What to expect from Finkel review of Australiaâ? s energy future

As the energy sector eagerly awaits Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel's final report on the review of the electricity market's future security, ANU experts below provide their thoughts on what to expect. Professor Ken Baldwin, ANU Energy Change Institute "We expect the review to announce a third-best solution to decarbonising the electricity sector via a low emissions target. This mechanism is well behind an emissions intensity scheme and an economy-wide price on carbon, and won't discriminate against really dirty coal over more efficient coal.â? "We also expect there will be incentives for energy storage to help meet demand at high levels of renewables, and for ancillary services such as voltage and frequency control to provide grid stability. "The report needs to be technology neutral in its approach to decarbonising the electricity sector, and sufficiently flexible to take advantage of rapid technological advances." â? Dr Zsuzsanna Csereklyei, ANU Crawford School of Public Policy "The Finkel Review is expected to propose a low emissions target, as a key element of Australia's electricity market policy.â' "While the cost of renewable electricity generation has been strongly falling during the past years, continued infrastructure investment also requires a stable policy background. â?In this light, a low emissions target could facilitate necessary investment in low carbon infrastructure in the coming decades, supporting thus a clean energy transition." â? Dr John Hewson, ANU Crawford School of Public Policy "I expect the essence of a new electricity market policy, as fundamental to the effective transition to meet our Paris emissions reduction targets, clearly recognising the essential role of renewables and storage.