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SwitchedOn Australia

SwitchedOn Australia

By: RenewEconomy
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Join Anne Delaney as she tracks the electrification of everything with people at the forefront of the electrification transition.All rights reserved Politics & Government
Episodes
  • The future of farming - how renewables can reshape agriculture
    Jul 15 2025
    A growing movement of Australian farmers is stepping up to tackle climate change head-on. Climate change is already hitting agriculture hard with drought, floods, and extreme weather costing farmers tens of thousands each year. Born from a meeting of 30 frustrated farmers tired of being ignored about climate change a decade ago, Farmers for Climate Action has grown into a national force representing more than 8,000 farmers committed to climate solutions. From carbon-neutral beef production to farmers installing solar and batteries to reduce emissions and take pressure off the grid, renewables present an opportunity for regional communities, not just for cutting emissions and costs, but for boosting farm incomes, strengthening local economies, and creating a more equitable energy future. Natalie Collard is the CEO of Farmers for Climate Action.
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    37 mins
  • Electricity plans should be as easy as ordering an uber
    Jul 9 2025
    Electricity prices have risen again across NSW, South Australia and South East Queensland following the latest default market offer increase, but some retailers are also using the changes to lift prices on supposedly more competitive market plans. Why is this happening, and why is it so difficult to get a better deal? Professor David Byrne, the Ritchie Chair of Economic Research at the University of Melbourne, explains how a handful of dominant retailers exploit consumer inertia and lack of transparency to maximise profits, and why even well-intentioned regulation has struggled to deliver truly fair prices. He also shares the results of a unique undercover experiment using professional actors to negotiate with energy companies — revealing just how much you can save if you know how to ask. And he lays out a bold vision for market reform, where the onus is no longer on consumers to endlessly compare plans, but instead on electricity companies to compete for us. What if getting a fair electricity deal was as easy as tapping a button, like ordering an Uber?
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    47 mins
  • Trading solar: buying and selling solar power with neighbours and friends
    Jul 2 2025
    A new research project is putting ‘virtual energy networks’ for households and businesses to the test. Virtual energy networks (VENs) allow consumers to buy solar energy directly from their neighbours, or sell excess rooftop solar to someone across town, or even interstate, all through an online platform. VENs are already used by some councils, schools and businesses with multiple sites, for instance to share solar generated on a community centre with an office or depots. But most energy retailers haven’t extended this system to households. Dr Andrea La Nauze, an Associate Professor of Economics at Deakin University, is leading a study to look at how the use of VENs can be extended, and is now recruiting participants for the trial. If you’d like to take part in the virtual energy network study, you can email the team at ven@deakin.edu.au or just search “Deakin Virtual Energy Network” in your browser.
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    27 mins

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.