2024 John Dillon Memorial Lecture

Prominent Australian economist and energy expert, Professor John Quiggin, will deliver the University of New England's 2024 John Dillon Memorial Lecture, exploring the role of solar photovoltaics (PV) in the global energy transition.

Titled Will Irresistible Force Overcome Immovable Object: solar photovoltaics and the energy transition,the lecture will take place at the Armidale Town Hall on Tuesday, 15 October, from 4-5.30pm.

Quiggin, a Professor of Economics at the University of Queensland, will argue that the unstoppable rise of low-cost solar power will triumph over the entrenched obstacles of existing energy systems and outdated attitudes towards renewables.

"Solar PV has become an irresistible force," said Professor Quiggin. "The costs of solar generation are now so low that there is a strong incentive to overcome the barriers that have slowed its widespread adoption. With coal and gas generators and outdated network structures presenting obstacles, the economic case for solar is overwhelming."

The lecture will focus primarily on solar energy, though other renewable sources like wind will also be considered. Professor Quiggin notes that while wind energy has also seen significant cost reductions, the advances in solar technology and pricing have been far more dramatic.

Quiggin will explore the full range of solar energy applications - large-scale solar farms, rooftop installations, building-integrated solar, and innovations such as floating solar arrays. He argues that if obstacles block one form of solar development, alternative methods will emerge to capture the benefits of this low-cost energy source.

"Whether it's large-scale utility solar or rooftop systems, solar energy will find a way. If the market resists one form, another will take its place," said Professor Quiggin. "We've already seen this in places like South Australia, which now generates 70 per cent of its electricity from solar and wind."

Professor Quiggin will also address the entrenched attitudes and structural obstacles slowing the energy transition, pointing to the influence of coal and gas generators, outdated network infrastructures, and resistance driven by political and cultural factors.

"In some parts of the world, cultural attitudes towards renewable energy, especially solar, have slowed progress. But the economics of solar are so compelling that it's only a matter of time before these barriers fall," Quiggin said.

In regional NSW, where solar developments intersect with agricultural land use, Quiggin believes there is much to learn from both urban and regional examples saying that in 2024, rooftop solar in urban and suburban Australia added 3.1 GW of capacity to the grid, surpassing the 2.8 GW added by large-scale renewables.

"Australia's energy transition is happening on suburban rooftops as much as on regional land," said Quiggin. "Hearing this lecture will help those at the forefront of the renewable energy transition, particularly in regional NSW, realise that solar energy is not just a large-scale initiative seen in vast solar farms. It's also a local transformation, with rooftop installations and community-driven solar projects playing a key role in shaping our energy future."

The John Dillon Memorial Lecture is sponsored by the AARES New England Branch, the UNE Business School and Armidale Regional Council. The lecture series has been held since 2006 and is dedicated to John Louis Dillon (1931-2001), an agricultural economist of international stature and the Foundation Professor of Farm Management at the University of New England.

Speaker
John Quiggin is a Professor of Economics at the University of Queensland and holds a PhD from the University of New England. He is a prominent research economist and commentator on Australian and international economic policy. He has produced over 2000 publications, including 12 books and over 300 refereed journal articles, in fields including decision theory, environmental economics, and industrial organisation. He is an active contributor to Australian public debate in a wide range of traditional and social media.

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