Off-grid, on Country: Mapping and navigating energy systems of provision in remote Australia

Internationally, equitable energy access in remote communities is an ongoing challenge and as we progress through the United Nations “Decade of Sustainable Energy for All “, 2014-2024 there is increasing recognition that off grid energy supplies underpinned by renewable energy systems are a critical component of energy access. While energy access research is skewed toward the technical and economic aspects of policy and program development, the exploration of renewable energy technology ‘failures’ in a wide range of nations and climates has contributed to a broader understanding of the complex contextual nature of energy provision. Consequently, literature which emphasises the social, political, environmental, cultural aspects of energy supply and use is growing. Exploring and analysing the social, institutional and policy aspects of energy provision in parallel with technological and economic information can enhance planning and the long-term sustainability of energy systems of provision.
Energy services accessed on Country are shaped by a range of factors; State, Territory and Federal policy landscapes; funding and energy provider models; and cultural and social agency. This research uses a systems of provision approach, energy justice frameworks and Indigenist theory to understand how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians living off-grid on Country, access energy supplies and services. It examines National, State and Territory policy and programs that shape energy access, examines data about existing energy services, and identifies energy actors and their relationships. The mapping of the existing energy ‘systems of provision’, contribute to understanding about how people navigate energy access and energy transitions in ‘remote’ Australia. The identified energy systems of provision are analysed using an energy justice lens to determine whether they are enabling, sustaining or constraining energy access in off-grid Indigenous communities.