An economic evaluation of the potential for distributed energy in Australia

We present here economic findings from a major study by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) on the value of distributed energy technologies (DE; collectively demand management, energy efficiency and distributed generation) for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from Australia's energy sector (CSIRO, 2009). The study covered potential economic, environmental, technical, social, policy and regulatory impacts that could result from their wide scale adoption. Partial Equilibrium modeling of the stationary energy and transport sectors found that Australia could achieve a present value welfare gain of around $130 billion when operating under a 450 ppm carbon reduction trajectory through to 2050. Modeling also suggests that reduced volatility in the spot market could decrease average prices by up to 12% in 2030 and 65% in 2050 by using local resources to better cater for an evolving supply–demand imbalance. Further modeling suggests that even a small amount of distributed generation located within a distribution network has the potential to significantly alter electricity prices by changing the merit order of dispatch in an electricity spot market. Changes to the dispatch relative to a base case can have both positive and negative effects on network losses.

► Quantified impact of distributed generation (DG) on the Australian energy sector.
► Australia could achieve a welfare gain of around $130 billion through to 2050.
► Wholesale market modeling found that DG led to lower price levels and volatility.
► DG has impacts on the transmission system in terms of dispatch and system losses.