Fast, Fair and Vital – introducing our Congress theme

Between Electrify Everything and Big Energy, community energy has a key role to play in energy transitions right now. The 2024 congress theme is Fast, Fair & Vital:

FAST

Community action and household transformation are already the fastest part of energy transition in Australia, leaping ahead of the large-scale infrastructure projects that are materialising but will take time to be accepted and built.

Renewable energy is mainstreamed through millions of local economic decisions and attitudes at the community level. That cultural change, and the social approval associated with it, is key to reaching 2030 emissions targets – community energy is imagining and forging a new and clean energy future.

FAIR

Across the political divide people care about their communities. Resilience, equity, safety, affordability and ensuring everyone benefits from our future energy system are key priorities.

Communities are impatient to see projects that embody those values. Community participation is essential for delivering a fairer system, social cohesiveness and for building social approval of a renewable future.

VITAL

Resilience: Establishing a robust system iscritical to cope with increasing disruptions and extremes. Distributed energy projects, like community batteries and resilience hubs, provide those qualities, ensuring faster recovery and service continuity, so communities can function despite more frequent challenges.

Stability: The accelerating rate of energy transition at the household scale will place strains on the  electricity grid. Projects typically undertaken by community energy are well placed to support the local
network. They are important vehicles for network stability as well as resilience.

Approval: The energy investments we need, across the large and decentralised elements of energy supply and use, will not happen quickly without widespread social approval. Community energy has a crucial role in leading conversations about energy futures.