Australia: Community batteries are emerging as an important enabler of distributed energy resources in Australia, supporting increased utilisation of rooftop solar, local network optimisation and broader consumer participation in the energy transition. Although typically modest in scale, community batteries sit at the intersection of the National Electricity Market (NEM) regulatory framework and state and territory planning, building and electrical safety regimes.

This article provides a practical legal overview of community battery projects, explaining what community batteries are, why they are being introduced and how they are being deployed in practice through Australian case studies. It examines the treatment of community batteries under the National Electricity Law and Rules, including registration exemptions, ring-fencing constraints on Distribution Network Service Providers (DNSPs) and retail law considerations. The article also outlines key state-based approval pathways, using Victoria as an example, and identifies the principal contractual arrangements and risk allocation issues relevant to project proponents, councils, DNSPs and aggregators.

United Kingdom: Each month, we look at some of the key employment, pension and immigration issues affecting our clients' workforces. In this edition, we explore: redundancy dismissals and collective consultation triggers; employment status of volunteers; the expansion of right to work checks; and the line between positive action and unlawful positive discrimination.

Australia: Increasingly, the success of highly driven and competent in-house legal counsel is key to the good governance of any organisation and high performers are sought after by private and public sector employers. 

New Zealand: Our prediction for 2025 was that there was some cause for optimism in the sector after a difficult period. Unfortunately, we appear to have been a year early in that prediction, with the sector having a difficult 2025. However, we are hopeful that 2026 will see a pickup.

Australia: In this episode, Employment & Safety Partners Paul O’Halloran and Helene Lee share their insights into what makes an exceptional in‑house legal counsel. Drawing on Dentons’ work with some of the world’s largest organisations, we explore why high‑performing counsel are essential to strong governance and why their skills are in such high demand.

India: The outcomes of the recently concluded global AI summit clarified India's approach to responsible AI deployment while the Union Budget reinforced fiscal support for manufacturing, climate technologies and digital infrastructure.