Blog

Have you ever thought about how Australians’ world-leading penetration of rooftop solar impacts on the existing distribution infrastructure, that we generally call ‘the grid’? We have. We think about it a lot. This week, we’ve written down some of our thoughts … Imagine a big balloon filled with water. The balloon has two pipes; an... Read More

When you think about solar energy, you’re probably picturing a bank of photovoltaic (PV) cells, possibly on a roof, that convert sunlight directly into electricity. That wouldn’t be surprising, considering that Australia leads the world in the penetration of rooftop solar, with about one in five houses now having an array installed. In 2001, only... Read More

Have you heard of bill smoothing? No, it’s not the guy who played the aging rocker in Love Actually* or the singer of hits like Lean On Me and Ain’t No Sunshine**. Bill smoothing is the antidote to bill shock. Bill shock is what happens when you get a big bill or, even worse, several... Read More

Google has been everywhere for a while now. As by far the dominant search engine globally, just about everyone who has ever connected to the internet has used Google. Many people use it every day, and it’s now more than a decade* since it became quite literally synonymous with looking up information on the world... Read More

A couple of weeks ago, the Friday before Australia Day, we had blackouts in Victoria after the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) ordered load shedding as the high demand for electricity on a sweltering hot day put an undue strain on the network. Around midday, the chief executive of the AEMO, Audrey Zibelman, announced that... Read More