PRESS RELEASE: Australia has zero chance of achieving lower emission targets if we don’t change WHEN we use power. Ahead of world climate conference, Australian energy experts unveil ‘secret weapon’ to revolutionise industry operations and halve the cost of energy for a greener future

Australia can transform from a climate laggard to a world climate leader and renewables superpower by using an overlooked ‘secret weapon’ to get industry to use more energy in the day and less at night, according to a group of Australian energy experts who have launched a world-first business to help companies halve the cost of energy and slash emissions.

In the run-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow on October 31, 2021, the Queensland-based start-up, EnergyFlex, has written to Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor, requesting a meeting to highlight how Australian industry can save the environment by when it uses energy, not by how much it uses.

“At the moment, our Government has no viable way of ever achieving much-lauded emission targets,” said EnergyFlex Co-Director, Garry Harding, a former Defence aerospace engineering consultant like fellow Director, Craig Phasey. “The world is changing how we generate power, so we also need to change when and how we use it.

“Everyone from householders to big industry emitters can dramatically cut emissions and soaring energy bills by using more renewable energy from the sun when it shines – and that’s during the day and not at night, when coal is needed to fire the grid. By shifting operations to daytime, we can do more with less damage.

“Australia boasts an abundance of solar and wind power so if we became energy smart and we all increase energy use during the day, when renewable energy is generated and cheap, and use less energy at night, when it’s more much more expensive and harmful to the environment, we can halve the cost of energy and save the planet without affecting production,” Mr Harding said.

“Flexibility of consumption and a focus on daytime operations are by far the biggest and simplest levers we have against climate change – it’s our secret weapon yet few people know it exists. Flexible production simply means industry going faster when we are generating natural power and slower when we aren’t. We are urging our Government to regulate and incentivise when energy is used rather than focusing on how much is used. And we want our Government leaders at the Glasgow climate conference to advocate the world does the same.”

Mr Harding said varying production in response to power price changes without losing production was a ‘a Smart Demand Response’ that demanded attention. “Smart Demand Response allows a production manager to wind back on production when electricity price is high at night and increase production when prices are low in the day. The result is the same production volume at a lower energy cost and a faster transition to a renewables-powered world,” he said.

“We see flexible industrial energy use as the key to any meaningful transition to renewable energy. If electricity users can vary their demand in line with the available generation, then the major challenges of a renewable powered grid become resolvable.

“Balancing energy generation with production will allow us to use more energy, more cheaply and more profitably, thereby solving industry’s energy cost problems and potentially re-invigorating Australian manufacturing. If we don’t do this, the cost of energy will triple and emissions increase further. By being flexible, industry can also gain carbon credits and claim an authentic green product which is the end goal.

We call this being Renewables Ready. An energy consumer, large or small, who can confidently synchronise power use with the availability of renewable energy, is Renewables Ready with a diminished carbon footprint.

“We believe Australia can lead the way in being truly energy smart – using renewable energy when its generated, not when it’s not, and we call on our Government to see the light as well.”

For more, visit www.energyflex.com.au or email [email protected]

* Media interviews available with:
Garry Harding – EnergyFlex Co-Director – 0414 279 681

Or via Andrew Mevissen, Peak Media Relations, 0431 883 057, [email protected]