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Continue readingElectric buses put to the test under Australian conditions
Posts Tagged → policy
Young ANU scientists make their mark with Tall Poppy honours
Four outstanding early career researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) who are forging new ground in fields spanning tissue engineering to how we experience and communicate emotions have been recognised with ACT Young Tall Poppy Science Awards.
Dr Kiara Bruggeman, Dr Joshua Chu-Tan, Dr Bjorn Sturmberg and Dr Amy Dawel have been honoured for pushing scientific boundaries and fostering an appreciation for the sciences by communicating their work to the public.
The awards are considered an early indicator of Australia’s future scientific leaders. They highlight the excellent work of young scientists who have made significant contributions to their respective fields of science that will benefit Australia and the world.
Continue readingA provocation – Who will drive Vehicle-to-Grid?
A “provocation” is my new favorite form of publication!
This article in Utility Magazine was a real pleasure to write and condenses many recent discussions.
Our main takeaway is this: “Our experience to date suggests that V2G may stand to be of greatest attraction “for the grid” and that there is much to be done “by the grid” to accelerate this innovation becoming a seamless part of the electric vehicle experience.”
Continue readingOverwhelming interest in EVs for remote communities
In response to the incredible media interest in our recent paper on electric vehicles in remote Australia – with the second most media stories that the journal Australian Geographer has ever generated in it’s 94 year history – the publishers have lifted the paywall to make the full article available for free until the end of Oct.
So if want to look behind the headline, now’s your chance https://lnkd.in/dvF7FKxi
Exploring the feasibility of electric vehicle travel for remote communities in Australia
New paper out today showing that current EVs would be able to service the vast majority (93%+) of residents of remote communities in northern Australia (under simplified assumptions).
My take aways:
- We cannot leave these communities out of our clean transport plans (as we did with clean electricity) – they are not in the “too hard basket”
- If EVs can service trips in remote communities their ranges are likewise sufficient for regional communities – who too have received less support for electrification
- Charging infrastructure – especially in regional and remote service towns – is now the missing piece of the puzzle
The media’s takes:
- The Guardian “Regional residents at risk of being ‘last people in the world’ driving petrol cars due to misconception electric vehicle batteries lack range” (a stretch perhaps)
- Cosmos Magazine “Electrification shouldn’t ignore remote communities.” (nailed it!)
Article is here and abstract and link to free to access pre-print are below
Continue readingFACTS – a Framework for an Australian Clean Transport Strategy
I was part of a team of 18 independent experts (academics) who developed a comprehensive framework for decarbonising the Australian transport sector in a manner consistent with international best practice (eg shifting trips to public and active transport) and climate science to keep warming within 1.5d.
Below are some takeout snapshots. The full report is available at transportfacts.org and a summary was published in The Conversation.
Continue readingThe clean energy revolution isn’t a techno-fix – it needs to be guided by communities’ local needs
New piece in The Conversation
Context is everything
Under the previous federal government, Australia’s approach to emissions reduction was narrow and technology-centred.
The new Labor government – elected on the promise of climate action – has the opportunity to move to a community-based approach. This should ensure any new infrastructure integrates with people’s lives, values, and aspirations.
Such an approach requires proponents and funding bodies (both government and private) to genuinely listen to communities’ needs – right from the early design stage.
If local circumstances are not considered, a trial can be plagued with problems.
Continue readingAudio story in The Guardian
Check out this cool little feature on The Guardian Labs in which I discuss the role of strategies, like FACTS (a Framework for an Australia Clean Transport Strategy), in accelerating the pace of innovation and the decarbonisation transition, as well as steering the transitions to a better future.
Electric Vehicles and The Grid – analysis for DEIP
In research commissioned by ARENA and the Distributed Energy Integration Program, we’ve analysed the gaps in knowledge and current activities around the integration of electric vehicles (of all sizes) into the electricity system.
The executive summary is below and the full report is available here.
Continue readingNeighbourhood batteries in Australia: Anticipating questions of value conflict and (in)justice
We have a new paper published today in Energy Research & Social Science.
Highlights
- Energy professionals and citizens hold diverse values on algorithm design, governance and the energy transition generally.
- Differences in how values are interpreted and which values are emphasised suggest future points of conflict (and injustice).
- Systemic issues raised both down and upstream of the technology suggest distributed responsability ill suited to centralised governance.
- Our focus on responsibility and justice reorients the problem to re-design rather than accommodation.
Pre-print is freely available below and the published paper is available at https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1ely67tZ6ZxQoB
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