Monash University has partnered with Ausgrid, AusNet Services and Energy Consumers Australia to produce Digital Energy Futures, a three-year $2.3 million research initiative.
Led by Associate Professor Yolande Strengers and Professor Sarah Pink from the Monash Emerging Technologies Research Lab, Digital Energy Futures will draw on future-focused social science research.
The project team plans to develop models for tracking and predicting peak electricity demand and broader consumption.
Monash University Faculty of Information Technology Associate Professor, Ms Strengers, believes that this will significantly benefit households.
“More accurate forecasting will lower infrastructure costs and, subsequently, electricity prices for residential consumers.”
Digital Energy Futures will also create demand management solutions for businesses, helping them meet future consumption targets. According to Professor Pink, the outcomes of this initiative can be applied to a range of sectors.
“The project will allow us to develop new methods and principles for understanding human-centred energy and technology futures,” Professor Strengers said.
“This will ultimately have implications and transferability to other industry contexts.”
Digital Energy Futures is funded through the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Projects Scheme.
The CEO of Energy Consumers Australia, Rosemary Sinclair, said, “This valuable collaboration will help us build and maintain consumer confidence, understand their energy use and improve forecasting.
“Our industry will, therefore, be more responsive and flexible to future energy needs.”
The CEO of Ausgrid, Richard Gross, said that the project aligns with his organisation’s long-term goals.
“Residential households want more affordable, reliable and sustainable energy solutions, and we’re working smarter to meet these needs.
“Partnering with Monash and our customers will help us identify changing trends in household electricity demand. With this deeper understanding of energy use, we can improve our services.”
