This report has been prepared for the Australia Institute to provide advice to the Energy Security Board’s Post-2025 redesign of the National Electricity Market (NEM).

This fourth report from the Australian Energy Security Board provides an annual check-up recommended by the Finkel Review. The report is an assessment of how the National Electricity Market (NEM) is functioning and where improvement is required.

This study contributes to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s development of the Electricity Demand and Generation Scenarios (EDGS). It does so by providing a forecast of potential utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) solar electricity generation in New Zealand, with accompanying detailed information such as size, location, and cost of each project.

Due to their unique size and position in the grid, community-scale batteries have the potential to play an integral role in Australia’s transition to a decentralised grid. This research reveals enthusiasm for storage of this scale and outlines the considerations needed for the practical deployment and operation of community-scale batteries in the national electricity market.

This report has been prepared as part of the ACCC's inquiry into the prices, profits and margins in the supply of electricity in the National Electricity Market. The supplementary report sets out recent market developments, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on electricity use and affordability, the response of regulators and industry to the...