Laugh till you cry wrote on Aug 10^th, 2024 at 12:48pm:



Dear LTYC,
you are lowering the high intellectual and scientific standards of debate on this MRB.
Try to raise the level of debate.

Oz is moving beyond lee's 'climate hoax' theory, driven by householders' desire for lower electricity bills.

But  free-market conflict of interest between providers and consumers  is throwing up problems, as usual:

(ABC Business)

As household solar and batteries grow in Australia, a new market is emerging for the data sitting behind smart meters

To deal with the shock, a couple of years ago Kerry Bradbury took a radical step — she installed batteries, new solar panels and a heap of smart tech in her home.

It wasn't cheap, costing her $28,000.

But thanks to that tech and the small retailer that coordinates it for her, she won't have to pay a power bill for seven years.

"All of it's automated," Ms Bradbury explains.

"Me being an average person, I don't have time to try and work out what's the best price, when's the best price to be using it.

"I am quite happy for somebody else to be doing that for me, and I am still getting some benefit."

Sitting on a gold mine

While Kerry Bradbury is grateful for someone taking over to generate savings for her, she's actually paying to hand over control of an asset that has huge money-making potential.

Australia's energy authorities envision a world where smart, clean tech — from solar panels and batteries to electric vehicles to pool pumps, air conditioners and heat pumps — can help prop up the grid while slashing consumers' bills.

The smart technology behind those devices enables them to be turned on and off, up and down through software platforms known as home energy management systems.

And the ability to control households' energy systems is becoming an increasingly valuable asset to the grid and power companies.

"A rooftop solar system coupled with a small-scale battery installation can make a meaningful difference to a single household's energy bill," the Australian Energy Regulator wrote in its most recent state of the energy market report.

"But aggregated across thousands of households, these technologies can enhance system reliability and security."

That potential could be used to soak up excess electricity when there is too much solar power in the system and not enough demand.

Or it could be used to provide electricity to the grid when there isn't enough solar and there's too much demand.

"Where there aren't any explicit provisions, it's possible for metering providers to do things that aren't technically illegal but wouldn't necessarily be in the consumer's best interest."

Shutting out competition

Jonathan Jutsen, the founder of consultancy Energetics, says it is imperative that regulators prevent "walled gardens", a term that refers to the practice by technology companies of closing access to a platform so they can profit from the data.

A well-known example for this is Apple, which is unwilling to share its systems — from messaging to video-calling — with other tech providers.

"That is surely what regulators are there for — to protect consumers' interests."

According to Mr McCloskey, the stakes are high.

He says the great prize of the energy transition is smarter and cleaner power that can cut bills and hand greater control to consumers.

But he warns this prize is likely to remain out of reach for most households unless yawning gaps in the regulations covering the smart meter market can be plugged.

As it currently stands, Mr McCloskey says the market is only likely to serve the interests of the metering providers and their retailer customers.

"If we get this wrong, the energy transition will be more expensive for consumers and there will be a lot more complications than there should be," he says.

"And there's the potential we won't have the full range of services that some consumers may want and the protections for data and information that consumers need."

'Conflict of interest'

Giving consumers greater control of their own data and real-time access to it would be a good start, he says.

He says it should be entirely up to consumers to decide who — or which company — can use their data to provide them energy services.

Sydney householder Kerry Bradbury agrees.

She questions how metering companies can best serve consumers' interests when their own customer is the power retailer.

In her opinion, the "conflict of interests" seems obvious.

"They [the metering companies] can't be dealing with the little person like me … and the bigger players in the system," Ms Bradbury says.

"I know who would win.

"It would be the big boys who would win over a little person like me.

"This is where there has to be a regulator of some kind to step in and stop anyone dominating the market."


Ah...the "free" market....

"Markets are good servants, but poor masters, and a worse religion" Amory Lovins.

thegreatdivide wrote on Nov 26^th, 2024 at 10:56am:



SO cost $28,000 dollars. Power bills? Living alone probably about $1,000 a year. It costs about $1,800 for the missus and me. So 28 years repayment. The rooftop solar probably won't last that long, and neither the batteries. Then there is the time value of money. That $28,000 would be worth over $56,000 at a compound rate of 4%. And then there is the dream of free replacement.

You keep saying governments can make money from nothing. Does that apply to the plebs as well?

And she won't have to pay a power bill for 7 years?

thegreatdivide wrote on Nov 26^th, 2024 at 2:04pm:


Many of my mates who live up in hills had off grid setup for years but they did not have grid to start with because to bring power to them would cost over 50K dollars to start with.
Also they made own batteries as farm battery doesn't need to be limited in size nor leak and shock proof like automotive ones.

Quote:


You need backup even if you are on grid because during storms you may loose power for few days and your don't want your freezer to warm up.

Two States are expected to have power shortages due to the coming heatwaves.

Makes one wonder how they would cope if everyone had electric cars?

thegreatdivide wrote on Nov 27^th, 2024 at 1:41pm:


So $28k for solar and batteries. And disconnect from the grid?

thegreatdivide wrote on Nov 27^th, 2024 at 1:41pm:


Might? The eternal optimist or should that be optometrist?

lee wrote on Nov 27^th, 2024 at 2:48pm:


Not necessary to disconnect  - smart technology is on the way, the problem is getting rid of conflicts of interest among private-sector free-market retailers wholesalers etc

A green grid should be government owned; to avoid greed-based private sector  conflicts of interest.

But yes:  Oz  has (access to ) the necessary  physical  resources to roll out PVs and batteries for home owners, and the Oz treasury (the legal Oz dollar issuer), can subsidize the home owners' solar kits.   

Quote:


Google VtoG EV tech.

Do try to educate yourself.