New technologies and the future of NEM

The National Electricity Market (NEM) is currently undergoing an unprecedented shift, where the way in which market participants interact is likely to change.

Electricity has traditionally been a one-way street, with large industrial-scale generators transferring electricity to homogenous consumers through the transmission and distribution networks. Now, technological innovation and changing consumer behaviour are creating a situation whereby consumers are able to generate electricity locally and feed it back into the grid. This is intensifying the challenge of delivering a secure supply during peak usage periods, distorting market signals and impacting affordability for many consumers, not to mention fundamentally transforming the future for traditional suppliers of stationary energy.

The efficient operation of the national electricity market on the east coast is essential for 22 million Australians who live in the region and more than a million business customers.

Until the middle of the past decade, the NEM was considered one of the world’s best competitive wholesale electricity markets, but its reputation has slipped significantly in recent years in the eyes of many stakeholders.

Opinions vary from “the NEM is broken”, to calls to make it more responsive to significant changes in technology and consumer behaviour (including environmental objectives), to the view of the CoAG Energy Council that the design of the market is “robust and efficient” and not in need of “radical change”.

The NEM Future Forum 2015, taking place in Sydney from 24-26 June, will bring together local and international thought leaders from the length of the energy supply chain to explore these issues and to determine what the implications will be for the future.

Over 125 senior representatives from energy stakeholders will attend, including from AGL Energy, United Energy and Multinet Gas, The University of Oxford, AusNet Services, Department of Industry, TransGrid, Hydro Tasmania, Clean Energy Regulator, Clean Energy Council, Energy Retailers Association of Australia, Energy Supply Association of Australia, Minerals Council of Australia, Infigen Energy, Ergon Energy, Qenergy, CSIRO, University of Queensland and many others.

The conference addresses the key challenges being faced by the NEM and will bring together Australia’s leading policymakers, industry, peak representative bodies, respected analysts and end users to work towards satisfactory and sustainable outcomes for all concerned.

Download a conference brochure for the full agenda details here: http://bit.ly/1AMJrHC.