The bold trial challenging ‘poles and wires’ thinking

Australia’s electricity system was designed around a centralised model, where generators, networks and retailers stay in their own tightly regulated 'swim lanes.' But with the rise of rooftop solar, batteries and electric vehicles, integrating decentralised energy is proving a major challenge. Ausgrid, the country’s largest electricity distributor, has proposed a bold pilot to turn unused commercial rooftops into solar hubs, link them with community batteries, and share that power with 32,000 households, including renters and apartment dwellers who can’t access solar. The model could potentially lower bills, reduce network costs, reduce the amount of new transmission that’s needed, and make the system fairer. Critics, however, warn that allowing networks to move into generation and storage could stifle competition, raising big questions about who should deliver local power and how to balance innovation with consumer fairness. Marc England, the CEO of Ausgrid, puts the case for embracing opportunities that are currently being missed.