Our energy challenge - speed vs capacity

Australia’s energy system is under renewed scrutiny, with expert insight from Monash University highlighting just how exposed it can be to global shocks and how complex the transition ahead really is.

A Herald Sun article "Cracks in Australia's energy system exposed" unpacks the ripple effects of supply chain disruptions on Australia’s fuel security, from rising costs to flow-on impacts across transport, agriculture and industry.

Beyond immediate pressures, it also points to the strain of transforming the system at speed.

Associate Professor Roger Dargaville of Monash Civil and Environmental Engineering says the challenge isn’t just about technology or policy, but about capacity.

“We're well on the pathway... but as we ramp up, we're probably just not going to have enough people in the short term to run these projects,” he says. “You don't get an engineer with 15 years' experience overnight.”

While electrification and renewables are scaling quickly, the workforce needed to deliver and manage that change can’t be built at the same pace.

The result? A system feeling pressure from both directions - external shocks in the present, and internal constraints as we try to accelerate the transition.