by Rebecca Walker — March 10, 2010—Wide-scale adoption of low-emission distributed energy could reduce the cost of transitioning to a low-carbon future by as much a $130 billion by 2050, according to a new report by CSIRO, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
The CSIRO Energy Transformed Flagship report: Intelligent Grid: A value proposition for wide-scale distributed energy solutions in Australia, outlines the potential contribution distributed energy can make to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Australia and how these benefits can be realized.
Distributed energy is a term used to describe technologies and systems that provide local generation of electrical power, energy efficiency and management of when and how energy is used (demand management).
CSIRO project leader Anthony Szatow said the results provided a strong economic and environmental case for wider use of distributed energy in the Australian energy market with enormous benefits for all electricity users in Australia.
The 592-page report identifies important factors that influence the use of distributed energy relevant to key energy stakeholders including; policy makers, regulators, distribution companies, energy retailers, energy consultants, communities, academics and consumers.
