Carbon tax a chance for IT innovation, smart grids

Telecoms analyst Paul Budde has cited the carbon tax as an opportunity to create innovation in the IT sector, describing it as the second major reform from Labor after the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Despite the carbon tax being criticised by big business and and some IT leaders, Paul Budde wrote in a blog post that a greener IT industry will emerge because of the tax.

“The fact that carbon now gets prices will allow companies to start planning for a greener and a much more energy efficient future,” Budde wrote. “This will lead to significant new investments and that in itself will lead to economic stimulus.”

Budde said the impact of the tax will be comparable to the impact of the NBN once it is implemented.

“It is also good to see that the current minority government with the Greens and the independents can tackle large issues,” he wrote. “After the NBN, this is the second major reform instigated by this government.”

Budde wrote that local electricity companies could use the tax as a chance to create smart grids, using energy utility Ausgrid as an example.

“Ausgrid CEO George Maltabarow again recently argued for a transformation of the electricity industry that would see a much more rapid deployment of smart grids. Energy efficiency here could lead to a reduction of 30 to 40 per cent of energy.

“The carbon pricing scheme will stimulate new innovations and new developments that will lead to smarter grids.”

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