Melbourne Energy Institute

The familiar patterns of energy production, distribution and consumption are on the brink of rapid transformation. Energy systems are being redesigned in response to powerful drivers of change including peak oil and global warming as well as general technology and policy innovation. Understanding how energy systems should evolve in response to these forces presents strategic, technical and social justice challenges.

The University of Melbourne is engaged with these issues through research on energy policy, system modelling and design-innovation. Key research challenges are:

• Developing assessment ‘tool-kits’ to evaluate and compare the non-conventional costs and benefits associated with different forms of energy system designs.
• Understanding the changing relationship between system scale, cost-effectiveness and the rapid emergence of small-scale energy generation and ‘smart’ networks.
• Broadening public, industry and political awareness of alternative systems of production and consumption.
• Testing strategies to ease the transition between existing ‘carbon-heavy’ systems and emerging ‘carbon-light’ alternatives.

One area of activity involves research, design and communication work on distributed systems at the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL). Distributed energy is one alternative that sees systems of generation positioned close to points of demand—taking advantage of local energy sources (such as solar or wind) that are overlooked by existing energy infrastructure. The result is a diverse array of energy systems that are ‘context-specific’ and networked—designed for local demand conditions but capable of contributing to the wider electricity grid. Potential benefits from this approach include a shift from inefficient large-scale power generation to low-carbon co-generation and renewable energy sources, reduced energy loss during transmission, improved supply security and a closer engagement between energy consumers and suppliers

Contact

• Che Biggs