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"It is worth taking another look at what's been happening in the electricity sector. For example, take a look at summer afternoon consumption of electricity dispatched on the National Electricity Market (the NEM is the electricity market that serves the east coast states and South Australia). Compared to the previous summer, afternoon consumption during the summer of 2014 fell a further 600 megawatts or 2.3%, continuing a downward trend that dates back to at least 2010."

"Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power appear to be the impetus behind a South Australian proposal to substantially drop electricity prices, just as other states are hiking theirs. The Essential Service Commission of South Australian (ESCOSA), which regulates retail electricity prices, has released a draft price determination that proposes an 8.1% reduction in the electricity standing offer, (that is, the default retail price that must be offered to South Australians, at a minimum)."

"It will come as no surprise to hear that only a tiny fraction - less than 1 percent - of cars driving along American roads are fully electric. What might be more surprising is the fact that this wasn't always the case. In 1900, 34 percent of cars in New York, Boston and Chicago were powered by electric motors. Nearly half had steam engines. What happened? Why do we end up embracing one technology while another, better one struggles or fails?"

Welcome to eFuture, where you can explore Australia's electricity future through to 2050. eFuture is a snapshot of the complex modelling CSIRO carries out every day to support government and industry as they make decisions about energy investment and policy. Based on CSIRO's energy sector model, you can select options and instantly view charts showing changes to Australia's future electricity sources, greenhouse gas emissions and the cost of electricity. With the release of the Australian Government's Energy White Paper (2012), CSIRO is excited to launch eFuture, a way for those interested in energy to explore the future energy scenarios similar to those presented in the Energy White Paper.

"Do you want to know how your electricity use compares with other households of a similar size? Energy Made Easy can show you the average electricity usage for similar households in your area."

"Coal-fired electricity may have little or no economic future in Australia, a new analysis has found. While the new government seems determined to turn its back on renewable energy, our study shows that even without a carbon price, and even with the assumption that carbon capture and storage will eventually become commercially available, coal may not be able to compete with renewable electricity."

"The fall in Australia's electricity demand has accelerated significantly, forcing the Australian Energy Market Operator to make a significant downward revision to its 2013/14 demand forecasts less than six months after its previous downgrade. The AEMO said in an update issued overnight that electricity demand for the first quarter of the current financial year had been a whopping 3.5 per cent below its forecast issued in June."

"The troubles of electric-car-maker Fisker Automotive have fueled another round of debate about whether plug-ins can live up to their promises. The California start-up, which had already halted production and laid off most of its employees, missed a federal loan paymentMonday and told a congressional hearing on Wednesday that it may not be able to avoid bankruptcy. This is probably the end of the road for Fisker. But definitely not for electric cars. Let me dispel some of the myths."

"The integration of wind energy generation into the electricity grid in South Australia is a success story. The gross statistic often quoted is the total electricity produced as a percentage of the supply. In the year to June 2012, the electricity generated by wind farms in SA amounted to 3,349 GWh, or 26% of the total supply. This was behind the 50% supplied by natural gas and ahead of coal's 24%."

"Along with being a fun holiday for tricks and treats, Halloween is an opportune time to shine a ghostly light on the evil energy vampires lurking in homes. Those ghoulish fangs - also known as plugs in the wall - suck frightening amounts of electricity all night (and day) long, even when bloodthirsty electronics and appliances are turned off or doing nothing useful. The chilling truth is that as much as one-tenth of the electricity devoured in our homes vanishes as "standby power" - electricity feeding perpetually plugged-in electronics and appliances even when they're idle for long periods of time, like in the dead of night."

"Solar panels make energy, but they take energy to make, too. And, until about 2010 or so, the solar panel industry used more electricity than it produced, according to a new analysis. Now, the industry is set to "pay back" the energy it used by 2020."

This story investigates claims of how Citipower and SP Ausnet used the electricity rules and bureaucracy to turn what should have been a $107 million public investment on an enhancement to the Melbourne CBD electricity network into a $271 million spend.

"The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in South Korea has been working on extending the range and convenience of operating electric buses. Two new buses are now being trialled in the city of Gumi that use technology in the road to wirelessly charge their batteries."

"Smartphones, laptops, tablets, digital TV. You may not have considered it, but all those devices require a lot of energy to operate, and gobble it up even when they sit idle. In fact, the iPhone uses more electricity than a refrigerator. A medium-sized, energy star fridge uses 322 kilowatt hours (kWh) each year. The average iPhone? 361." See the full report at http://goo.gl/FstidW

"Researchers at Stanford University have found a way to harvest considerable amounts of electricity from an unlikely source: poop. In a paper published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Xing Xie and his team of engineers describe a "microbial battery" capable of generating electricity from naturally occurring sewage bacteria."

"It has been known for more than 150 years that light can have an effect on the electrical properties of some materials. This is called the photoelectric effect. In 1921, Einstein received the Nobel Prize for his work explaining this. Photovoltaic cells are based on a related phenomenon called the photovoltaic effect, and they convert light directly into electricity. Let's look at how."

"As the world slowly wakes up to the need to electrify personal transport, the range of electric vehicles is starting to ramp up. Lance Turner looks at how Australia is doing in the move away from fossil fuels, and which EVs you can buy now and in the near future."

"If you think solar power is a good investment, you're hardly alone. Solar panels will generate close to 10 per cent of the nation's daytime electricity this summer. In South Australia, it will reach 30 per cent. In all, 1.15 million Australian homes and businesses have installed solar electricity systems and demand is growing."

"Here's a bright idea: what if, instead of paying for solar panels to keep your electricity bills down, you asked a solar company to put them on your roof for free, then paid them back with excess energy that you didn't need? Well, it's already happening. Solar panel installation with no upfront payments, paid off over several years from the money saved out of your power bills, began in Australia almost two years ago. In a few years, it is likely that companies will be competing with each other to pay you for the privilege of using your roof to generate electricity for your home."

"Floating offshore wind turbines could more than meet the electricity demands of the European Union, according to a new report (PDF) from the European Wind Energy Association, first reported by Business Green. In fact, offshore wind turbines could potentially supply over four times the electricity needs of the EU."