Daniel Mercer

Perth

Reporter at ABC News (Australia)

Energy reporter at the ABC. Former state politics and business hack at The West Australian. Picture: Danella Bevis

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Articles

Consumers lose trust in energy giants

6 days ago | abc.net.au | Daniel Mercer

One of the most striking aspects of Australia's energy transition has been the leading role played by households… which have adopted solar and batteries with gusto. On the back of the adoption, efforts are being made by energy regulators and retailers to harness all of this clean tech… supposedly for the benefit of the grid and consumers everywhere. But there are worries that some companies are seeking to exploit the investment by households for their own profits.
Drained batteries and broken trust: Energy giant denounced over clean tech scheme

6 days ago | abc.net.au | Daniel Mercer

Peter Anderson likes to joke that he has an aversion to paying power bills. It's what drove him to install solar panels at his home in Sydney in 2019. And it's what convinced him to go one step further and get a battery in 2022. "The funny thing about it was that our solar installer, when I first spoke to her, she's like, 'Oh, you don't need a battery,'" Mr Anderson recalls with a laugh.
What might our future power grid look like? This illustrated guide explains

2 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Alex Lim |Daniel Mercer |Tim Leslie

The end of coal and rise of renewables is shaping tomorrow's power grid today. It poses challenges for nuclear power. Turning on the lights is something we do without thinking, but have you ever thought about what makes it possible?
Why gas bills are so high

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Daniel Mercer

Ever wondered why your household gas bill is so high? Well, you're paying for more than just the fuel you've used to cook your dinner or heat your home or water. You're also paying for the vast network large and small pipelines that transport the gas to your house.
NSW energy watchdog bemoans 'confusion, broken trust' as smart meter rollout sputters

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Daniel Mercer

An energy watchdog has sounded the alarm over the rollout of smart meters in Australia's most populous state, saying too many consumers are being hit with poor service and left worse off. The New South Wales Energy and Water Ombudsman is the latest body to shine a light on shortcomings in the deployment of smart meters to millions of homes across the country.
Expert says Labor must ensure battery subsides don’t entrench inequality

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Daniel Mercer

One of Australia's leading energy experts has predicted that plans to subsidise household batteries will hasten the demise of big power plants such as coal generators. Gavin Dufty, the national director of energy at St Vincent de Paul, said the announcement by Labor that it would spend $2.3 billion to spur the uptake of batteries among households — if re-elected — was a further blow to incumbent energy companies.
More gas and lower prices 'years away' as experts poke holes in Coalition's gas reservation policy

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Daniel Mercer

In the febrile environment of a federal election campaign, an uneasy consensus seems to have emerged between the major parties on an unlikely topic — the gas industry. Or, more specifically, the shortcomings of the gas industry in Australia and the need to bring it to heel. On Thursday night, as foreshadowed by the ABC's Jacob Greber, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said he would impose a reservation policy of sorts on east coast gas if elected prime minister.
Plummeting gas demand averts looming gas crisis as AEMO dials down warning

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Daniel Mercer |Tom Lowrey

Gas consumption in Australia is falling faster than anticipated, helping to avoid the risks of seasonal shortages in the next few years, according to energy commentators. In its latest outlook for the east coast gas market, the Australian Energy Market Operator dialled down its warnings that shortfalls of the fuel could emerge as early as this year.
The massive task of decommissioning coal-fired power stations

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Daniel Mercer

As Australia shifts away from fossil fuels, much of the debate surrounds the costs - and demands - of building all the new clean energy that will be required. But there's another part of the transition that's getting less attention - the huge and expensive job of decommissioning the coal-fired electric plants that have powered the country for decades.
Solar feed-in tariffs plunge up to 99.93pc in 15 years as market saturates

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Daniel Mercer

It seems hard to believe now, but in the not-so-distant past, Australians installing solar panels on their roofs were once handsomely rewarded. From 60 cents for every kilowatt hour of output your solar panels exported to the grid, to 60 cents for every kilowatt they produced regardless of how much you used yourself, times were heady. How different it all is these days, as returns for exports to the grid have been all but been wiped out.