How playing games on your phone or tablet could cut your power bill

Summer has arrived, and with it, soaring energy bills. Australian households are paying more for their power as generators struggle to meet consumer demand.

Money-saving screen time? 

We blast our air conditioners to stay cool, and put on that old fridge for the Christmas drinks, both of which are likely to blow out our electricity bill.

But while we wait for the situation to improve, there is something you can do to help save money in the meantime: play games.

There is growing evidence that “serious” mobile phone games (games designed for purposes other than entertainment) can help households become more energy-efficient.

Read the piece on The Conversation - “How playing games on your phone or tablet could cut your power bill.”

Latrobe Valley plans for diesel generator back-up power supply

Plans are underway to set-up diesel generators in the Latrobe Valley in eastern Victoria, to be used as a back-up power supply on days of high electricity demand.

The Loy Yang A power station went offline last
 month, adding to power supply issues.

The ABC understands diesel generators will be brought in to the former Morwell Power Station site, where they will be used as a back up in times of peak demand.

It is not known at this stage whether the generators will be used to power the entire state or just eastern Victoria.

There have been reliability problems at two of the region's coal-fired power stations in recent weeks.

Environment Victoria's campaign manager Nick Aberle said it was a band aid solution to potential power shortages this summer.

Read the ABC News story - “Latrobe Valley plans for diesel generator back-up power supply.”

The perils of promising a 'perfect' energy market

Blackouts aren't a new problem in Australia, and nor is our latest energy "crisis". Back in the 1980s, blackouts were so common in the 100 per cent-coal-fired NSW network that small businesses bought generators and everyone knew where the torches and candles were stored.

"Blackouts aren't a new problem in Australia"

Of course, it's not just coal that's let us down in the past. When the Longford natural-gas plant exploded in Victoria in 1998, the state was without gas for nearly two weeks. Ten years later, when a corroded gas pipe exploded on Western Australia's Varanus Island, the state lost about a third of its gas supply; the economic disruption lasted months.

Accidents happen, mistakes happen and, as the oil and gas industry knows, explosions that kill people and devastate whole states happen. But when a cyclone knocked over 20 electricity transmission towers and caused a state-wide blackout, the fossil fuel industry and Turnbull government mounted a full frontal attack on the "reliability" of renewable energy. And all of a sudden, we apparently needed to subsidise not just the enormous Adani coal mine but a new coal-fired power station in North Queensland as well. As the saying goes, never let a crisis go to waste.

Read the story by Richard Denniss in The Canberra Times - “The perils of promising a 'perfect' energy market.”

Avoiding gridlock: Policy directions for Australia’s electricity system

Australia’s national energy landscape has been transformed since the creation of the National Electricity Market two decades ago.

The rapid uptake of renewable technology and leaps forward in energy efficiency and storage have been game changers for generators, distributors, retailers and consumers of electricity. If harnessed effectively, these changes can move us closer to the sustainable energy system we need to power a decarbonised Australian economy in the 21st century. But this will only happen if the way we regulate electricity markets keeps pace. This paper argues that an updated approach to regulation of energy distribution networks is especially vital.

Retail prices for electricity have nearly doubled since 2007. This has increased the cost of living, disproportionately impacting poorer households. It has also increased the cost of doing business for companies, harming the competitiveness and productivity of the Australian economy. The greatest source of this increase in prices has been higher network charges for the construction and maintenance of distribution assets - the poles, wires and other ‘grid’ infrastructure that sit between the large-scale producers of energy (generators) and the companies that connect houses and businesses (retailers).

Read the report: “Avoiding gridlock: Policy directions for Australia’s electricity system.”