As Australians embrace electric solutions to the global fuel crisis, a new report says the energy sector needs a clearer shared vision for a future grid that supports reliable, affordable and resilient outcomes.
Released today as part of RACE for 2030’s Scenarios for Future Living project, The State of Grid Transition examines how the National Electricity Market is evolving as consumers increasingly generate, store and manage their own energy.
The report finds that consumer-led change is moving faster than the institutions and processes that set long-term system direction. Households and businesses are responding to rising costs and uncertainty through choices such as rooftop solar, batteries, electric vehicles and e-bikes, but the ability to do so remains uneven.
While existing policy, regulatory and market processes remain essential, they are largely designed to manage near‑term issues and formal decision‑making, leaving limited space to look further ahead as electricity takes on a larger role across transport, households and industry.
RACE for 2030 chief executive Dr Bill Lilley said the volatility in oil markets triggered by the war in the Middle East has reinforced the broader context in which energy decisions are now being made.
“Governments and industry are managing immediate pressures around fuel and energy security, while recognising that electricity will increasingly underpin resilience across the economy. Consumers are already driving that shift through record uptake of technology in their own homes and businesses.”
“The challenge now is that this transition is unfolding unevenly. Factors like location, housing and access to capital shape who can participate, and addressing this is essential to avoid baking inequity into the energy system we’re building for decades to come,” Dr Lilley said.
The report urges the energy sector to come together to develop a shared vision of what Australia’s future grid must deliver for consumers. From there, the sector can then work backwards to guide decisions being made today. This ensures short‑term responses to current pressures are aligned with long‑term consumer, system and equity outcomes.
The report’s lead author Professor Chris Riedy of the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures said the findings highlight the significant potential for the sector to strengthen how it navigates change.
“There is an opportunity to move from managing disruption issue by issue, to giving the system a clearer sense of direction that supports better, more confident decisions as electrification accelerates.”
“With a shared vision, decisions on infrastructure, markets and regulation can align over time to help the sector move faster. We can share benefits more evenly and ensure responses to volatility build resilience rather than limit future outcomes,” Prof Chris Riedy said.
Informed by the findings, RACE for 2030 is convening Australia’s first Consumer Grid Summit in Sydney on June 24-25. The Summit is designed to pull decision‑makers out of the policy and rule‑change environment, to explore what a consumer‑led future grid could look like, and the practical pathways to get there. This will culminate in a final public report which can inform decisions across the sector.
RACE for 2030 CEO Dr Bill Lilley says The State of Grid Transition 2026 report provides a strong foundation for the Summit’s success.
“By grounding the Summit in this research, we’re creating a practical bridge between long-term thinking and the decisions already being made. We are giving leaders a rare chance to step back from immediate constraints and test out their ideas together.”
“The Summit and it’s final report will help build a clearer, shared direction for a grid that delivers reliable and affordable energy, even as the world around it becomes more unpredictable,” Dr Lilley said.
The Consumer Grid Summit 2026 will be preceded by a series of Grid Transformation Masterclasses running from May to June, with Expressions of Interest now open to current and emerging leaders at https://www.racefor2030.com.
To view the State of Grid Transition report please visit: https://www.racefor2030.com.
About RACE for 2030:
Reliable, Affordable, Clean Energy (RACE) for 2030 is an industry-led cooperative research program established to drive energy innovation across the supply chain to deliver improved, lower cost and lower emission energy services for energy customers.
RACE for 2030 brings collaborative innovation across the energy value chain, from energy users to suppliers of energy, technology providers and start-up companies, governments, and Australia’s leading energy researchers.
About this research:
This research was funded by the RACE for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre in partnership with Monash University, University of New South Wales, University Technology Sydney, CSIRO, Ausgrid, CitiPower, Powercor, United Energy, Red Energy, NSW Department of Climate, Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (Victoria).
To learn more about the Scenarios for Future Living project, please visit: https://www.monash.edu/
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