The rise of renewable energy – paired with smart technology – offers an extraordinary opportunity to empower communities, enhance sustainability and reduce costs, writes Paul Budde.
BACK IN 2006, I established the Smart Grid Australia Association. Here, we brought together organisations involved in the development of smart energy, working collaboratively to build smarter communities.
Our major success was the government’s decision in 2010 to launch a $100 million Smart City Smart Grid pilot in the Newcastle area.
Unfortunately, this initiative was immediately cancelled when the Coalition Government came to power in 2013. For the next ten years, energy policies remained in limbo under that government.
On the positive side, the pilot propelled Newcastle to become one of the leading smart cities in Australia.
But as is often the case – for such smart grid smart city projects on a larger scale – many more ducks need to be aligned to establish real, large-scale commercial projects.
With the …