Australia can manage risks of shift to renewables: market operator

Melbourne

AUSTRALIA can manage the risks of its rapid shift towards renewable energy by managing demand and taking better control over rooftop solar output, the new head of the country's electricity market operator said on Tuesday.

Audrey Zibelman, who oversaw a rebuild of New York's ageing grid following widespread blackouts during Hurricane Sandy, said Australia was at the forefront of efforts to integrate renewable energy into an existing electricity network.

Managing peak demand and improving data to tap energy from rooftop solar and batteries should limit the need for new generation and keep prices from rising, Ms Zibelman, who started last week as chief executive of the Australian Energy Market Operator, told an industry forum. Soaring electricity and gas prices have become a hot political issue in Australia amid a shift to wind and solar power and the closure of coal and gas-fired power statio…