As the hopeful among us click our heels three times and say ‘There’s no place like net zero’, and the Liberals, Nationals and Labor continue to salivate over new coal mines, Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has launched the National Energy Analysis Centre (NEAC) – which is vital new research infrastructure to support, accelerate and de-risk Australia’s complex energy transition.
NEAC is an independent, collaborative research centre delivering data-driven insights to support Australia’s journey to net zero.
It will combine real-world anonymised energy data from households and businesses with state-of-the-art energy system modelling, analysis and visualisation tools, equipping decision makers with a powerful toolkit to steer Australia’s energy transition with greater clarity and coordination.
Accelerate and de-risk the energy transition
CSIRO’s Energy Director Dr Dietmar Tourbier said the new national infrastructure will help to accelerate and de-risk the energy transition. ‘Transforming the energy system will impact every sector of the economy and every part of society,’ said Dr Tourbier.
‘A transition of this scale and complexity needs a coordinated, long-term perspective.
‘NEAC will help Australia navigate this journey by providing the trusted insights planners and policymakers need to inform action and reduce risk.’
A Living Lab of thousands of people
NEAC will consist of: a Living Lab of thousands of people in real homes and businesses across Australia, pre-recruited and ready to participate in research; a Systems Science Toolbox with rich, curated datasets in a coherent multi-energy systems framework, and powerful analytical models, workflow tools and spatiotemporal visualisations, and; extensive innovation networks of NEAC users and collaborators.
Researchers, network planners, government agencies and industry will be able to use the NEAC Living Lab to more deeply understand how Australian families and businesses use energy now and in the future, to develop effective infrastructure and programs at lowest cost to consumers.
Including a diverse range of households and businesses in the NEAC Living Lab will help develop effective energy infrastructure and programs that provide reliable, secure, and affordable energy.
Be part of the Living Lab
CSIRO is inviting Australian residents 18 years old and over to sign up to the Living Lab.
Heath Raftery is a Living Lab participant and is anonymously sharing his circuit-level electricity use and indoor temperature and humidity data. ’I joined NEAC because I’ve been following the energy transition and see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Australia to look at the electricity grid with the consumer in mind,’ said Mr Raftery.
‘I’m a renter so there’s not much I can do infrastructure-wise, but having input via NEAC will help governments and providers to consider the third of the population who are renting, as they develop policies and products.
‘I’m also hoping that the information I get about my family’s energy use habits can help us to reduce our bills.’
Supporting research
The Living Lab is already supporting one multi-institution residential research project, while the Systems Science Toolbox is being used as part of a study into optimising energy within industrial hubs.
Organisations interested in using NEAC are invited to attend a webinar on August 11 to find out more.
Register your interest to join the Living Lab (For any resident of Australia over 18 years old).
This research is supported by the Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF).
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