Shanil Samarakoon
Shanil is a human geographer with a research background in issues of energy justice associated with transitions to renewable energy– in Australia and Sub-Saharan Africa. He is currently engaged in social research that examines the experiences of a range of stakeholders e.g. households and businesses, as they navigate the transition to a more renewable grid. He is particularly interested in how energy users understand and engage with energy systems e.g. solar home systems, and the issues of justice associated with them. He is also interested in the logics, motives and challenges underpinning corporate efforts to procure and promote renewable energy.
Shanil is currently engaged in three CEEM projects:
24/7 Truzero
ESKIES
Essential Energy Tariff Trial

Publications
Title & place of publication | Author | Research area |
Type![]() |
Links | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Curtailment and network voltage analysis study,"2021 IEEE PES Innovative Smart Grid Technologies - Asia (ISGT Asia), 2021 | Baran Yildiz , Dr Naomi Stringer , Sophie Adams , Shanil Samarakoon , Anna Bruce , Iain MacGill , Alistair B. Sproul | Electricity Markets & Restructuring, Energy Efficiency & Distributed Generation | Journal Papers | link | 2021 |
Off-Grid Electrical Urbanism: Emerging Solar Energy Geographies in Ordinary Cities | Paul Munro , Shanil Samarakoon | Electricity Markets & Restructuring | Journal Papers | Link | 2022 |
The afterlives of off-grid solar: The dynamics of repair and e-waste in Malawi | Shanil Samarakoon , Paul Munro , Collen Zalengera, Matthew Kearnes | Sustainability & general | Journal Papers | Link | 2022 |
Somewhat original: energy ethics in Malawi’s off-grid solar market | Shanil Samarakoon , Anne Bartlett, Paul Munro | Sustainability & general | Journal Papers | Link | 2021 |
'Curtailment and Network Voltage Analysis Study (CANVAS)', Race for 2030, 2021 | Baran Yildiz , Sophie Adams , Shanil Samarakoon , Dr Naomi Stringer , Anna Bruce , Iain MacGill | Electricity Markets & Restructuring, Energy Efficiency & Distributed Generation | Reports and Working Papers | Full Report, Succinct Report | 2021 |
Energy Resilience in Bushfires and Extreme Weather Events | Sophie Adams , Mike Roberts , Shanil Samarakoon , Ellie Kallmier, Michael Dillon, Alison Potter, Rachel Szczepaniak, Rob Passey , Anna Bruce , Declan Kuch , Dr Iain MacGill, Renate Egan | Energy Efficiency & Distributed Generation, Sustainability & general | Reports and Working Papers | Link | 2023 |
The right to repairable energy: A political ecology of off-grid solar repair in Zambia | Paul Munro , Shanil Samarakoon , Matthew Kearnes, Courtney Paisley | Articles | Link | 2023 | |
Towards a repair research agenda for off-grid solar e-waste in the Global South | Paul Munro , Shanil Samarakoon , Ulrich E. Hansen, Matthew Kearnes, Anna Bruce , Jamie Cross, Sarah Walker, Collen Zalengera | Articles | Link | 2023 | |
Solar curtailment is emerging as a new challenge to overcome as Australia dashes for rooftop solar | Baran Yildiz , Sophie Adams , Shanil Samarakoon , Dr Naomi Stringer | Electricity Markets & Restructuring, Energy Efficiency & Distributed Generation | Media | Link | 2021 |
The Afterlife of Solar | Paul Munro , Shanil Samarakoon | Large-scale Renewable Energy, Sustainability & general, Technology Assessments | Media | Link | 2021 |