In response to pressure from all sides, governments around the world have com-mitted to decarbonising their economies within the next thirty years. Taken literally, this would involve eliminating the use of naturally occurring hydrocarbons such as coal, natural gas, and oil. However, based on their analysis of data drawn from ac-ademic papers, the Australian Federal Government, energy industry bodies, and manufacturers of electricity generating equipment, the authors believe at this time, such elimination of fossil fuel use is simply not possible. That said, by moving to a connected energy island (CEI) power generation topology, the data suggest we can at once: create a sustainably robust energy supply, move Australia closer to its environmental targets, and underpin the country’s future economic well-being.
