Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 55 minutes ago
1340th Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 6 May 2026
"Household Electricity Use and Investment"
Professor Jeffrey Reimers FRSN FAA FRACI
Director, International Centre for Quantum and Molecular Structures, Shanghai University and
Adjunct Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney
The presentation commences at 01:04
Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:01:04 Presentation: Professor Jeffrey Reimers
00:54:49 Audience Q&A moderated by Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN, Vice-President, Royal Society of NSW
01:19:10 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
01:22:00 Meeting Close
https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/1340th-ogm-and-open-lecture/
The presenter's slides are available from this event notice.
Summary: Electricity production, transmission, use, and pricing in eastern states are very complex, with consumer reports indicating very poor community understanding of the basic features. In this presentation, a broad, holistic view is presented. The focus is on how users can save money and be environmentally friendly in their energy use, how to understand and optimise retailer plans and distributor tariffs, and how to optimise investment in household solar power, solar batteries, and electric-vehicle technologies. Indeed, a strong connection is made between saving money and being environmentally friendly. A central aspect is understanding of the “spot price” and how that is used to stabilise the grid and hence provide the means by which energy production can be transformed from coal/gas to renewables, as well as its role in setting consumer costs and investment returns. Bring an electricity bill to discuss.
About the Speaker: Jeff Reimers studied organic spectroscopy under Ian Ross and Gad Fischer before doing a PhD with Bob Watts on the structure, thermodynamics, and spectroscopy of water and ice. He then studied semiclassical quantum mechanics in the USA under Kent Wilson and Rick Heller, before returning to Australia to be an ARC Research Fellow from 1985 to 2010 at the University of Sydney and there as a professor until 2013. There, he collaborated extensively with Noel Hush and Max Crossley on problems involving electron transfer, molecular electronics, porphyrin chemistry, self-assembly, electronic-structure theory, and photosynthesis. In 2014, he moved to a joint appointment at the University of Technology Sydney and Shanghai University to set up a multi-disciplinary quantum research centre, himself focusing mostly on quantum chemistry, spectroscopy, nanophotonics, and molecular electronics. His work spans a wide range of applications, from solar energy conversion to electronic devices to the origins of consciousness. He has received the RACI Physical Chemistry Division Medal and the H.G. Smith Medal, the David Craig Medal of the Australian Academy of Science, and the 2025 Shanghai Gold Magnolia Medal; he is a Fellow of the RACI, the Royal Society of NSW, and the Australian Academy of Science.
Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.
1340th Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 6 May 2026
"Household Electricity Use and Investment"
Professor Jeffrey Reimers FRSN FAA FRACI
Director, International Centre for Quantum and Molecular Structures, Shanghai University and
Adjunct Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney
The presentation commences at 01:04
Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:01:04 Presentation: Professor Jeffrey Reimers
00:54:49 Audience Q&A moderated by Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN, Vice-President, Royal Society of NSW
01:19:10 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
01:22:00 Meeting Close
https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/1340th-ogm-and-open-lecture/
The presenter's slides are available from this event notice.
Summary: Electricity production, transmission, use, and pricing in eastern states are very complex, with consumer reports indicating very poor community understanding of the basic features. In this presentation, a broad, holistic view is presented. The focus is on how users can save money and be environmentally friendly in their energy use, how to understand and optimise retailer plans and distributor tariffs, and how to optimise investment in household solar power, solar batteries, and electric-vehicle technologies. Indeed, a strong connection is made between saving money and being environmentally friendly. A central aspect is understanding of the “spot price” and how that is used to stabilise the grid and hence provide the means by which energy production can be transformed from coal/gas to renewables, as well as its role in setting consumer costs and investment returns. Bring an electricity bill to discuss.
About the Speaker: Jeff Reimers studied organic spectroscopy under Ian Ross and Gad Fischer before doing a PhD with Bob Watts on the structure, thermodynamics, and spectroscopy of water and ice. He then studied semiclassical quantum mechanics in the USA under Kent Wilson and Rick Heller, before returning to Australia to be an ARC Research Fellow from 1985 to 2010 at the University of Sydney and there as a professor until 2013. There, he collaborated extensively with Noel Hush and Max Crossley on problems involving electron transfer, molecular electronics, porphyrin chemistry, self-assembly, electronic-structure theory, and photosynthesis. In 2014, he moved to a joint appointment at the University of Technology Sydney and Shanghai University to set up a multi-disciplinary quantum research centre, himself focusing mostly on quantum chemistry, spectroscopy, nanophotonics, and molecular electronics. His work spans a wide range of applications, from solar energy conversion to electronic devices to the origins of consciousness. He has received the RACI Physical Chemistry Division Medal and the H.G. Smith Medal, the David Craig Medal of the Australian Academy of Science, and the 2025 Shanghai Gold Magnolia Medal; he is a Fellow of the RACI, the Royal Society of NSW, and the Australian Academy of Science.
Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.
