Rewiring Australia says communities will play an important role in protecting households from price hikes, after the Australian Energy Market Operator warned of a surge in electricity infrastructure costs.
AEMO's Draft 2025 Electricity Network Options Report has revealed transmission line costs have risen by up to 55% because of skills and material shortages. It expects the costs to be passed onto the consumer.
"This isn't a doom and gloom scenario. We know harnessing the power of solar and battery storages can make individual homes, and their communities more resilient if they can also feed excess power back into the grid," Rewiring Australia CEO Francis Vierboom said.
"By using more of our local grid capacity with neighbourhood battery storage and smart EV charging, we can capitalise on the huge amount of potential rooftop solar we have space for. We have local infrastructure. If we re-think where we invest, and target upgrading grid-sharing technology, we can help communities access cheaper and cleaner energy without expensive new poles and wires.
"This isn't a novel idea either. AEMO recommends this sort of local level consumer network distribution in its report, and in some communities, this sort of model is already operating," Mr Vierboom said.
The AEMO report proposes a re-evaluation of some large-scale transmission projects, flagging the increasing role of consumer energy resources which includes rooftop solar and household and community batteries.
It comes as the NSW Government launches its first urban renewable energy zone, which will focus on local solar, storage and more effective grid use to make communities more energy resilient.
Rewiring Australia is calling on all levels of government to prioritise community-led energy upgrades, fast-track support for grid modernisation, and scale up electrification as a national economic strategy.
"If we give communities a leg-up to upgrade their homes with electric appliances, solar and batteries, and modernise their grids and rapidly increase the uptake of electrification nationally, we can cut more power bills, and rely less on mega transmission projects," Mr Vierboom said.
