Dylan McConnell (57Min)

University of Melbourne

Abstract

It's often said that a week is a long time in politics. The almost 100 weeks since the 'black system' in South Australia and the resulting political response can be considered an eternity. During this period, we have seen some of the most significant developments and interventions in the National Electricity Market (NEM), since it's inception almost 20 years ago. This includes (but is not limited to) Government led interventions, such as the South Australian Energy Plan, Snowy 2.0 and the ever-evolving National Energy Guarantee. Additionally, the Australian Energy Market Operator has also taken on a more proactive role with respect to planning and has shown a greater willingness to intervene in the operation of the market. This seminar will explore these interventions, the evolving political economy of the power system and the potential implications for the future and long-term sustainability of the National Electricity Market.

Brief Bio

Dylan McConnell is a PhD student at the University of Melbourne's Climate and Energy College, with several years experience as an energy system analyst at the Melbourne Energy Institute. Dylan has a detailed understanding of the cost structure of energy technologies and the Australian National Electricity Market. He was an author of the Melbourne Energy Institute's Renewable Energy Technology Cost Review, commissioned by the Garnaut Review, an investigation of renewable technology costs and projections. He has also developed simple energy market models for analyzing the National Electricity Market electricity dispatch and price-setting system, in the context of understanding the effect of renewable generation and storage technologies, and wholesale electricity demand. More recently, Dylan has lead the OpenNEM project, which aims to make the wealth of public National Electricity Market (NEM) data more accessible to a wider audience.