Presenter:   Professor Paul Simshauser Topic:          Dynamic Pricing and the Peak Electricity Load Problem Time:         12:15 pm for 12.30 pm, Thursday 16^th of August 2012. Presentations usually conclude by 1.15 pm to 1.30 pm Venue:         Ground Floor East Seminar Room, Reserve Bank of Australia, 65 Martin Place, Sydney Cost:            Free, light refreshments provided RSVP:          Please respond to ecosocnsw@ecosoc.org.au  Reforms to Australia’s 45,000MW electricity market were met with remarkable success, but wholesale market gains have been largely exhausted. Above trend-growth investment in energy infrastructure is driving retail prices to levels that triggered the sectoral assault in the first place.  This pressure should initiate the last piece of the reform puzzle - removing price regulation, installing smart meters and implementing dynamic pricing to halt the primary cause of the problem: rapidly rising peak demand.  Such a change can lead to non-trivial reductions in household peak demand, improving load factors and power system productivity significantly.    Paul Simshauser is AGL Energy Limited’s Chief Economist and Group Head of Corporate Affairs and Professor of Finance at Griffith University. Paul joined AGL in 2008 and has overall responsibility for regulated pricing, economic policy and sustainability, energy regulation, government affairs and emerging technology. Paul has 20 years’ experience in the energy industry having commenced his career with the Queensland Electricity Commission. He has previously held senior executive positions at Stanwell Corporation Limited, NewGen Power and Babcock and Brown. Paul has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) from Griffith Business School. He also has a Bachelor of Economics and a PhD in Economics. He is a Professional Member of the Economics Society of Australia, a Certified Practicing Accountant, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and an AFMA Accredited Derivative Dealer.