The six big agenda items for Greg Swann
Greg Swann is joining AFL headquarters and the Midweek Tackle team have identified six big agenda items for the league's new football performance executive.
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ABC News
22 minutes ago
- ABC News
Landmark trial to enable energy trading between solar homes and those without
Maree Tynan knew that her cottage in Mittagong, in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands 110 kilometres south of Sydney, was the place for her more or less the first time she saw it. It was more than four decades ago and, in time, her and her late partner turned what was a getaway into their permanent home. During that time, Ms Tynan has seen her fair share of changes in Mittagong and in so many other ways besides. Among them has been the extraordinary rise of rooftop solar in Australia, where one in three homes now has the technology. It's long been something she's wanted, too. "We were very keen to be part of it, but we had two major problems," recalls Ms Tynan, whose home was built in the late 1920s. "The first is it's the original roof. That is terracotta. "As you can imagine, after 100 years in a very cold climate, it is very, very fragile. "Apart from the roof, we also have a lot of trees." Faced with those challenges, Ms Tynan feared she may have been locked out of the solar market for good. That was until she came across a project aiming to connect people who don't have solar panels with those who do. "To have had rooftop solar put on, we were going to have to have the whole roof replaced," she explains. "That just seemed crazy because, yes, we'd have solar, but we'd be spending an awful lot of money. "We decided that, while ever the roof was secure and not letting rain in, we'd stick with that and we'd look for alternatives. At its heart, the project aims to enable energy trading between solar households and those without the technology. Known as WinZero, the project is centred around the Wingecarribee Shire Council. Households taking part in the so-called virtual energy network are given a smart meter and hooked up to a scheme allowing them to buy from or sell to other participants in their local area. In order to participate, they must go through small, privately-owned electricity retailer Energy Locals, which uses third party software to handle the trades. Those without panels can buy surplus solar power for a rate lower than a standard tariff over the grid. Similarly, solar householders facing ever lower — or even non-existent — feed-in tariffs can yield higher payments for their exports. Now a new study based on the Wingecarribee model is being led by Deakin University, which is hoping to widen its scope to the entire national electricity market, which spans Australia's eastern seaboard. Of particular interest to researchers are consumers who don't or can't have solar panels themselves. Andrea La Nauze, an associate professor of economics at Deakin, says Australia might lead the world in the take-up of rooftop solar, but most people are still missing out. "We have the highest rate of rooftop solar in the world," Dr La Nauze says. "But there are many of us who are renters or live in apartments or for various reasons can't install solar panels. "First of all, it's expanding access to rooftop solar, which is good for the environment. "It's also hopefully good for the back pocket." As of last year, there were more than 4 million "small-scale" solar installations across the country. Under the definition in Australia, a small-scale installation can be anything up to 100 kilowatts, meaning many businesses with solar are also grouped with the category. However, most installations are on standalone homes and the vast majority of these are owned by their occupants, according to Dr La Nauze. She says virtual energy networks could be a way of bridging what is an inherent divide. By allowing customers with excess generation to sell it to those without panels, she says, both sides of the transaction might just end up winning. "Using the existing poles and wires, people who have excess energy from their rooftop solar can sell it to their neighbour or a local cafe," she says. "They can get more, hopefully, for that energy that they sell than they otherwise would. "And the cafe or the neighbour can buy energy at a lower price than their current retail contract." More broadly, Dr La Nauze says solar trading schemes could help answer a number of thorny questions hanging over Australia's energy transition. While equity in access to clean tech is one of them, she says the over-abundance of solar generation in the middle of the day is another. "We might also relieve some of the congestion that we have on the distribution network," she says. "The poles and wires in many parts of Australia are struggling because we have so much energy coming from rooftop solar in the middle of the day. "If we can encourage households and small businesses to soak up more of that power during the middle of the day, that's beneficial for the network. Michael Dello-Iacovo from Energy Consumers Australia, which is helping to fund the new trial, says the lobby group is keen to see how feasible an expanded network is. Mr Dello-Iacovo acknowledges the idea of trading might be an intimidating idea to some householders but notes the trial would be seeking to overcome this. "It ultimately comes down to the platform itself," Mr Dello-Iacovo says. "And so the platforms that I've seen for virtual energy networks … you can be as engaged as you like and there is an option to be very disengaged. "You can set up very simple trades to either sell electricity from your solar and battery or to buy electricity from someone else with solar or battery. "You can set up more specific trades and trade with an individual you know at a set price, for example. Although such networks are in their infancy, Mr Dello-Iacovo says the notional potential of "peer-to-peer" trading is enormous. He notes there are still millions of people in Australia who do not have access to solar power, making them a huge source of potential demand. "At Energy Consumers Australia, we advocate for all energy consumers," Mr Dello-Iacovo says. "And part of that means making sure everyone who wants to have access to consumer energy resources like solar and battery can have access to it. "So this trial is really exciting for us because there's a lot of potential for bringing those benefits from the energy transition to all households, not just those who are physically able to install solar and batteries." For Mittagong householder Maree Tynan, the scheme seems to be working. She acknowledges her electricity bills are generally modest anyway because she tries to limit how much power she uses. Even still, Ms Tynan says her costs are lower now. To that extent, she reckons buying other people's surplus solar power while cutting her bills is the next best thing to have some panels herself. Asked if she would be happy to keep doing it, she says: "Oh yes, I definitely will keep going while it's available." "I'd dearly love to have solar myself," Ms Tynan says. "But I can't see it happening anytime in the near future for the reasons I've explained." She says that for people in similar circumstances to her, the scheme should hold great appeal, especially if it can help save them money. "I'm very cognisant of what's happening in the world," she says. Along with Deakin University and Energy Consumers Australia, the new trial will be delivered in partnership with QuantumNRG, ReThink Sustainability and WinZero. Anyone interested in taking part in the trial can find out more information at
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Mick Malthouse: New AFL appointments Greg Swann & Tom Harley will benefit West Coast Eagles & Fremantle
The AFL has made massive moves this week by appointing Greg Swann to executive general manager of football performance and — in all probability — Tom Harley to chief operating officer. These will be highly positive selections, particularly for West Coast and Fremantle. Both men are admired in the football industry for what they have achieved in their previous roles, and the way they go about things. They each have experience with at least two AFL clubs, and they have both been involved in AFL premierships — one as a player and one as an administrator. But perhaps their greatest asset as far as non-Victorian clubs go, is that they know how football clubs operate outside of the traditional football state. They know, because at Brisbane and Sydney they have experienced the pitfalls, the angst, the travel and the non-sensical fixturing for interstate clubs. Yes, NSW is just over an hour's flight away from Melbourne and Queensland is two-and-a-half hours away and during winter both states are in the same time zone as Victoria. It's not the four-plus hours of travel and a two-hour time difference that the West Aussie clubs deal with, however, it's enough for Swann and Harley to have a sympathetic ear and a supportive voice for the non-Victorian clubs within the walls of the AFL and that's a positive for the Dockers and the Eagles. Harley's potential move to basically become Andrew Dillon's second is not really a surprise. He was Geelong's premiership captain in 2007 and 2009 and CEO of Sydney for their recent grand final losses. Knowing what it's like to win and lose is important, because it's not all beer and skittles. I have worked with Tom in the media and found him to be honest, knowledgeable, and a good listener. All great qualities for an AFL executive. Swann and I started at Collingwood together. The club was virtually broke, had low membership numbers and hadn't played finals for a record number of years. Greg came from a major accounting firm with high job security and an international bias. My initial thoughts were, why him? Until I quickly realised he was a football fanatic and not scared to get his hands dirty. He turned the club and its finances around very quickly. Years later, Greg was the person who convinced me to go to Carlton, as he had started to do the same thing for the Blues. Little did I realise that his tenure would end too quickly for me to establish myself at Carlton as he answered an S.O.S. call from the AFL to move North and take on a very challenging job as CEO of the Brisbane Lions. No doubt his highlight there would be last year's premiership. As surprised as I was to hear of his appointment at the AFL, I also wasn't surprised. It makes total sense, actually. Greg, by his own admission, loves the football side of the job even more so than the administrative side. He would spend hours with me at Collingwood and Carlton talking about the game and where we stood. So his new role as football performance boss, is tailor made for him. He is well regarded within the football community and would have no worries in walking through the front door of AFL House and being accepted immediately. There is no doubt he will have strong views on the laws of the game and other such things and won't hesitate to make recommendations to club bosses to improve their lot. For the non-Victorian clubs, he will be an ally. And it's about time too.
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
The Snitch: What losing Tasmania as 19th AFL club could mean for Fremantle Dockers
The Snitch is a proud 'yes' man. I only ever vote yes in referendums despite our country's historical lean to a no. It's just my positive nature. Ask Mrs Snitch. I always find it hard to say 'no' to anything my dear lady requests, whether it was the peculiar mix of Penfolds Grange and Devils on Horseback at our wedding reception at El Caballo Blanco, or her insistence we ride to the chapel in a racing green Dymaxion replica. So I have been flummoxed with with all of this pushback from Tasmanians on having an AFL team. It's all so negative and small-town minded. The thought of missing out on a stadium, and therefore a team, because of political squabbling and local myopia, has brought Tasmanian's finest footy players to tears this week. Why wouldn't you want an AFL team in your State? Yes, Tassie's greatest tourism asset lies in its diverse landscape and rich history, from Cradle Mountain to Port Arthur, but this would surely ramp it up a notch. If I am honest, only one good thing will come from a team not landing in Van Diemen's Land and that would be the likelihood Alex Pearce would remain at Fremantle for the duration of his career. Alex has Palawa heritage and grew up in Ulverstone on Tassie's north coast. He'll be 31 by Tasmania's intended AFL debut in 2028, but would be just the type of experienced and balanced footballer and all-round good chap the Devils would be looking for to lead their inaugural team. The transformation of the ugly Macquarie Point Sewage Treatment Plant into a boutique stadium worth a few Tassie truffles short of $1 billion has poured new salt on to old north v south wounds in the State. On Thursday, Tasmania's Liberal Party Premier Jeremy Rockliff lost a vote of no confidence over a looming $1 billion budget deficit and will now call a snap election. The deficit and now the election mean the AFL team is in doubt given the league has made the new roofed stadium a condition of a 19th licence. Media giant Eddie McGuire summed it up best when he said: 'What Tasmania doesn't need is every week to have an advertisement that they are a second-rate state. I think Tasmania deserves to be finally seen for the great state that it is.' He's right. If they want to remain blissfully second rate, then we have to let them. It's their call. They are busy subversives Tasmanians, just like West Aussies, after all. Remember, Tassie is an actual island. We are like one given our distance from the east. Which brings me to my favourite Tassie story and a perfect segue out of this misery. Back in 1982, the Commonwealth Games opened in Brisbane to great fanfare. Matilda the giant kangaroo was the centrepiece as she circled the QEII Stadium, winked and opened her pouch to enable hundreds of kids to pour out and form a human map of Australia. The Snitch was one of those kids – with my aptly named best mate Cliff – positioned to form the Nullarbor Plain. It was all going splendidly until we realised there was a gaping error. We'd left Tasmania off the human map. I recall talking to the one kid who was solely responsible for that role. He mumbled something about eating too many apples and sprinted to the nearest toilet and, you guessed it, missed the cut when we boarded Matilda. The outrage was loud from Tasmanians. It was another slap in the face from the mainland. Realising the gravity of his absence when he emerged from the lav to find we had all left without him, 'Tassie' leapt the fence in a futile effort to address the geographical gaffe, but sadly, we'd already broken away. A bit like Tassie right now. Say no to the AFL and you deserve to be permanently cut adrift, leaving you to float south where you will somewhat ironically bump into Macquarie Island before clattering into the frozen pole of Antarctica.
