Lessons from the 2026 CHARGED Initiative Australia Study Tour

In March 2026, the CHARGED Initiative brought nine U.S. utility commissioners and staff on a study tour to Australia, a country that has developed a blueprint for managing an electricity grid led by distributed energy. Australia has the highest rooftop solar penetration in the world, and its utilities, regulators, and market operator have spent the last decade innovating to create a customer-focused, flexible grid that continues to evolve rapidly. This report captures what the study tour participants learned and what Australia’s experience means for U.S. regulators navigating their own distributed energy resource transitions.