Australia's Electricity System Transition to 2030

In the wake of the Paris COP21 and the outcomes of the Federal election, Australia's emissions pathway and the policies that will guide the energy sector are becoming clearer.

Current policy settings will see a gradual increase in renewables, but it is not yet clear what the emerging policies will be to drive the required rapid decline in carbon emissions through phasing out of existing fossil generators. State governments are also developing climate and energy policy frameworks.

In the short term, new generation capacity will likely be wind and solar

PV technologies. As the penetration of renewables increases, it is likely the role for storage and dispatchable renewables will become more important.

Transition of the energy system will have implications for energy pricing, transmission and distribution systems as well as for those communities whose local economies have relied on fossil fuel generators.

These new dynamics will profoundly change interactions with consumers and require the adaptation of business models of energy producers and users.

Bringing together experts from sectors in the energy transition across business, government, academia, civil society, including from the European Union, this 2-day symposium provides an opportunity for policymakers and researchers to share new insights and to identify knowledge gaps required to inform policy design and development.