Oakley Greenwood News
22 February 2013
Jim Snow presented a paper to the Queensland Energy Conference (Tonkin, Brisbane) that outlined the need to reform network pricing approaches, the appalling state of energy forecasting and its implications and lack of effective competition in gas on the east coast. This paper can be downloaded here.
January 2013
OGW was commissioned by ElectraNet (SA) to undretake a crictical review of the methodology used by the Regulator to review their demand forecasts and to provide an indeodent opinion of the reasonableness of the approach taken by ElectraNet in conjunction with SA Power Networks in determining the revised set of connection point demand forecasts. This report is availoable here.
December 2012
OGW completed detailed review of the forecasts of capital and operating expenditure provided by Gosford City Council and Wyong Shire Council to IPART for their water and waste water facilities. These are available on our site here.
29 October 2012
OGW report released by Australian Industry Group, Brotherhood of St Laurence, CHOICE and The Energy Efficiency Council - Policy Options for Maximising Downward Pressure on Electricity Prices
23 October 2012: Gas Supply Contracts Conference; (Brisbane Marriott Hotel)
Jim Snow presented a paper "Gas supply agreements for power generation - a customer perspective" that outlined a new market concpet for the Gas Market in Australia
24 -25 October: EUAA Annual Confernce
Jim Snow presented a paper "Buying Gas for Electricity Generation - Lessons Learnt" that outlined a new market concpet for the Gas Market in Australia.
Lance Hoch presented a paper: "Integrating Policy Objectives Regarding Electricity Issues" looking at energy efficiency and peak demand objectives and how these can be integrated into policy
June 2012: AEMC Draft Advice for NSW Government on reliability options for electricity dustribution
Oakley Greenwood provided detailed research and survey work to the AEMC examininh the Vakue of Customer Reliability in NSW - at this link http://www.aemc.gov.au/market-reviews/open/review-of-distribution-reliability-outcomes-and-standards.html
December 2011: Energy Pricing Summit (Tonkin, Melbourne)
Jim Snow presented a paper Effective Price Signalling to Customers that explores the need for pricing reform, especially at the network level, and the benefits this would yield across the chain includng end use customers.
November 2011: Smart Utilities Summit Workshop
Jim Snow and Lance Hoch presented a Case Study of the Orion Energy, New Zealand dynamic pricing approach Snow assisted to develop, and its results over the last 18 years: Orion Case Study Paper
October 2011: 9th Annual Water Pricing Summit
Alan Rattray and Rohan Harris presented a paper on Valuing Water Using a Market Approach which was well recieved by attendees as highly innovative and achievable.
September 2011: ENA NEICF Workshop Facilitation
ENA Update: Jim Snow and Lance Hoch from Oakley Greenwood facilitated active and forthright discussions between forty participants including:
- Ten ENA Members
- Ten Energy Retailers Association of Australia (ERAA) members,
- Nine consumer representative organisations, including ACOSS, VCOSS, Consumer Utilities Advisory Centre (CUAC), Consumer Action Law centre (CALC) and The Alternative Energy Association
- Third parties: Energy Response (now EnerNOC), Billcap and GE
- Government representatives from Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism, AEMC, AEMO, Victorian Department of Primary Industries, and
- Smart Grid Australia.
See Update here
August 2011: Australian Demand Side Conference
Oakley Greenwood assisted EUCI to Develop an Australian specific demand side Conference and is the Platinum Sponsor. This will feature leading speakers from a range of Utilties and service providers including Ausgrid, Energex, Ergon Energy, Horizon Power Corp., Institute for Sustainable Futures, Energy Networks Association, Cooper Power Systems, Energy Automation Solutions Group, CSIRO Energy, Energy Response, Impaq Consulting and Oakley Greenwood's own experts.
For Brochure: Demand Management in Australia: Creating Effective DSM through Pricing, Policy, and Programs
EUCI Newsletter:Demand Management in Australia
June 2011: Planning Report for South East Water
The primary purpose of this project was to develop a “coarse assessment” as to the business as usual (BAU) costs associated with the delivery of a centralised potable water solution to South East Water’s (SEW) geographic region. OGW understands that SEW will primarily use this assessment to underpin its economic evaluation of its Integrated Water Management (IWM) Strategy. The IWM Strategy includes costs and volumes associated with the delivery of a number of different ‘fit for purpose’ water supply options across a number of discrete regions within SEW.
Centralised Potable Water Business As Usual Case; Report Authors: Rohan Harris, Alan Rattray
May 2011: ENA Smart Networks Summit (Sydney)
Lance Hoch presented the attcahed paper at this conference:
"Linkages Between Pricing and Demand Management" - Lance Hoch
April 2011: Electricity Price and Market Dynamics Review
Jim Snow and Lance Hoch presented the attached papers at this conference:
"Addressing the urgent need for network tariff reform" - Jim Snow
"Examining the price and pricing impacts of smart meter infrastructure" - Lance Hoch
December 2010: Greg Thorpe peer reviews feasibility study for additional interconnection to South Australia
This was undertaken for AEMO
September 2010: Victorian Smart Meter Cost Benefit Analysis Reports
The Victorian Department of Primary Industries on Friday 3rd September released two Oakley Greenwood Reports relating to the costs and benefits for electricity smart metering upgrades in Victoria.Oakley Greenwood were asked to review an assessment of AMI benefits that had been produced for DPI by Futura Consulting in December 2009 and to then compare our revised view of those benefits to the costs of the VIC AMI program as reported by another consultant (EMCa) in June 2010. The Futura and EMCa reports are also available on the DPI website at: Link
The Oakley Greenwood reports confirm that power bills will be lower after this vital infrastructure upgrade than they would have been without it. Importantly, the report reveals that given strong regulations around electricity sector, it is reasonable to expect that the vast majority of benefits forecast will ultimately flow to consumers. For more information please contact Lance Hoch at Oakley Greenwood. The reports can be found here and here.
August 2010: Lance Hoch Serves on Independent Assessment Panel for the Commonwealth Government's Smart Grid, Smart City Program
OGW congratulate EnergyAustralia, the recently announced successful bidder in the Commonwealth Government's Smart Grid, Smart City program. The program will provide up to $100 million to fund a commercial-scale deployment and demonstration of Smart Grid technology in the Newcastle, Sydney and Scone areas. Lance Hoch, one of OGW's Directors served on the six member Independent Assessment Panel appointed by the Australian Government to review the proposals to the Smart Grid, Smart City program, and recommend a preferred bidder and alternatives. Lance and the other members of the Panel were impressed with the quality of the proposals received, and the robustness of the overall process used by the Government in assessing them.
Smart Grid technology offers significant benefits for network operations and, importantly, the integration of decentralised generation sources, and will build on the benefits anticipated to accrue from Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). The Smart Grid, Smart City program has been designed to provide a real-life test of the functioning and ability of an integrated system of smart grid, renewable energy and smart meter technology and infrastructure to deliver benefits to the electricity supply and delivery system, consumers and the environment. Its results are to be widely shared so that all areas of Australia can benefit from the deployment of Smart Grid technology. The Smart Grid, Smart City program itself is one of a number of commercial scale deployments of Smart Grid technology that are taking place around the world, and puts Australia in the first rank of countries that are putting these systems in place.
We wish Energy Australia every success with the program and look forward to the information that will flow from it.
Jim Snow Presents at AIE Sydney Conference 2009 and 2010 Papers
Jim Snow rpeseneted a landmark paper in 2009 (featured the death spiral effect for electricity consumtion) and followed this up in 2010 taking a look at the NSW’s Electricity Future 2020 (and beyond): What will it look like and how do we get there? the 2009 paper can be downloaded here and the 2010 here.