MHC has been working at the forefront of the emerging distributed energy marketplace for several years, as highlighted by our work on virtual power plants with Simply Energy, EnergyAustralia, Yurika Energy, and GreenSync. Our earlier editions of QSI cover the need for innovation to realise the potential of a distributed energy future and the future…
Digital Metering Business Cases: More Than The Dollars Digital metering business cases that focus solely on the financials are missing half the potential benefits. MHC has been working with several water businesses in recent years to explore the benefits of digital water metering. When we talk about the benefits of this new technology with our…
When rubbish energy policy makes a circular economy Australia is poised to unearth the missing link in its waste management sector. Waste to energy (WTE), a well-established technology in comparable countries, is close to commercial viability in some parts of Australian and presents a promising candidate for government incentives in others. While energy has…
Several issues emerging in the public arena present a complex, emotive and interconnected conundrum for policy makers and service providers alike – particularly in the current political context. Important questions are being posed around the resilience of systems fundamental to meeting our most basic needs. Water, food and energy. Winter in the NSW food bowl…
MHC has been busy working with its clients on a number of innovative and industry leading projects, supporting the transition of the electricity system to a more sustainable, affordable and reliable future. Some of these projects have recently been highlighted in the media and we are proud to share our involvement behind the scenes. 1.Simply…
With all the hype surrounding blockchain and its application in the electricity industry, we often get asked about the applications for this emerging technology in the water industry. So, here is a brief summary of some emerging thinking about what blockchain could do for the water industry. What is blockchain? A blockchain is referred to…
The hamster wheel Population growth is the silver bullet our leaders have embraced to starve off the recession beast. So, aside from all the social and environmental externalities (don’t mention the anthropocene!), grow we shall, at all costs, to keep Australia’s economic hamster running on its wheel and the business status quo in place. With…
As Australian stakeholders debate the relative merits and pitfalls for the proposed National Energy Guarantee, it is useful to reflect on the UK’s energy market reform trajectory in recent decades. UK energy reforms When the UK transitioned its wholesale energy pool to bilateral trading arrangements in 2001, it also jettisoned its centralised capacity market. Winter…
This is the second of a series of articles on the rapidly evolving domain of grid edge markets. Our first article highlighted the need for innovation to overcome operational risks associated with increased penetration of DERs as they become aggregated and orchestrated via virtual power plant technologies, and raised the question: How do we manage the…
MHC recently identified the need for water utilities to have a long-term energy strategy including solutions that could help water utilities manage energy risks while potentially capturing opportunities to reduce their energy costs. The recent release of the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) has reinforced this need and represents a potentially significant new revenue stream for…