

Thissectiondescribesourvisioninmoredetailandsetsoutthewider

contextinwhichitneedstobeconsidered.Werecognisethatthe

transitioningenergysystemisintersectingwithagrowingnumberofothersectorsandpolicyareas,andwewillcontinuetorespondtothisexpansion.

3.1ProvidingforAustralianconsumers

WewanttohelpthepeopleofAustraliabenefitfromalowcost,low

emissions,reliable,secureandsafepowersystem.Asuccessfulenergysystemtransitionisthecriticalfactorfordecarbonisingtheeconomy,supportingnationalprosperity,andprovidingconfidenceasweallfaceclimatechange.

Consumersofallkindsarepivotaltothetransition–whetherthroughtheirinvestmentinCERorsimplytheirdecisionsaboutwhenandhowtouse

energy.Theirchoicesaboutenergycontributetotheoptimalfunctioningofthesystem.Consumersinrural,regionalandremotecommunities

oftenplayanadditional,integralrolebyhostingtransmission,storageandgenerationinfrastructure.

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AEMCNarrative

Ourvisionreflectsourambitiontodeliveraonce-in-a-generation

transformationofAustralia’senergysystem.Commonwealth,stateand

territorygovernmentshavesetaseriesoftargetsforemissionsreductionandrenewablegenerationandthenationismakingprogresstowards

thisgoal.

3.2Theessentialcharacteristicsfortransition

Thisvisioninformsourcorefunctionsasrulemakerandadviserto

governments,inlinewiththenationalenergyobjectives(comprisingthe

NationalElectricityObjective,NationalGasObjective,andNationalEnergyRetailObjective).Theenergyobjectivesareourguidinglightinhowweassessourdecisionsforthelong-terminterestsofconsumers.Theyhaverecently

beenupdatedtoincludeanemissionsreductionfocus.ThesummarybelowsetsoutthecharacteristicsoftheenergysystemtheAEMCseesasessentialtodeliverdesiredoutcomes.

Aconsumer-focusednetzeroenergysystem

Ourdecisionswillsupportanenergytransitionthatdelivers

wide-rangingbenefitsforconsumers.

ENVIRONMENTALSOCIAL

Alltypesofhouseholdswithvaryinglevelsof

participationwillbenefit.Vulnerableconsumers

willbesupported.

Australia’semissions

targetswillbemet,

contributingtoloweringglobalemissions.

Biodiversityimpactswillbeminimised.

CULTURAL

Communitiesthathostenergyinfrastructurewillbeempowered.

FirstNationspeoplewillbenefit.

ECONOMIC

Australia'seconomic

prosperitywillbe

boosted.Therewillbenewjobandinvestmentopportunities.

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AEMCNarrative

Weconsiderthefuture

energysystemshouldhavethefollowingcustomer-

facingcharacteristics:

•consumerscanbenefitwithouthavingtoactivelyengageinthemarket

•consumerswhowantto

participateinthesystemhaveeasyoptionstodosoandcanoptoutatanytime

•allcustomersarecoveredbyappropriateconsumerprotections

•clearinformationsupportsconsumerchoicesonprice,quality,andprotection

•interoperabilityand

innovationinregulatory

frameworkstoincentiviseCERtechnologyownerstosharetheirresourcesinwaysthatpromotereliability,security

andlowcosts.

Atgrid-scale,thefutureenergysystemshouldfeature:

•energyefficienthomes

andbusinesseshelpto

managedemand,lower

costs,andmakebestuseofexistingresources

•coordinatedandcollaborativeplanningwithcommunities

ofallkinds,includingFirst

Nations,resultinginsignificantenergyinfrastructure

•therightincentivesfor

theuptakeofrenewable

generationandstorageattherightplaceandtime

•marketoperators,regulatorsandparticipantsequippedwithinformationandtoolstoquicklyadapttochangingtechnologies

•technologiesandtoolsthatkeepthepowersystem

secureandreliableas

weatherpatternsalterduetoclimatechange

Anenergysystemthathasthesecharacteristicswill:

•meettargetsforrenewable

energyandemissions

reductionthatreducethe

impactsofclimatechangeandreducepollution

•deliverreliable,secure,safeandlowcostpowertoall

•earnhighlevelsof

trustamongdifferent

consumergroups

•achieveandmaintainsociallicencefortheinfrastructuretobebuiltonlandandsea

•underpinAustralia’seconomicprosperityandourstandardofliving.

•sophisticated,accessibledatausesupportingcompetitivemarkets,efficientinvestmentdecisions,effectiveplanning,andconsumerchoices.

Themovetoanenergysystembasedaroundrenewablesandstoragewilldrive

significantdevelopment,creatingjobs,infrastructure,andwealthinourcommunities.Collaborationwithcommunitieswillbeessentialtomakedecisionsthatbalancethe

benefitsofreducingcarbonemissionsandlow-costenergyalongsidepotentialimpactsonhumanandnaturalenvironments.

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AEMCNarrative

Ourvisionemphasisestheimportanceofensuringthat

communities,includingruralandremotecommunitiesandtraditionalowners,receivemeaningfulbenefitsfromthe

transitionwhentheyhostinfrastructureontheirland.

FirstNationsCleanEnergyStrategy

WerecogniseFirstNationspeopleasimportantpartnersinAustralia’s

transitiontonetzero.ExtremeweathereventsandothereffectsofclimatechangeaffectmanyFirstNationscommunities,asdoissuesrelating

toaccesstoreliableandaffordableenergyforhomes,businessesandimportantinfrastructure.

Ourvisionsupportstheaspirationsofthe

FirstNationsCleanEnergyStrategy

,whichare1:

•participateinandbenefitfromthecleanenergytransformation

•ensureaccesstoreliablecleanenergyforallAustralians

•ensureFirstNationsculturalheritage,knowledgeandconnectiontolandandseaCountryisrespected

•governmentandindustrycreateopportunitiestobuilddeepercollaboration,consensusandnewwaysofworkwithFirstNationspeople.

3.3Thebroadcontextfortheenergytransition

Ourvisionforacustomer-focusednetzerotransitionhasbeeninformedbythescaleofthechallengesaswellasthefutureconsequencesforAustralia.

Decarbonisingtheenergysystemwillhavefar-reachingbenefits,enabling

otherindustries,suchastransportation,toachievetheiremissionsreductionobjectives.ThetransitionpresentsasignificantopportunityforAustralia

toexpanditsenergyexports,transformingthesectorfromoneprimarilyfocusedondomesticsupplytoonethatisintrinsicallyinternational.

Australia’snetzerofuelandresourceexports,includingfromgreen

industries,willsupportsubstantialeconomicgrowthandjobcreation.

Moreover,bysharingtheknowledgeandexpertisegainedduringourowntransitiontonetzero,Australiacanmakeavaluablecontributiontoglobaleffortstoreduceemissionsandcombatclimatechange.

Immensechangesarerequiredtomakethenetzeropowersystem

secureandreliable.Thetransitionisurgentandfacessignificantrisksifmarketandpolicysettings,sociallicence,andsupplychainissuesarenotpromptlyaddressed.

1FirstNationsCleanEnergyStrategy,2024,

.au/energy-and-climate-change

-ministerial-council/working-groups/first-nations-engagement-working-group/

first-nations-clean-energy-strategy

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NetZeroAustralia'smodelinggoesbeyondthescopeoftheISPtoshow

themassivechallengeforgettingAustraliatonetzero.Whenconsideringafullynational(ratherthanNEM)scope,andcoveringagreenenergyexportscenariooutto2060,theplanestimatesthat:2

•thecapitalrequirementsare$1.2–1.5trillionofcommitmentsby2030,and$7–9trillionby2060

•thereneedstobeanexpansionoftheskilledworkforcefromabout100,000todayto7-800,000by2060

•renewablesneedtogrow40timesbeyondthecurrentNationalElectricityMarketcapacityfordirectuseandcleanfuelproduction.

Ourvisionwasdevelopedwithanawarenessoftheincreasinglydispersed,disaggregated,anddecentralisednatureoftheenergysystem.Inthepast,whenreformsweremoreincremental,thepolicyenablersandstakeholderscrucialtosupportingdesiredoutcomesweremostlyconfinedtothe

energysector.

Now,however,thecombinationofincreasingelectrification,theassociatedbuild-outofsignificantenergyinfrastructure,greenenergyexportambitionsandotherfactorshaveexpandedtherangeofwhatinfluences,andis

influencedby,theenergysystem.Asaresult,thenumberofrelevant

stakeholdergroups,policyareas,anddecision-makerscrucialtodeliveringdesiredoutcomeshasincreasedbothwithinandoutsidetheenergysector.

Theincreasinglycomplexcontextinwhichtheenergysectoroperatesmeansthereisvalueintakingaholisticapproachtoachievingourvision.Successfuloutcomeswillrequirechangeandcoordinationwidelyacrossenergyand

otherpolicyareas.Thebroadapproachappliedinourvisionwasimportant,andhelpedusconsiderthechallengesandopportunitiesofthetransition.Theseareexploredinthenextsection.

2NetZeroAustralia,finalmodellingresults,19April2023;.au/final-modelling-results/

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AEMCNarrative

FOUR

Our

guidance:longer-termchallengesand

opportunities

TheprevioussectionemphasisedthemagnitudeofAustralia’senergytransition.TheAEMCreflectedcloselyonthefactorsthatwillrequiretheongoingattentionofpolicymakers,

regulatorsandstakeholderstoachieveourvision.We

recognisedthattheremaybeanumberofdriversthat

resultindifferentpathwaystonetzeroandidentifiedmanychallengesandopportunitiesthatwouldfeatureregardlessofthepathway.3

AmongtheissuesweidentifiedaremanythatAustraliahasbeengrapplingwithforyears.Weconsiderthatmostwillcontinuetorequireattentionastheenergytransitionevolvesinthedecadesahead.

Weidentifiedeightchallengesandopportunitieswhere,collectively,wecanstrivetoachieve:

1equitableenergyoutcomesacrosshouseholds

2energysystemsecurityandreliability

3coordinationofenergypolicyandotherpolicyareas

4levelsofsocialtrustthatwillsupportchange

5deliveryofcapital,labourandotherresources

6meetingcommunityandenvironmentalneedsalongsideinfrastructurerequirements

7accessibledatathatsupportstheevolvingenergysystem

8transitionplanningfortheroleofgas.

Energypolicyandotherpolicyareasneedtobecoordinatedtoenabledesiredoutcomes

Thetransition

TheAEMChasidentifiedeightchallengesandopportunitiesthatarecriticaltoachievingaconsumer-focusednetzero

energysystem

SEVEN

THREE

ofgasneedstomeetconsumer,industryandnetzeroobjectives

EIGHT

FOUR

TWO

Communityandenvironmentalneedsmustbemetalongsidetheneedfornewinfrastructure

Dataneedstobeaccessibleand

usedtosupport

theevolving

energysystem

SIX

Energysystemsecurityandreliabilityneedstobemaintainedthroughunprecedentedchange

ONE

FIVE

Trustis

necessary

tofacilitate

required

change

Equitableoutcomesneedtobeachievedacrosshouseholds

Capital,labourandotherresourcesneedtobeattractedanddistributedtodelivertheenergytransition

3FormoreinformationonthemethodologytheAEMCundertook,seetheAppendix.

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AEMCNarrative

Promotingequitywillbenefit

householdsandthe

energysystem

Thesub-sectionsthatfollowexplorethesethemes.Todevelopourthinkingforeachoftheeightthemes,weaskedthesamequestions.

•Whyisthechallengeandopportunityemerging?

•Whyisitincreasinglyimportanttoaddress?

•Whatarethebenefitsofaddressingit?

4.1Equitableenergyoutcomesacrosshouseholds

Energyparticipationacrosshouseholdscontinuestodiverge

Inrecentyears,householdinvestmentinenergyassetshasincreasedmarkedly,drivenparticularlybythegrowingadoptionofrooftopsolar,electricvehicles(EVs),andhouseholdbatteries.Theproportionof

householdswithrooftopsolarhasmorethandoubled,risingfrom15%in2015tomorethan30%in2023,4andisexpectedtoreachupto80%by2050.5

Demandmanagementtoolshavealsoempoweredhouseholdstomake

activechoicesabouttheirenergyconsumption.Theseinnovationshavebeenfueledbyconsumerpreferences,inresponsetorisingenergycostsand

environmentalconsiderations,andongoingtechnologicaladvancements.

Asaresult,thereisagrowingdivergenceacrosshouseholds.Onone

hand,arisingnumberofhouseholdsareexercisingcontrolovertheir

energyconsumptionandabletomakechoicestominimisetheirenergy

costs,includingsellingexcessenergybacktothegrid.Ontheotherhand,amajorityofhouseholdscurrentlycannot,orchoosenotto,investin

CERorchangethewaytheyuseenergy.Thisdistinctionwillgrowasnew

opportunitiesariseinenergy-efficientsolutionsandelectrification,includingtheshiftawayfromnaturalgas.

Inits2024PowerUp6report,EnergyConsumersAustralia(ECA)presentedsimilarandadditionalinsightsintoconsumersregardingCER.Theirfindingsincludedthatconsumers‘expectfairness’andthatgovernmentswill

distributethebenefitsandburdensofthetransition‘fairly