Australia powering Japan's energy transition

Australia and Japan share two critical energy policy goals. Both countries are committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 with many cities pledging similar emission goal targets to achieve decarbonised energy consumption in their respective urban centres. This is a critical enabling environment for Smart Cities’ energy policies, serving as the overarching framework to drive accelerated and systematic decarbonisation strategies, supported by policy and regulatory frameworks across multiple energy systems. Australia is a critical energy trading partner to Japan and an important comparator to distil and contrast policy and regulatory lessons. Like Japan, Australia is a nation with extensive gas networks and high energy consumption in urban coastal areas. Both Australia and Japan are also at critical junctures in their energy policy landscapes with a focus on creating a technology-led approach to decarbonising their respective energy mixes. Both countries are pivoting towards decarbonised fuel by supporting hydrogen production and encouraging smart technology to enable urban consumers to generate and potentially distribute electricity from rooftop solar photovoltaic systems. This chapter examines two contemporary critical energy policy and regulatory developments in Australia likely to impact Japan’s Smart City goals. First, Australia’s development, the blending of hydrogen in gas networks, and the shipment of hydrogen in city centres. Second, the importance of rooftop solar photovoltaics and development of Australia’s prosumer policies to create future marketplaces to enable peer-to-peer trading. These two pivotal case studies examine pathways for fuel and electricity decarbonisation as important examples to guide future Japanese Smart City initiatives.