The Boomerang Paradox, Part I: How a Nation's Wealth Is Creating Fuel Poverty

Abstract

A characteristic of advanced economies like Australia is continual growth in household income and plunging costs of electric appliances, resulting in rapid growth in peak demand. The power grid in turn requires substantial incremental generating and network capacity, which is utilized momentarily at best. The result is the Boomerang Paradox, in which the nation's rising wealth has created the pre-conditions for fuel poverty. © 2010 Elsevier Inc.