SwitchedOn Australia

Mar 31 2025 80 ep. 38 mins 97

SwitchedOn Australia Podcast artwork

Join Anne Delaney as she tracks the electrification of everything with people at the forefront of the electrification transition.

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Why we have electricity tariffs all wrong

Mar 31 2025 36 mins

With cost-of-living pressures making energy a key election issue, we look at how tariff reform can impact on affordability and electrification, as well as support and accelerate the transition to renewables. Dr. Ahmad Faruqui is a San Francisco-based energy economist with over 45 years experience advising electricity utilities, regulators, and governments worldwide. He discusses wh

So you want to install a community battery? How Yarra Energy Foundation did it.

Mar 24 2025 49 mins

In this second episode of our series of interviews with community energy groups installing batteries we speak to Lachlan Hensey, the energy and storage project lead for Yarra Energy Foundation (YEF), one of the few community energy groups in Australia to successfully install a community battery. While most so-called ‘community batteries’ are actually installed by electricity ne

Why energy complaints are soaring and consumers need better energy protection

Mar 16 2025 42 mins

Electricity prices are skyrocketing in many parts of Australia, and more households are facing high bills they can’t afford to pay. Complaints to the NSW Energy and Water Ombudsman jumped 57% last year, as more households struggled to pay for electricity. Last week the energy regulator proposed raising the default market offer price cap, which could make things even worse for tho

The majority of Australians rely on unregulated ‘eco’ claims and greenwashing to buy electrical appliances

Mar 09 2025 29 mins

The push to electrify our homes means investing in new appliances, but many Australians struggle to find reliable information about what they’re buying. Research from the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) reveals that key details—like durability, repairability, and spare part availability—are often missing at the point of sale. While most consumers want to make environme

Why the energy industry keeps getting consumers wrong

Mar 02 2025 41 mins

For years, the energy industry has operated under a flawed assumption: that consumers manage their energy use like ‘mini-economists’ or ‘mini-engineers.’ But as digital sociologist Professor Yolande Strengers from Monash University argues, this overlooks the realities of how people actually engage with energy. To truly understand energy use, she says, we need to examine dai

So you want to install a community battery? Village Power’s battle to get switched on

Feb 25 2025 30 mins

In the first of our series of interviews with community groups installing community batteries, we hear from Graeme Martin, the Director of Village Power, on what to do and what not to do if you want to install a community battery. Village Power has been beavering away to get a community battery installed in the Alphington/Fairfield area of Melbourne for over seven years. They liken

Beyond the illusion of rationality: Alan Pears on fixing Australia’s energy system

Feb 16 2025 49 mins

Alan Pears has been helping shape Australia’s sustainable energy policies since the late 1970s. He’s a Senior Industry Fellow at RMIT University and one of Australia’s pre-eminent energy efficiency experts and environmental consultants and has advised federal, state and local governments across Australia, as well as community groups and the private sector. Alan has played a p

Tailoring the transition - why renewables must fit communities, not the other way round

Feb 11 2025 44 mins

Over 40 renewable energy zones have so far been identified across Australia and it’s estimated we’ll need 10,000 kms of new transmission lines built before 2050. That’s hundreds of new big solar, wind and battery projects. But for many people in the regions the lack of clear information on how new renewable projects will impact specific areas is leading to confusion and scept

The missing links in the green energy transition

Jan 30 2025 35 mins

The Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy wants the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, ARENA, to fund more suburb wide community electrification projects. Climate Council councillor Greg Bourne says it’s an important move – community involvement in energy projects is vital for the energy transition. Bourne has worked at the nexus of climate change, energy business and

Summer Series: How I electrified - Rosemary

Jan 25 2025 43 mins

Rosemary Grundy has done a detailed analysis of how long it will take to get a return on her investment in renewables. From the day she moved into her new house in December 2021, she’s diligently recorded how much she saves from not using fossil fuels, and how much she pays for electricity, and calculated that she’ll break even on her solar panels, batteries, and two electric v