Emergent Opportunities and Barriers on the Feasibility of Microgrids: Qualitative Findings from an Australian Funding Program
Climate change is having widespread impacts worldwide, with rural and remote regions particularly at risk from the worst effects. In Australia, communities in these areas are responding by seeking to ensure a more resilient, reliable, affordable, and cleaner energy supply amidst this changing climate. Microgrids are increasingly being deployed around the world to provide these outcomes, but their application remains limited in most markets. In 2019, the Australian government announced a 5-year $AUD50 million funding program to accelerate microgrid activity for rural and remote communities called the Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund - Microgrids (RRCRF). This presentation will present empirical findings from qualitative research with project participants from these microgrid feasibility studies. The aim was to better understand the barriers encountered and how these compare to those cited in the international academic literature. Australia appears to face barriers that are not prominent in the literature, specifically complex legal issues around land ownership, patchy communication networks, and workforce availability in regional and remote areas. The findings can support increased microgrid deployment in Australia and overseas while helping inform future associated policies and programs to benefit those living and working in rural and remote communities.
Key Lerning Points:
- Understanding the drivers and barriers of microgrid studies in Australia
- Providing policy recommendations that can assist in designing future energy funding programs
- Helping inform future microgrid projects and contributing towards a new national regulatory framework for microgrids in Australia
- Understanding the community attitudes, behaviours, and motivations towards microgrids
Farzan Tahir
PhD candidate
Institute of Sustainable Futures (ISF) at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Australia
Farzan Tahir is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Sustainable utures at University of Technology Sydney Australia. He is an electrical engineer from the University of Sydney with expertise in power systems and a passion for sustainable energy solutions. His research focuses on the implications of microgrids within the Australian context, investigating policies that shape their development and assessing the social impacts these innovative technologies have on local communities. Through his research he aims to contribute to the advancement of resilient, community-centric energy systems that foster both environmental sustainability and social well-being of Australian communities.
PhD candidate
Institute of Sustainable Futures (ISF) at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Australia
Farzan Tahir is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Sustainable utures at University of Technology Sydney Australia. He is an electrical engineer from the University of Sydney with expertise in power systems and a passion for sustainable energy solutions. His research focuses on the implications of microgrids within the Australian context, investigating policies that shape their development and assessing the social impacts these innovative technologies have on local communities. Through his research he aims to contribute to the advancement of resilient, community-centric energy systems that foster both environmental sustainability and social well-being of Australian communities.