Elona Rey-Costa

I want to solve global problems with multidisciplinary solutions, specifically climate change. I am interested in the social and economic benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the electricity sector by increasing our uptake of solar and wind power.

Project: Firming 100% renewable power: costs and opportunities in Australia’s National Electricity Market

Supervised by: Donna Green & Gab Abramowitz

Project Description: In the past, when our electricity system was built predominantly on expensive and finite resources, surplus energy generation was and still is considered an economic faux pas that should be avoided at all costs. As Australia transitions to a 100% renewable energy system, the amount of electricity that will be generated from solar and wind will far exceed the amount that we have historically consumed. This creates a unique opportunity for us to rethink what we can do with cheap and abundant surplus energy. This project aims to characterise the geographic distribution of future surplus energy generation and optimise its consumption for maximum social, environmental and economic gain.