Monash Climate Communication Hub to host Zoom session
Monash Climate Communication Hub will host a rapid-response briefing on virtual power plants on Thursday 16th July 2026. The online session will run from 2pm to 3pm AEST on Zoom.
Journalists and media professionals can attend the 16th July 2026 event by RSVP. Monash will send the Zoom link in a calendar invitation.
The Monash session comes as Australia’s home battery boom accelerates in 2026. It will examine how virtual power plants could change the relationship between households and the energy system.
Note, speakers will explain how stored energy in homes can be shared back to the grid. The 16th July 2026 session will also assess the effect on reliability and peak demand.
Monash will also examine whether virtual power plants can reduce pressure on expensive infrastructure and gas-fired backup. Another topic is whether these models could cut the need for new grid infrastructure and system upgrades.
Thursday 16th July 2026 briefing
Professor Elizabeth Lester, director of the Monash Climate Communication Hub, will feature in the Zoom briefing on 16th July 2026.
“Virtual power plants are prompting us to rethink the relationship between technology, markets and households in our energy system,” Professor Elizabeth Lester said. “They highlight how individual decisions can collectively influence reliability, resilience and the future of the grid.”
The briefing agenda includes what a virtual power plant is and how it works in practice. Monash will also cover how household batteries, rooftop solar and EVs can be coordinated to support the grid.
Financial questions will form part of the 2pm to 3pm AEST session. Monash plans to explore who benefits financially from household participation and who may be left out.
Professor Elizabeth Lester identified cost, access, trust and clear communication as barriers to joining a virtual power plant. Those factors, she argued, will shape whether households choose to take part.
In a second point, Professor Elizabeth Lester argued that social factors matter as much as the technology. She said households need to understand how systems work, who benefits, what they give up and whether they trust the parties involved.
Meanwhile, the Monash briefing will examine what virtual power plants reveal about the future of energy markets, household investment and energy fairness. That topic links household batteries, rooftop solar and EVs to wider grid change.
Monash will connect reporters directly with leading researchers and subject-matter experts during the Zoom event. The university says that access supports accurate, timely and impactful reporting on climate and energy.
The event forms part of Monash’s Rapid Response Briefings series. The series offers expert-led explanations, context for breaking news, practical guidance for accessible reporting and opportunities to ask researchers questions directly.
The briefing notice lists that site alongside the RSVP invitation for the 16th July 2026 event.
