Why Australia’s energy devices need a common language
From SwitchedOn Australia by RenewEconomy
May 20, 2026 · 32 min
About this episode
Dani Alexander discusses the need for a common language among Australia's energy devices to enhance interoperability and consumer choice.
Australia’s energy system is increasingly relying on households. With more than four million homes now sporting rooftop solar, and batteries, EVs and smart appliances rapidly growing, consumer energy resources are becoming central to how the grid operates. But there’s a problem emerging beneath this transformation - many of these devices still can’t properly communicate with each other. Dani Alexander from the UNSW Energy Institute explains the importance of interoperability, the technical standards and systems that allow solar, batteries, EVs, retailers and networks to ‘talk’ to each other, and how a lack of interoperability could lock consumers into closed ecosystems and reduce consumer choice.
People in this episode
Guest: Dani Alexander
Topics covered
- energy devices
- interoperability
- consumer energy resources
- rooftop solar
- smart appliances
- grid operation
Keywords
- energy
- interoperability
- solar
- batteries
- EVs
- smart appliances
- grid
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: UNSW Energy Institute
Places: Australia
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