Quarterly Essay 89: The Wires That Bind: Electrification and Community Renewal

Summary

The country is at a crossroads. In The Wires That Bind, inventor, engineer and visionary Saul Griffith reveals the world that awaits us if we make the most of Australia's energy future.

Griffith paints an inspiring yet practical picture of empowered local communities acting collectively when it comes to renewable energy, and benefiting financially. He considers both equity and security – an end to dependence on foreign oil, for instance. He explores the rejuvenation of regional Australia, as well as the rise of a new populist movement driven by Australian women. And he explodes once and for all the trees v. jobs binary.

This is an electrifying essay about building a better world, one community at a time.

“We need a realistic and achievable vision for the future because the future is coming fast. We have only about one-quarter of one century, twenty-five years, one human generation, to get ourselves out of this climate quandary. If we get this right, if we design the incentives and the policies and the regulations correctly, communities will thrive. Every Australian will benefit economically, socially and even health-wise. So let's hit the road.” Saul Griffith, The Wires That Bind.

Saul Griffith is an engineer and inventor. He has been principal investigator on research projects for NASA, Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, the National Science Foundation and US Special Operations Command. He was awarded the MacArthur "Genius Grant" in 2007. He is a founder of the organisations Rewiring America and Rewiring Australia, and the author of Electrify and The Big Switch: Australia's Electric Future.