I get feedback from subscribers on the need to stay positive and hopeful in the face of relentless climate catastrophes, ominous data and political developments. Believe me, I know it’s hard to stay upbeat, especially today with what's happening in the USA. But here’s the thing. Last night I went to see Dione Warwick. She reminded us all in audience that “What the world needs now, is love sweet love”. We also need a good dose of hope.
The good news is that there are rays of light breaking through the dark clouds, especially in the realm of how we produce, share, and consume energy. Actually, it’s nothing short of a revolution, and it’s one of the reasons I still hold onto a stubborn sense of hope. This is a long blog, so pour yourself a cuppa and let me help you escape the doom. I want to share with you a glimpse of what I like to call The New Energy Order.
The Shift from Large to Small
We’ve all grown up in a world powered by massive, centralised energy plants. I grew up in the Hunter Valley and remember only too well the coal-fired monoliths pumping out electricity for people across NSW. Today, though, we’re witnessing a gentle but persistent shift towards smaller-scale power generation - think rooftop solar panels, community wind projects, and micro-hydroelectric setups.
Yes, these solutions can’t (yet) match the megawatt output of old-style behemoths in single bursts. But there’s real beauty in their multiplicity, resilience, and closeness to home. Electricity doesn’t always have to travel hundreds of kilometres along high-voltage lines. Smaller systems generate energy right where we use it, meaning fewer losses, fewer overheads, and far more opportunities for everyday people to feel connected to their power. When you see a solar panel on your or your neighbour’s rooftop, you’re reminded that the future of energy is also local, personal, and human-scale.
Centralised to Decentralised: Power in Community Hands
An equally profound shift is happening in how energy is governed and owned. For decades, utilities have had near-monopolistic control over production and distribution. Now, a steady move towards decentralised energy means local cooperatives, communities, and individuals have a say and a stake in the system.
This decentralisation is about more than just technology; it’s about empowerment. People in remote villages can install micro-solar grids to power their homes, schools, and businesses, all without waiting for big utilities to lay kilometres of power lines. Urban neighborhoods are banding together to crowdfund shared renewable projects. Farmers with extra land are entering partnerships with companies installing wind turbines, reaping electricity and economic returns while drought-proofing their farms.
How can we not feel uplifted seeing people from all backgrounds stepping up to create their own energy solutions? I shared the joy when, as Australia's Ambassador in Ghana, I secured solar power for a whole village on an island in the Volta River with a $40,000 grant. This is grassroots activism at its most tangible and immediate.
From Large Grids to Microgrids: The Art of Independence
Take the concept of decentralised energy a step further, and you find microgrids. Where once we plugged into a single, monolithic grid, it’s now possible for communities - big or small - to weave their own self-sufficient webs of generation, storage, and distribution. Microgrids can be as tiny as a remote island village in Ghana, or as sizable as a country town in Victoria looping solar panels, batteries, and a backup link to the main grid.
What makes microgrids so exciting is their nimbleness. They can “island” themselves off from the larger grid in times of crisis (think storms, wildfires, or grid failures), and reconnect when normal operations resume. That capacity for energy self-determination breeds resilience and breaks cycles of helplessness which often accompany large-scale blackouts.
Microgrids open the door for us to reimagine our relationship with energy. They become a focal point for local pride and cooperation - neighbours literally powering each other, often with sunshine harvested on the same street.
One-Directional to Bi-Directional: Energy as a Flow, Not a Stream
One of the most exciting parts of this evolving picture involves bi-directional energy. In the old system, power flowed one way: from the giant plant to your home. Now, if you have rooftop solar, a home battery, or an EV, you can send electricity back into the grid when you have a surplus. My EV charges from solar during the day and can power our house at night with its bi-direcitonal charging capacity. No wonder Gina Rhinehart hates renewables. They threaten her massive coal-mining interests.
This is more than clever tech. It’s the promise of an active, engaged community that doesn’t just consume but also contributes. Suddenly, an electric car isn’t just a means of transport; it’s a mobile energy storage system that can feed the grid during peak demand or power your home during an outage. Whether through net metering, peer-to-peer energy trading, or other digital tools, we’re collectively rewriting the rules of engagement. We’re no longer simply paying for electrons; we’re part of a broader dance of energy, helping to stabilise supply and demand for ourselves and our neighbours.
Passive Consumers to Active Prosumers: A New Sense of Agency
At the heart of this transformation lies the shift from consumer to prosumer. That might sound like new-age jargon, but it’s actually an exiting change of mindset. Prosumers are everyday people like you, me, or pensioners down the street - who generate at least some of their own power and often share or sell the surplus.
Gone is the passive role of flicking a switch and paying a bill in quiet resignation. In its place, we are active participants who engage with energy use data, invest in battery storage, install solar panels, and even sign up to demand-response programs to help balance the grid on hot summer afternoons. This sense of active participation brings with it a psychological shift. Rather than feeling at the mercy of oligarchs and dodgy politicians, prosumers can claim a piece of the solution.
That isn’t to sugarcoat the challenges: not everyone can afford rooftop solar or has a perfectly sited property. But as costs drop and financing options spread, we’re seeing more programs (e.g., solar subsidies, low-interest EV loans, co-ops, community-owned arrays) that can lower the barriers to entry. The hopeful truth? The prosumer movement is growing, fueling a more democratic, inclusive energy system.
Carrying Hope Forward
Yes, the stakes are high. Yes, Donald Trump is back in the White House. And Yes, climate change is upon us. We face an enormous fight on many fronts. But in the realm of energy, there’s an astonishing, unstoppable drive toward innovation, community resilience, and individual empowerment. This is our New Energy Order: smaller, more localised generation; decentralised decision-making; agile microgrids; two-way energy flows; and a wave of engaged prosumers who recognise the difference one rooftop, one wind turbine, or one electric car can make.
All of it speaks to the hope that humanity can pivot to a more harmonious relationship with the planet and ourselves. If you feel overwhelmed by dodgy politicians, oligarchs and climate disasters, remember this: all around the globe, individuals and communities like my Ghanian friends on the Volta River are forging new paths to generate clean, reliable power. This isn’t a pipe dream. It’s not a maybe. It’s happening right now. We can all be a part of it.
Villagers on the Volta River celebrating their new solar system which brought electricity to their island.
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