Energy Futures
The Energy Futures research program speculates on how people will incorporate and use energy technologies within their future everyday lives, to help shape decarbonisation and energy policy for Australia and beyond.
The world faces increasingly uncertain and uneven energy futures, facilitated by climate change, decarbonisation imperatives, the increasing integration of consumer energy sources into electricity systems, and people’s changing digital-enabled lifestyles. The Energy Futures theme responds to this uncertainty by developing non-predictive methodologies and speculations for future energy demand, based on people’s own experiences with emerging technologies and demand response initiatives, and their desires and visions for future energy systems, to help guide policy and planning in the decarbonising energy sector.
Drawing on socio-technical concepts and theories, and methodological anticipation, we are developing future scenarios, principles and strategies of understanding, forecasting and intervening in emerging and possible energy futures.
Our research considers energy futures from the perspective of people’s everyday lives. We are interested in how emerging energy technologies, such as battery storage, electric vehicles, home automation, and demand response capability, are being sensed, apprehended and experienced by households as part of shared energy futures. Concurrently, we are exploring how people’s digital-enabled lifestyles (involving new and emerging technologies for remote working and collaboration, caregiving, entertainment, pet care and comfort, housekeeping, mobility, and other activities), are changing future energy demands. We contrast and compare these everyday visions with sector-wide ambitions for Net Zero, decarbonisation and consumer energy resources as part of the energy transition. Overlaying these research priorities is our interest in the future needs of vulnerable or marginalised groups, such as those experiencing energy hardship, or people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Research in this theme achieves both academic and societal impact. Our applied work collaborates with energy partners, including electricity distributors, consumer advocacy organisations and peak bodies such as Energy Consumers Australia. Through this research, we share critical insights on how emerging technologies can contribute towards affordable, equitable and sustainable energy futures.
Projects
Scenarios for Future Living
The Scenarios for Future Living (SFL) project is part of the RACE (Reliable Affordable Clean Energy) for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre.
Digital future schools: AI and energy curriculum for future learning
This project works with young people to imagine the sustainable energy implications of an AI-rich world, and how we might progress toward desirable ‘AI energy futures’.
Net Zero
This project will help cities and urban regions reach net zero emissions by taking the precinct as an optimal scale for urban transition. This project expects to co-create a new approach grounded in transition management and design anthropology. This will be tested in an action-oriented case study in the Monash Technology Precinct through three Living Lab experiments across energy, mobility and buildings.
Future Home Demand: Anticipating Energy and Everyday Life Trends Across Three Victorian Networks
The Future Home Demand project, a collaborative research project between CitiPower, Powercor, United Energy, and Monash University's Emerging Technologies Research Lab, is taking an innovative approach to energy forecasting by focusing on the everyday lives and futures of Australian households.
Digital Energy Futures: understanding and forecasting future energy demand
Partners: Ausgrid; AusNet Services; Energy Consumers Australia
Funded by: The Australian Government through the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Projects funding Scheme
Monash research team: Yolande Strengers; Sarah Pink; Larissa Nicholls; Kari Dahlgren; Rex Martin
Just Transitions in Australia: Moving Towards Low Carbon Lives Across Policy, Industry and Practice
Just Transitions in Australia reports on and documents the policy, practice, and realistic possibilities for ‘Just transitions to decarbonisation’ in Australia.
Future Grid Homes
Partners: Energy Consumers Australia; RMIT University
Funded by: Energy Consumers Australia
Monash research team: Yolande Strengers, Larissa Nicholls
Associate Director, Energy Futures
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Get in contact with our Research Program Lead to discuss how we can start a research project with you.
View our research in the F.I.R.E industries